Herbert Elgin Mitchell

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TWENTY PILOTS GIVEN TRAINING FOR WAR DUTIES
Aero Club Provides Important Stage of Tuition — Many Flying Hours
Five More Future Aerial Warriors Here Now —
Civilians Take Courses

23 February 1940 - The Hamilton Aero club had more flying hours last month than in the first three months of 1939. No less than 338 hours were flown, with 128 dual hours and in all, 560 flights. In the previous year the hours flown in January were 110, February 94 and in March 106.
The great increase, not only in January, but also in months prior to this date, has been directly due to the advanced training of provisional pilot officers, 20 of whom have already received their complete instruction and five more recently arrived to take the course.
The local Aero club, it will be remembered, was one of the first clubs in the Dominion to be chosen, with six others across the country, as a location for advanced training for R.C.A.F. pilots under the National Defence scheme. Four pilots arrived here last June; in September nine others came and by November had completed the course. These were followed by seven others who left the airport last week after being fully trained by four instructors headed by Ernest Taylor, one of the foremost flying teachers in Canada. Under him are Donald Rogers, Arthur Leach and Norris Hart. The club has now received five new students who will study and train for the Royal Canadian Air Force examination which terminates their instruction here in two months' time, after which they are moved to Ottawa, Trenton or Camp Borden.
The five new men here are: Herbert E. Mitchell, Kingston; Douglas G. Chown, Winnipeg; Eugene L. Neal, Quebec City; Hubert H. Gilchrist, Toronto & Frank E. Grant, Brockville.

Civilians Also Train
The fact that provisional RCAF pilots are being trained at the club does not mean that civilians may not learn to fly. To the contrary, the club has just purchased a new 50 horse power cub plane, the second in a year, with the anticipation of greatly-increased business in civil aviation. Four other instructors are now taking a course at the airport and will be qualified to instruct within a month or so, making one of the largest groups of instructors at any aero club in the country.

Gained Licenses
Stewart S. MacNaughton, president of the Hamilton Aero club, stated this morning, "Each year we improve the club's facilities to handle civil aviation training, not only for private pilot's licenses, but also commercial, transport and instructor's tickets. Last year, for instance, 18 members received their private pilot's license, six their commercial, six others became qualified instructors and four more gained their transport license. The club now has seven planes of its own, not counting several others which are used solely to train the RCAF students."

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Wings Are Presented To 41 Pilots at Borden

(By BILL ROCHE, Staff Writer, The Globe and Mail) Camp Borden, Sept. 6, 1941 — Climaxing the annual sports day of No. 1 Service Flying Training School, Royal Canadian Air Force, forty-one graduates of the intermediate training squadron late this afternoon received their wings from Group Captain A.T.N. Cowley, officer commanding the school..
Happy pilot officers receiving the coveted wings were representative of communities from Charlottetown to Vancouver and most of them came here from the elementary ground instructional school at the former Eglinton Hunt Club, Toronto.
Captain Cowley, addressing the graduates, reminded them they were the sixth and last class to come in as pilot officers for training. From now on, all pupil pilots will come into the service as aircraftmen under the joint air training plan, formerly known as the Commonwealth Air Training Plan.
"We knew you would be the last class, and so you were hand picked," Captain Cowley said. "You are our choice, and anything you do will reflect to the credit or otherwise of the Royal Canadian Air Force."

