Percival Stanley "Bull" Turner

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RECORD OF MAPLE LEAF FLYERS
THROUGH 1940 MOST BRILLIANT
Figure in Every Important Aerial Operation With Distinction
ARE IN TWO DIVISIONS

(By Don Gilbert, Canadian Press Staff Writer)
In the battles of France and Britain, and in the historic week of Dunkerque, Canada's airmen carried on the traditions of the Canadian aces of 1914-18. In every major aerial operation of 1940, Canadian pilots, navigators, observers, gunners and bomb aimers were to the forefront, helping first to establish and then to maintain Britain's supremacy over the uncounted squadrons of the German air arm.

Along Two Lines
The hundreds of young men from the Dominion who had crossed to Britain in the years before the war, many at their own expense, to find adventure in the skies had ample scope for their mettle, the Canadian Press story of the year shows. Canada's participation in the air war was along two lines—first, by Canadians in the Royal Air Force, second, by the 1st Fighter Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force. In addition, two squadrons of army co-operation aircraft were with the Canadian Corps in Britain.

All Canadians
Of the Canadians in the R.A.F. the most widely known are the pilots of the so-called, All-Canadian Squadron, This group originally was made up entirely of Canadians, but, in weeks of heavy fighting in France and the Low Countries, and in the Dunkerque evacuation, it suffered heavy casualties and the gaps in many cases were filled by Britons. The squadron, however, maintains its Canadian name. Assigned to convoy protection work on its return from the Continent, the squadron early became prominent in the battle of Britain under Squadron-Ldr. Douglas Bader, an Englishman, who proved himself an indomitable air fighter despite the handicap of artificial legs, his own having been lost in an air crash before the war.
On August 30, in the space of one hour, 12 Hurricane fighters of the All-Canadian Squadron shot down 13 German bombers and fighters in a great air battle in which the Canadians were outnumbered six planes to one. While in France, the squadron was officially credited with 72 enemy planes and by the time Germans gave up their mass daylight attacks on Britain it had added well over 100 more.
Among the pilots in the squadron are Pilot Officer William McKnight, of Calgary, who bagged 17 Nazi planes and won the Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar. Flight-Lieut. P. S. Turner, of Toronto, who shot down ten enemy machines at Dunkerque, and Pilot Officer N. K. Stansfeld, of Vancouver, who bagged seven.

McNab's Own
The First Squadron of the R.C.A.F. under Squadron-Ldr. Ernest McNab, of Regina, got into action with its Canadian-built Hurricanes in the battle of Britain on August 24. After a week of action McNab alone had bagged 12 enemy aircraft and after a month the squadron was able to celebrate its 50th air victory during a visit to its camp by Air Marshal W. A. Bishop, V.C., Canada’s great air fighter of the last war.
Two days after Air Marshal Bishop's visit the squadron shot down six more. The Canadians were honoured by an inspection by His Majesty the King. By November 5 the squadron's bag was up to 75 and the fine work of McNab won him a transfer to the R.A.F. with the rank of Acting Wing Commander, which means it is unlikely he will do much more combat flying.

Stayed With Machine
Canadians with the R.A.F. who distinguished themselves , included pilot Officer Clare Connor, of Toronto, who was awarded the D.F.C. for his work in a flight that brought his 18-year-old gunner, Sgt, John Hannah, of Glasgow, the Victoria Cross. While returning from a raid on Antwerp, fire broke out in the bomb compartment and ammunition began exploding as the flames spread and forced the remainder of the crew to bail out. But Hannah stayed to fight the blaze and eventually put it out, while Connor stuck determinedly at the controls. The gutted plane was landed safely at its home base. Connor was killed November 6 while on active service.
Flight-Lieut. William Campbell, of Revelstoke, B.C., destroyed two Italian submarines when Italy entered the war. Later he was forced down in Greece and Interned. He won his freedom when Italy invaded Greece. Flight-Lieut, Garfield Prior, 26-year-old pilot from Indian Head, Sask., took part in the first raids on Turin, center of Italian war industry.
Flying Officer Everett Badoux, of Stellarton, N.S., sank a German U-boat early in December and got back to his base, although one gasoline tank was empty and another leaking.

Army Co-operation
The 1st Army Co-operation Squadron of the RCAF, under Squadron-Ldr. W. D. Van Vliet, of Winnipeg, arrived at an R.A.F. station in southern England in February and was joined by the 2nd Squadron in May. R.C.A.F. headquarters in London were established under Group Capt. George Welsh, who later returned to Canada for promotion and was succeeded by Air Commodore L. F. Stevenson.
Some 55 Canadian officers received the Distinguished Flying Cross during the year and about 90 Canadians lost their lives. The first graduates of the Empire air training scheme from Canada, mostly air observers, arrived in Britain late in November. They were soon in action. Within 48 hours of debarkation, Pilot Officer Arthur Snell, of Calgary, helped bomb Boulogne. A second contingent, made up of crew men, observers and a small number of pilots, arrived in Britain early in December. And while these young Canadians fought the Empire's air battles, a veteran of the last war, Air Commodore Raymond Collishaw, of Nanaimo, B.C., directed Britain's air victory over the Italians in the western desert of Egypt during the December offensive.

242 pilots clowning for the cameras - making fun of some prominent Nazis I believe - Capt. Odd Bull (Norwegian), Bob Grassick (pointing), Douglas Bader & Turner as Napoleon

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TURNER, F/L Percival Stanley (41631) - Distinguished Flying Cross - No.242 Squadron
Awarded as per London Gazette dated 8 October 1940.

