Russell Reginald "Russ" Bouskill

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Toronto Man Leader

Moncton, N.B., Feb. 27, 1942 - (CP) - After an additional month's training because of an enlarged course, another large class of pilots received their wings today from Wing Commander W. W. Brown, commanding officer of No. 8 Service Flying Training School at nearby Lakeburn.
Leader of the class was Leading Aircraftman R. R. Bouskill of Toronto.
Other graduates from Ontario include: J. K. Besley, Shelbourne; A. C. Brandon, Windsor; D. E. Hall, North Bay; D. J. Heard, Hamilton; T. H. McCabe, Sault Ste. Marie; V. B. McInnis, Barrie; G. A. Robinson, Victoria Harbor; C. L. Rush, Stratford; W. H. D. Spence, Ottawa; D. B. Fuller, Toronto; J. K. Wilson, Carleton Place.

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FIGHTER PILOT PILES UP SCORE IN AIR BATTLES

August 3, 1944 - Another Hamilton fighter pilot has achieved the enviable record of four enemy planes destroyed and a score more damaged and probably destroyed. He is Flt.-Lt. George W. Johnson, son of Mr. and Mrs. William Johnson, 102 Beechwood Avenue, who knocked down another Hun fighter over Normandy battlefields yesterday. Flt.-Lt William Olmsted, son of Major R. I. Olmsted, M.C., and Mrs. Olmsted, and Flt.-Lt. Jack Bamford, D.F.C., share the record of four "certain kills” Flt.-Lt. Bamford is now missing.
According to a Canadian Press dispatch from France, "three German aircraft were destroyed over the battlefronts yesterday by Canadian Spitfire pilots flying from Normandy bases. One fell to Flt.-Lt. R. R. Bouskill, of Toronto; one to Flt.-Lt. R. H. Cull, of Alberta, and one to Flt.-Lt. Johnson.
Now into his second tour of operations, Flt.-Lt. Johnson has scored at least three of his kills since D-day.
He was posted overseas last June after having served for a year as instructor in Canada. He was awarded his wings at Dunnville. Employed in the offices of the Steel Company of Canada, prior to his enlistment, he attended Prince of Wales School and Central High School of Commerce. His father is a Great War veteran.
According to today's dispatch from overseas, the Canadians are members of a squadron commanded by Sqdn.-Ldr. Charlie Trainor, of Charlottetown, and their victories raised to 92 since D-day the score of the wing led by Wing Cmdr. Dal Russel, of Montreal. An individual victory was marked up Wednesday by F.O. Terry Saunderson, of Dorval, Que., who forced a German pilot to bale out at 3,000 feet.

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Air force Casualties

Ottawa, Nov. 6, 1944 — The Department of National Defense for Air today issued Casualty List Number l,033 of the Royal Canadian Air Fore, showing next of kin of those named from Ontario as follows (in part) :
Missing After Air Operations
BOUSKILL, Russell Reginald, Flt. Lt. Reginald P. Bouskill (father), 21 Fern Ave., Toronto.

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BOUSKILL, F/L Russell Reginald (J10254) - DFC - No.401 Sq. (deceased)
Award effective 1 December 1944 as per London Gazette of that date and
AFRO 239/45 dated 9 February 1945.

This officer has set a fine example of skill and courage. He has displayed the greatest keenness for air operations and his successes include the destruction of five enemy aircraft. Throughout a long period of fighter activity his devotion to duty has been of a high order.