Air Vice-Marshal Absent
Air Vice-Marshal L. S. Breadner, D.S.C., had hoped to attend the wings parade, but could not come from Ottawa because of pressing duties.
Those receiving their wings were: Pilot Officers D.A. Weir, Montreal; P.W. Langford, Field, B.C.; W.B. Wood, Toronto; H.C. Stewart, Calgary; C.L.T. Sawle, Edmonton; F.W. Macdonell, Halifax; G.A. Tambling, London; R.J.W. Askwith, Ottawa; E.L. Neal, Cornwall; E.D. Porter, Belleville; J.H. Ross, Edmonton; W.D.W. Hilton. St. Catharines; R.H. Hyndman, Ottawa; R.M. Stayner, Saskatoon; J.R. Bryan, Port Arthur; J.S. Cardell, Edmonton; H.C. Trainor, Charlottetown; D.C.S. Macdonald, Vancouver; G.R.M. Hunt, Edmonton; D.T. French, Edmonton; R.P. Quigley, Bartonville; J.G. Weir, Toronto; C. Chetwynd, Vancouver; R.A. McLernon, Montreal; J.W. Weis, Oakville; W.G.M. Hume, Sherbrooke; H.E. Mitchell, Brampton; E.W.R. Fortt, Esquimalt; E.A. Bland, Peterborough; D.G.C. Chown, Winnipeg; N.C. Brown, Saint John; R.J. Richards, Montreal; A.G. Byers, Montreal; H.E. Fling, Weyburn; L. Savard, Quebec; C.W. Scully, Ottawa; J.V.S.L. Saint-Pierre, Montreal; W.F. Napier Fredericton; P.J. Phelan, Toronto; E.B. Gale, Quebec and C.J. Fallis, Toronto.

Silence Observed
The parade was called to attention and a short silence was observed when the name of M.L. Stephen of Moncton, N.B., was called. This member of the class died in an airplane crash last Monday after having qualified to receive his wings.
The wings ceremony took place in a hollow square formed by comrade units of airmen on three sides, and more than 2,000 relatives and friends on the other. The event was held on the tarmac in front of the control tower.
Among distinguished guests present were Wing Commander W.I. Riddell, Officer Commanding Rockcliffe Air Station, Ottawa; Wing Commander F.S. McGill, O.C. of the new No. 2 Service Flying Training School at Uplands, Ottawa and Squadron Leader J.G. Kerr of No. 2 F.S.T.S., Ottawa.

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NIGHT AIR FIGHTS PROVE THRILLING TO YOUNG FLYERS
Former Student of Hamilton Aero Club Describes Hectic Experiences
Heavy Operational Machines Prove Deadly Weapons Against Germans

September 27, 1941 - A young Hamilton airman who received his early flying training with the Hamilton Aero club in the spring of 1940, before the British Commonwealth air training plan got under way, and who is now apparently engaged in night fighting operations, writes to Jean Cowman, secretary of the Hamilton Aero club, to tell of the experiences of himself and another Hamilton lad in England.
The writer is Herbert Mitchell. "Everything," he says, "is in tip top shape with both Jeep and me (Jeep is the nickname for another lad trained in Hamilton, Eugene Neal, of Quebec City.)
"Jeep has had a bit of action lately and damaged a Junkers Ju88 off the coast. The lower half of his engine was shot away, but he made shore and crash-landed with no personal damage. He has also had a few goes at Me109's with no apparent results.

Capable Craft
"Here we are now at __ flying the __. They are a big and heavy machine requiring a lot of continual flying but carry excellent equipment and outstanding armament capable of blowing up anything that flies or that moves along the ground.
"A few nights ago, we went operational and got our first Hun — a Ju88, which just blew up and crashed. It was a Canadian crew that got it so we had quite a celebration.
"They have quite a long endurance, all the necessary speed, and are warm and comfortable with a wonderful cockpit and marvelous visibility. At first they frightened the life out of us. Few of us had flown before and none of the Canadians had so they started us off on __.
"After getting used to them night and day we got started. During the first few flights we gathered considerable grey hair but we all feel at home in them now, even in devilish weather. There is always a soft spot in the heart for the Spitfires and Hurricanes though, as far as actual flying is concerned ...."

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Behind The Lines

Dec. 15, 1941 - Flying Officer H. E. Mitchell, of Brampton, whose photograph in flying togs at an air base in Great Britain was released by the bureau of public information recently, received his flying training at the Hamilton Aero club.

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Victories Include :

--- Canadian Aces ---

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