James Elmslie "Jimmy" Walker

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Increasing Number From Canada Seeing Action on Desert Front

(By Ross Munro, Canadian Press War Correspondent)
With the RAF in North Africa, Feb. 25 – (CP Cable) – An increasing number of Canadian fighter pilots are in action on the Tunisian front and squadron leader Jimmie Walker of Edmonton, now commands a Spitfire squadron, the first Canadian-led RAF squadron in North Africa.
Walker has just been awarded a bar to his Distinguished Flying Cross. His citation reads: “This officer has destroyed four enemy aircraft and damaged four others since his arrival in North Africa. His untiring efforts and leadership merit the highest praise. His example has been an inspiration to other pilots in his wing and has contributed greatly to the wing success in the air.”
Flying with Walker at different times during the campaign have been several other Canadians who have been knocking off enemy aircraft.

Toronto Man Promoted
Allan Aikman, of Toronto, has been promoted from the rank of flying officer to that of flight lieutenant and he now is leading a flight of Spitfires. Aikman flew No. 2 to the famous Irishman, Paddy Finucane, and was with him the day he was shot down off the French coast by anti-aircraft fire. The Torontonian has a score of five enemy planes destroyed in North Africa. Recently he shot down a Focke-Wulf 190 in an air fight over the Mediterranean. The German plane crashed on the shore.
Aikman said Spitfires have been doing a large number of sweeps recently to harry the Germans on the northern sector of the front. "The Jerries don't seem to want to mix it up with us," he said, "Sometimes we get a dozen or 15 in the sky but they sheer off when we get in at them. So life is a little dull at times these days."
Another high-scoring Canadian is P.O. Harry (Junior) Fenwick, of Leamington, Ont., who has destroyed five of the enemy and damaged five more, besides having a probable to his credit. He wears the ribbon of the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Flying in the same squadron as Fenwick are six other Canadians: Sgt. Louis Hamilin, Sgt. Donald Rathwell, and P.O. Calvin (Pep) Peppler, all of Winnipeg; Flt.-Sgt. Douglas Husband, of Toronto; F.O. Bill Olmsted, of Hamilton, Ont., and Sgt. John Olsen, of Kirkland Lake, Ont.
With another squadron that flies on sweeps with Fenwick and his crowd are P.O. Jim Woodill, of Halifax, Flt.-Lieut. Glen Lynes, of Montreal, who has just been promoted from the rank of pilot officer and leading a flight like Aiken; P.O. C. F. Sorenson, a Dane from Toronto, and P.O. Howard McMinniman, of Frederickton.
Flying with still another R.A.F. squadron that included a half-dozen Canadians is F.O. R. W. Robertson, of Sydney, N.S., who has been through a couple of recent scraps over Tunisia. On a dawn patrol he ran into seven Nazi fighters and engaged them immediately. He took on three at first and headed straight at them. At less than 100 yards he squirted lead at one and saw it break away and dive for the round, riddled with bullets. Troops on the ground saw it crash and Robertson got the credit for destroying it.
He was not finished, though. He chased after the rest and damaged two before returning to his base in time for breakfast. Robertson flies a Spitfire with the name Bluenose painted on its nose. He has done almost 150 operational hours as a fighter pilot. .
A great friend of a large number of Canadian pilots out here is Flt-Sgt. Tony Jonsson, the only Icelander in the R.A.F., who was recently awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal. His score is three destroyed, one probable and one damaged.

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WALKER, F/L James Elmslie (J3199) - Distinguished Flying Cross - No.81 Squadron
Award effective 24 August 1942 as per London Gazette dated 11 September 1942 and
AFRO 1535/42 dated 25 September 1942.

This officer is a determined and skilful pilot. He has at all times shown a keen desire to engage the enemy. While serving in Russia since March 1942, Flight Lieutenant Walker has led his flight continuously in all its operations.

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FOUR CANADIANS RECEIVE AWARDS FOR GREAT WORK
Toronto Pilot Gets D.F.C. For Attacks Deep Into Germany
DEEDS OF HEROISM

London, September 11, 1942 - (CP Cable) - The air ministry today announced the award of Distinguished Flying Crosses to six members of the Royal Canadian Air Force who have been carrying the air war deep into German-occupied territory.
The flyers are: F/O James Elmslee Walker, of Edmonton; F/O John Lefroy McCaul, of Toronto; P/O John William Williams, Chilliwack, B.C.; Acting F/L P.L.I. Archer, native of Bridgetown, Barbados, B.W.I.; F/L Frederick Ernest Green, of Toronto, and S/L John Fee, Calgary, Alta.
The citation said Walker destroyed a Nazi plane while serving with the R.A.F. wing in Russia last year and has "shown a keen desire to engage the enemy at all times." Since March he has led his flight continuously on all operations.

Bombs Aerodrome
McCaul was the navigator of a bomber which attacked a German aerodrome last July, the citation said. He got his bombs on the target despite intense searchlight activity and anti-aircraft fire and his "accurate navigation in the face of great difficulties was of the highest orders."
Williams "fought the enemy with great determination," his citation said. "Within a short period he has destroyed at least four enemy aircraft, two of which he shot down in one day. Later his aircraft was damaged by enemy fire but he flew it safely to its base."
Walker and P/O David L. Ramsay, of Calgary, were the only Canadians in the R.A.F. wing which fought in Russia. On his return from Russia early this year Walker described flying in the Murmansk area much the same as winter flying in Canada except that they saw action.

