John Norman "Pat" Paterson

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John Norman Paterson

"John came to Bishop's in September of 1936. The youngest man in his year, and for this reason still rejoices in the names of '"Sonny" and "The Kid". In his first year, he played football with the Intermediates until he was put out of action with a broken wrist. That winter saw the birth of the famed Paterson, Goff, Paterson line on the hockey team, which has been going strong ever since. Sunday morning would see Sonny in company with other non-Anglicans heading for North Hatley for a little skiing, and a change of diet. In his second year, he dropped football and took up golf ... not very seriously, just for the exercise. That year he also joined the C.O.T.C., and passed his practical examination. The hockey season saw him again (even flashier than the previous year), at centre ice. He took up badminton and has been playing in College matches ever since.

John Paterson

Quoted from John's 1939 yearbook from Bishop's University in Lennoxville, Quebec

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Hamilton Flier Gets 3 As RCAF Bags 9 Huns

An R.C.A.F. Base In England, June 15, 1944 — (CP) — A Canadian Spitfire squadron racing over the Caen area of the Normandy Beachhead in support of Allied troops locked in battle on the ground tore into a formation of 20 ME-109's today and blasted nine of them out of the sky. Another was damaged.
The squadron was led by F/L J. F. McElroy of Port Arthur, Ont, and Kamloops, B.C.
A general melee developed when the Canadians sighted the Germans flying directly toward them at 15,000 feet. Before the brief, vicious action ended, F/O J. N. Bamford of Hamilton, Ont., destroyed three enemy planes; F/L J. N. Paterson, Toronto, and F/O W. Warfield, Tudo City, N.Y., each got two; and F/L W. N. Stronach and F/O W. F. Cook, Trenton, Ont., each got one.
McElroy was credited with a probable and F/L E. D. Grant, Coniston. Ont., with a damaged enemy plane.
McElroy and F/L B. T. Gilmour, St. Thomas, Ont., crash-landed in France during the action, but word was received at this base tonight that both are safe.
Bamford's kills were a model of unwasted, lethal action. He went first for a Messerschmitt that had another Spitfire on its tail and sent the Nazi spinning to the ground with strikes on the engine from 150 yards. He sighted a second to starboard as he broke from the first fight and set this plane afire in a swift attack.
As he was diving after this victory, a third ME-109 cut across his path and Bamford poured bullets into him as he followed him down. He watched the German hit the ground. Bamford pulled out of his dive almost at ground level with his Spitfire going more than 400 miles an hour.
Most of the other pilots scored their victories almost as quickly, but Grant's cannon jammed when he had a Nazi cold and he had to follow him almost to the ground and chase him 20 miles before breaking off combat because he was out of ammunition.

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Victories Include :

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* "... yellow section climbed to join rest of squadron and we got into a large gaggle of enemy aircraft at 13,000 feet. I fired at a Me 109 from about 350 yards with 15° to 20° deflection, strikes were observed on cockpit and wing root followed by smoke and flame. I orbited and saw him crash. I followed the gaggle around again and picked another 109 firing from 400 yards down to 250 yards. I saw strikes on his wing root, engine and cockpit again followed by smoke and flame. The enemy aircraft was trembling and flicking and on fire when last seen going down.''

** "... After flying for nearly an hour Planet (ground control) radioed Cradle that there was a bogey at angels eight, vector 040. Paterson noted the time at 1820 hours and dove to the attack:
"Sighted enemy aircraft at 8,000 feet on port side on reciprocal heading. Chased enemy aircraft and closed to about 200 yards at 6,000 feet just over Curpiquet Aerodrome - gave enemy aircraft a 2-second burst of machine guns and cannon after identifying him as an Me 109. Large pieces fell off and clouds of white smoke came back. Enemy aircraft rolled slowly to right and crashed in flames about a-mile-and-a-half south-west of the aerodrome. F/O Libbey, my number two, saw the pilot bale out at 5,000 feet and the crash was seen by F/O Libbey, F/O Smith and F/O Holness."
It was a reinforcement unit that appears to have been the target of Paterson's attack. II./JG 52 was sent into Normandy with instructions to turn over its pilots and aircraft to JG 3. In this, their first appearance in Normandy. II./JG 52 lost three pilots and machines and two of them are believed to have been lost in the Caen area — one early in the morning and the other around 1800 hours. If this assumption is correct then Paterson shot down either Leutnant Hermann Kelkel KIA or Feldwebel Heinz-Otto Birkenfeld FTR -most likely the former."