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Mother Receives VC Won by Her Dead Son

Ottawa, Feb. 27, 1946 - (CP) - The two-story ballroom at Government House echoed today with the subdued talk of modest heroes, their relatives and friends, who gathered from all parts of Canada for the first of two investitures marking the end of the Earl of Athlone's service in Canada.
Principal award of the 82 presented was that of the Victoria Cross to quiet, white-haired Mrs. J. A. Gray of Nelson, B.C., on behalf of her son, the late Lieut. R. H. (Hammy) Gray, RCNVR. She also received his Distinguished Service Cross, won in combat flying over Norway.
The young naval airman won the Empire's highest award in the Pacific theatre when he put his aircraft into a dive which destroyed a Japanese destroyer. He never pulled out of that dive.
"I was proud to get his medals today," Mrs. Gray said, "but it was so sad:'
J. B. Gray, the VC winner's father and his sister, Mrs. E. H. Gautschi, accompanied Mrs. Gray to Ottawa. They plan to return to Nelson tomorrow.
Princess Alice wore her uniform of honorary air commandant of the RCAF Women's Division for the ceremony.
A further 104 decorations will be presented tomorrow.
After Mrs. Gray in the stately parade came Air Vice-Marshal F. S. McGill, former Air Member for Supply and Organization, now in business in Montreal, who received the insignia of Companion of the Order of the Bath.
Lt.-Col. R. Rowley of Rockcliffe, Ont. had the DSO and Bar pinned to his chest. Another double award went to Mrs. K. Pettit of Brantford, who received the insignia of an officer of the Order of the British Empire and the DFC won by her son, the late Sqdn. Ldr. W. R. Pettit.
DFC – Mrs. Alice Bouskill, on behalf of her son, the late Flt. Lt. R. R. Bouskill, R.C.A.F., Toronto.

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Victories Include :

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* note : this bit of info was copied off a message board (12oclock high) but is no longer posted it seems. Thanks to "Laurent" for the original post though !

In the late morning, overlapping Spitfire sweeps by 421 and 401 Sqn RCAF engaged German fighters in a running battle between Nijmegen and Arnhem.
Forty-two fighters of the three Gruppen of JG 26 flied a combined Jabojagd mission to the Nijmegen-Arnhem area around noon. The II./JG 26 sprang a successful trap on 401 Sqn RCAF. When a section of Spitfires bounced a seemingly unwary flight of Fw190s north of Nijmegen, the rest of the Gruppe fell on them from above. Three Spitfires were claimed by Oblt Aldof Glunz (67th victory, 12h15, at 3000 m above Oss/Grave) and Ofhr Siegfried Benz (5th victory, 12h16, at 2700 m above Nijmegen) of 6./JG 26 and by Lt Wilhelm Hofmann (40th victory, 12h10, at 4500 m above Kleve-Nijmegen) of 8./JG 26.
Just south of this battle, the I./JG 26 encountered a larger force of Spitfires, as many as fifty. Two victories were claimed by Lt Joachim Günther (7th victory, 12h18, at 4000 m above Wageningen/Arnhem) of 2./JG 26 and Ogfr Josef Leder (1st victory, 12h05, at 4000 m above Ede N. Arnhem) of 1./JG 26 but their opponents have not been identified and suffered no losses. The III./JG 26 did not contact the enemy during this mission.
Other German units claiming victories in this area were 2./JG 76 (Lt Fick claimed a Spitfire at 4500m over Ede at 11h12) and 6./JG 77 (Fw Dieckhoff claimed a Spitfire in Nijmegen-Arnhem area at 900m at 11h17 for his second victory).
Two Spitfire IX of 401 Sqn RCAF were lost in a battle against FW190s in Nijmegen area. Flt Lt Russel Reginald Bouskill, a five victory ace, was killed aboard MJ300 while Wt Off M Thomas baled out from MJ726 over Allied lines and was unhurt. The Spitfire IX MK365 of 421 Sqn RCAF was damaged over Nijmegen. It was later struck of charge due to the damage but the pilot, Flg Off J M Calvert, was unhurt.
421 Sqn RCAF pilots claimed 2 German planes shot down, 1 probable and 5 damaged (one by Flying Officer William Francis Cook), while 401 Sqn claimed one damaged. The only know Luftwaffe losses were two two Bfl09s of 9./JG 53. Uffz Kuno Piecknick disappeared aboard the Bf109G-6 WNr 166016 Yellow 21+I while Uffz Ingo-Rolf Ebel was wounded when he crash-landed his Bf109G-14 WNr 460414 Yellow 4+I.

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