_________________________________________________
MERCER, F/L George Franklin (J17795) - Distinguished
Flying Cross - No.411 Sq.
Award effective 13 January 1945 as per London Gazette dated 23 January
1945 and
AFRO 471/45 dated 16 March 1945.
Flight Lieutenant Mercer is now on his second tour of
operational duty. During his flying career he has shown exceptional skill
and keenness in leading his flight on fighter bombing and armed reconnaissance
sorties. He has always displayed a fine fighting spirit, especially in
missions against ground targets and has destroyed seventy enemy transport
vehicles. He has also destroyed four enemy aircraft.
NOTE: Public Records Office Air 2/9043 has recommendation
dated 4 November 1943 when he had flown 166 sorties (210 hours); text
does not differ materially from that published.
_________________________________________________
Born 5 February 1917 at St.Mary's, Ontario.
Enlisted in Hamilton, 2 January 1941.
Attended
No.1 Manning Depot, Toronto, 2 January to 21 January 1941;
at Picton, 22 January to 18 March 1941;
No.1 Manning Depot, 19 March to 30 March 1941;
No.17 Equipment Depot, Ottawa, 31 March to 26 May 1941;
No.1 ITS, Toronto, 10 June to 8 August 1941
(promoted to LAC on latter date);
No.3 EFTS, London, 9 August to 25 September 1941;
No.14 SFTS, Aylmer, 26 September to 20 December 1941
(promoted to Sergeant, 19 December 1941).
Posted to Halifax;
arrived in UK, 21 January 1942.
Further trained at
No.5 (P) AFU, 12 May to 2 June 1942,
No.59 OTU, 2 June to 26 August 1942
(promoted to Flight Sergeant, 19 June 1942).
Posted to
No.610 Squadron (28 August 1942 to 17 January 1943;
promoted to WO2, 19 December 1942;
claimed his first sortie was 18 August 1942 and
that he flew 85 operational hours);
to No.185 Squadron, Malta (17 January to 13 July 1943;
commissioned 22 April 1943;
claimed he flew 86 sorties, 115 operational hours;
forced to bale out 6 May 1943 when
engine overheated and glycol fumes filled cockpit,
probably from a bird strike in radiator).
Returned to England, 1 August 1943.
At Station Cranfield, 16 August 1943 to 18 April 1944
(promoted to Flying Officer, 22 October 1943).
Posted to Canada on leave, 26 April to 16 June 1944.
Returned to UK, 26 June 1944.
No.411 Squadron, 18 July to 16 November 1944
(promoted to Flight Lieutenant, 10 October 1944,
flew 106 sorties in 125 hours ten minutes of Ops).
Shot down by flak while strafing a train, 16 November 1944;
held at Stalag Luft III.
Safe in UK, 8 May 1945;
returned to Canada, 8 July 1945.
Remained in RCAF until 11 November 1947 (mainly at Trenton)
Medal presented in UK, 1949. |
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RCAF AWARDS
Ottawa, Jan. 22, 1945 - (CP) - Air Force Headquarters announced tonight
the award of one Distinguished Service Order and 15 Distinguished Flying
Crosses to members of the RCAF serving overseas. The recipients include
:
D.S.O.
S/L O.C. Kallio, DFC, of Ironwood, Mich.
D.F.C.
W/C L.H. Randall, Bristol, N.B.;
F/L D.W. Banting, Fort San, Sask.;
F/L R.E. Coffey, Greenview, Ill.;
F/L H.A. Crawford of Edmonton;
F/L H.A. Dean, Vero Beach, Fla,;
F/L J.E. Hogg of Dartmouth, N.S.;
F/L H.R. Hunter of Strathcona, P.E.I.;
F/L G.F. Mercer of 77 Church St., St. Marys;
F/L L.W. Metcalfe of 50 Scott St., St. Thomas;
F/L J.M. Portz, Weyburn, Sask.;
F/O G.P.A. Bodard, Lethbridge, Alta.;
F/O C.L. Burgess of Fredericton;
F/O A.R. Lehman of 307 Niagara St., Welland;
P/O A.D. Fraser of Winnipeg &
F/O J.P. Jessee of Vancouver.
_________________________________________________
Air Force Casualties
Ottawa, Dec. 27, 1944 - The Department of National Defense
for Air today issued casualty list No. 1076 of the Royal Canadian Air
Force, showing next of kin of those named from Ontario as follows: OVERSEAS
– Reported Prisoner of War :
MERCER, George Franklin, F/L - G. F. Mercer (father),
St. Marys, Ont. (Wife overseas)
_________________________________________________
Victories Include :
02 July 1943
09 July 1943
12 Aug 1944
27 Sept 1944
.- |
one Bf109
one MC.202
one Bf.109
one FW.190
one FW.190 |
Probable
destroyed
destroyed
destroyed &
damaged |
15m S of Sicily
Gerbini
SE of Alencon
E of Nijmegen |
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Tommy Brannagan & George Mercer after
their release from POW camp
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Photo PL-31990 shows him examining wreckage of German
aircraft
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--- Canadian Aces ---
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|