The above quoted from "Angels Eight" by Dave Clark

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Paterson's Spit on it's way to Ottawa and the Canadian Aviation Museum - 1964

This Ontario Businessman “Finds An Old Friend”

His War Memento Is A Spitfire The Telegram, Toronto, Friday, March 16, 1962 - FORT WILLIAM — (Special) — Most wartime flyers, when overcome with a twinge of nostalgia, are able to dredge up from their catchall closets only a tattered log book, a grotesque oxygen-masked helmet or real RAF issue flying boots. John Paterson, 41, vice-president and general manager of N. M. Paterson and Sons (ships and grain elevators) also has a souvenir to remind him of his wartime days when he shot down three German ME-109s. It's a REAL Spitfire and he flies it with thunderous 400 mph pride to the awestricken amazement of Port Arthur-Fort William residents.

John in his Spitfire

REAL THOROUGHBRED
And for the men who flew the Spitfire their highest tribute was that the trim, little ship was a real thorough bred.
The discovery and renovation of the Spitfire Mr. Paterson flies, is a saga comparable to finding Man O'War pulling a milk wagon, and returning that famous race­horse to an honored pasture.
Mr. Paterson's 10-year search for his aerial thoroughbred ended in Belgium where he was able to buy "at a fair price" a doughty old wartime warrior retired from the drudgery of towing target drogues. The "Spit," a Mark IX model with clipped wing tips, was dismantled, crated and shipped to Thunder Bay Flying Club of which Mr. Paterson is a member.
But the restoration job was just beginning.
Ron Kyle, 27, chief engineer at the club, had never even seen a Spitfire. He was only five when the Battle of Britain was fought.
Mr. Paterson's father, a Canadian senator, helped persuade the British Air Ministry to part with its last, once top-secret Spitfire manual.
A Canadian oil company, after a thorough search of a warehouse, came up with some dusty cans of glycol, a now rare radiator coolant.
Mr. Paterson managed to buy an unused Rolls-Royce Merlin 24-cylinder engine and after hundreds of hours in preparation, the Spitfire was ready for a trial taxi run early this year.

IT'S AIRBORNE
But, once on the runway, a bad crosswind required a sudden gunning of the 1,375-hp engine to keep the little craft straight. The Spitfire, as Mr. Paterson explained to a doubtful Department of Transport inspector, got its head and they were airborne.
               "It was hair raising," he explained of the impromptu 20-minute flight.
Did he miss the gunsight, the two cannon and four machine guns?
"No, not really," smiled Mr. Paterson who was a flight lieutenant with the RCAF's 421 Fighter Squadron.
The Spitfire is presently a sky blue color but there are hopes of having it refurbished with wartime camouflage.
Already offers to perform are coming in. He has one from Barrie for next year's winter carnival. And the National Air Museum at Ottawa has asked to have the Spitfire as a museum piece when he is through with it.

AN OLD FRIEND
But, if he does eventually part with his old friend, it won't be for some time. Even at $50 worth of gas per two-hour flight, he is having too much fun flying it.
"The Spitfire is a kind airplane," Mr. Paterson relates. "The technique of flying it came back very quickly. It was very thrilling.
"I am going to keep it until I can't fly it any longer."

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Another Similar article. Click it to read it!

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Check out John's (bomber pilot) brother Don, here

--- Canadian Aces ---

--- Other Canadian Fighter Pilots ---

--- Canadian Air Gunners ---

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