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Get There First Is Rule Of Edmonton Flying Ace

By SYDIVEY GRUSON
London, July 8- (CP).- Jimmy Walker said, "Write it mild or else ..." and, since Jimmy is a young fighter pilot with 10 1/2 enemy planes to do credit to his unerring eyesight, this story will be as mild as the facts permit. Facts are enough to show that this 24-year-old squadron leader from Edmonton is one of Canada's air fighting aces, and they are enough to show why he was awarded the second bar to his Distinguished Flying Cross, the first Canadian so honored. The announcement of the award was made today.
Walker has just returned from North Africa, his third field of operations, where his R.A.F. squadron of Canadians, Britons, Australians and New Zealanders set up an enviable record. '
Before North Africa he had flown out of Britain and, along with his pal, Dave Ramsey of Calgary, served for three months with the R.A.F. fighter wing in Russia, where he got one enemy aircraft to add to his bag of Axis machines.
Impatiently awaiting his next assignment Walker in an interview said—and obviously meant it—that "the only thing I can see is that they're giving me something for what the squadron did."' And the squadron did plenty in the thick of the North African fighting.

Organization First
Walker was placed in charge of his squadron on his arrival in North Africa at the beginning of the invasion. It was composed of new-comers who had not met the enemy. It took a while for the squadron to get organized and primed, but in April and May, when the Allies had the Axis rocking, Walker's men were ready.
"We hadn't any luck at all at first. Suddenly everything went bingo, and in two months, we got 24 destroyed, about 12 probables and damaged 28," he said.
"It was nice," Walker said, recalling, those early days of the campaign when he remembers the squadron facing 70-to-8 odds, "bouncing the Hun occasionally instead of him bouncing us all the time."
Altogether Walker got eight and a half of the squadron's total in Africa and was forced to bail out twice, both times within his own lines.
Walker worked in a bank in Edmonton before the war and had never flown until he joined the R.C.A.F. early in 1940.
He has never changed his tactics of flying and shooting, the simple formula being "Get there first before he gets you and just hope like heck you hit him before he gets you."

Finds Life Healthy
The life of a fighter pilot, he says, "is a damn good healthy life," and a busy life too when action is as hot as it was in North' Africa. His squadron usually went out three times a day when the weather was good and stayed aloft on an average of one or two hours. Of his North African experiences he likes to recall the day "when we knew we had them licked."
"That time we really had our strength out with the sky filled with bombers and Spits. We plastered the Huns properly and after that we had to go look for him. He had been willing to mix with us up to that day."
These are some of the facts in the flying career of James Elmslie Walker, as the records list him. His citations, when he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in September, 1942, and First Bar in March, 1943, give some idea of what kind of a fighter he is.
"A determined and skillful pilot (who) at all times has shown a keen desire to engage the enemy," his D.F.C. citation said of him.
"By his great skill, fine leadership and untiring efforts this officer has won high praise ..." It was said on his First Bar citation.

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WALKER, S/L James Elmslie (J3199) - Bar to DFC - No.243 Squadron
Award effective 19 March 1943 as per London Gazette dated 19 March 1943 and
AFRO 747/43 dated 30 April 1943.

In operations in North Africa, Squadron Leader Walker has destroyed four enemy aircraft. By his great skill, fine leadership and untiring efforts this officer has won praise.

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WALKER, S/L James Elmslie (J3199) - Second Bar to DFC - No.243 Squadron
Award effective 1 July 1943 as per London Gazette dated 9 July 1943 and
AFRO 1724/43 dated 27 August 1943.

Squadron Leader Walker assumed command of this squadron at a difficult period and, by his fine leadership and excellent example, was responsible for bringing it to its present very high standard of efficiency. He has been largely instrumental for the many successes achieved by the squadron and has himself destroyed at least four enemy aircraft and damaged others.

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WALKER. JAMES ELMSLIE W/C(P) J3199 D.F.C. and two Bars. From Edmonton, Alberta. Killed Apr.25/44 age 25. #144 Wing. W/C. Walker was an ace credited with destroying eleven enemy aircraft and was killed in an Auster aircraft engaged in a communication flight. Auster # NK 116 was in a turn and the port wing struck a tree, the aircraft crashed at Park Lane, Aldbourne, Marlborough. Wiltshire, England. The citation to his second Bar to the D.F.C. reads, "S/L. Walker assumed command of #243 Squadron at a difficult time and by his leadership and excellent example was responsible for bringing it to its present high standard of efficiency. He has been largely instrumental for the many successes achieved by the squadron, and has himself destroyed at least four enemy aircraft and damaged others." Wing Commander Pilot Walker is buried in the Brookwood Military Cemetery, Woking, Surrey, England.    ...   from  "They Shall Not Grow Old"

Walker & George Hill Just after they both received a second Bar to their DFC's

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Photos :
PL-7189 (reading letter);
PL-14182 (studio portrait);
PL-21281 (with propeller blade marking his victories);
PL-26918 (with G. U. Hill after investiture).

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See Mark Sheppard, "To Russia With Love", Aeroplane Monthly, March and April 1997
also H. A. Halliday, The Tumbling Sky.

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--- Canadian Aces ---

--- Other Canadian Fighter Pilots ---

--- Canadian Air Gunners ---

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