On 15th September 1940, Flight Lieutenant Turner succeeded in shooting down one enemy aircraft when his own aircraft was hit by a cannon shell, which put it temporarily out of control. On recovery, he saw and attacked a further enemy aircraft which he destroyed, afterwards bringing his own damaged aircraft safely back to its base. This officer has personally destroyed a total of ten hostile aircraft during engagements over Dunkirk and England. He has proved himself a most courageous and capable leader, dislaying coolness and initiative in the face of the enemy.

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Pilots of 242 Sq. March '41 (L to R) Stan Turner, "Duke" Arthur, J.P. McKechnie (Australian, POW 19aug41) & K.M. Hicks (Australian, MIA 17aug41). Strangly enough, Arthur & Hicks are cross-identified in a number of publications and have their names reversed.

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TURNER, S/L Percival Stanley (41631) - Bar to Disinguished Flying Cross - No.145 Sq.
Awarded as per London Gazette dated 5 August 1941.
Air Ministry Bulletin 4629 refers.

This officer has led his squadron on all sweeps over France, and has set a splendid example by his quiet coolness in the face of the enemy. He has been responsible for the destruction of at least twelve enemy aircraft.

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RCAF Fighter Squadron On Sicily's Front Line

Ottawa, July 20, 1943 (CP) - R.C.A.F. headquarters announced tonight that an R.C.A.F. unit - the City of Windsor fighter squadron - is operating in Sicily in support of the forward elements of the Allied forces striking up through the strategic island.
The R.C.A.F. announcement was in the form o£ a dispatch date-lined "somewhere in Sicily" from Flt. Lt. Ken MacGillivray, public relations officer, which was received at headquarters here through a special communications channel provided by the United States Office of War Information.
This is the story MacGillivray tells :

“Its ground crews prepared by Commando training, its pilots seasoned by months of hard service with the Western Desert Air Force and all ranks keyed up for the most vital assignment in their long overseas career, the Canadian squadron made a successful early morning landing on the southern beaches of Sicily.
"Virtually 100 per cent Canadian and a self-contained unit of the Middle East Forces, the City of Windsor Squadron, which finished out the African campaign as a front line striking force, has been again and again in the forefront of the battle picture.
"Based on an enemy aerodrome captured only a few hours before the squadron's arrival and open to the risk of constant bombing and shelling, the R.C.A.F. squadron is covering the spectacular advance of Allied troops across the fields and vineyards of Italy's greatest island.

Came from Malta
“While pilots flew their Spitfires to Sicily led by their new commanding officer, Sqdn. Ldr. P. Stanley Turner, D.F.C. and Bar, a Toronto, ground personnel and the administrative staff made the sea voyage by ultra-modern landing craft.
"Under cover of night they slipped across from Malta where they had been operating since shortly after the collapse of Tunisia and for the first time set foot on Italian soil.
"Everything had been meticulous1y rehearsed and went according to plan. The prows of the landing craft grated on the stony shore ramp were dropped and vehicles and men poured out onto the beach without a hitch. First officers to land were FO. John Emans, Saskatoon, the adjutant, Flt. Lt. James Sinclair, M.P., of Vancouver.
"The first other rank to leap ashore was the squadron disciplinarian, Flt. Sgt. Steve Lisoweski, Winnipeg.
The men and equipment roared across the beach and careened up a stony road to the newly captured aerodrome.
"Little knots of civilians lined the roads, their expressions varying from sullenness to openly cordial smiles. There was no suggestion of resistance from the populace.
In an amazingly short time the once unserviceable field was ready for R.C.A.F. Spitfires which were to bolster Allied air strength on the beleaguered island.

All Wore Arms
"A guard had to be maintained at all hours against enemy snipers, and in charge of this duty was the only ex-member of the Royal Flying Corps in the squadron, Cpl. Charles Dougall, Windsor, Ont. Side arms and other weapons which airmen had come to regard as superfluous during months in the desert suddenly assumed great importance, and in addition to service issue revolvers, a large and picturesque variety of shooting irons made their appearance.
"Squadrons of fleet motor vehicles — practically all made in Canadian factories — performed excellently under the extremely exacting conditions.
"Among the drivers who were at their wheels during the tense moments of running from ship to shore were LAC. Larry Annis, of Orillia, LAC. John Russell, London, Ont., and LAC. Edgar Lyons, Sutton West, Ont.
"Another department which sprang up like a mushroom on the new drome was the medical section under Flt. Lt. Alexander MacPhee, Detroit, and his assistants, LAC. Bill Mabb, Winnipeg, who also drove a vehicle during the landing; LAC. Orrie Truman of Weston, and LAC. Max Kaplan, Winnipeg.
"All departments functioned so smoothly that when the aircraft arrived the following morning they touched down at an airfield comparable with the average in friendly territory despite the fact that it was situated within a short distance from the nearest enemy drome in this newest and hottest theatre of war."

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Aerial Slaughter Shared in Monday By Two Canadians
Manitoba and Nova Scotia Pilots Helped to Down 21 Nazi Transports

Near Catania, Sicily, July 28, 1943 — (CP Cable)— Two Canadian fighter pilots, Sgt. Donald Rathwell, of St. Vital, Man., and F.O. Edward Burrows, of New Glasgow, N.S., shared in Monday's greatest aerial slaughter of the Sicilian campaign, it was announced today.
They were part of the British Spitfire force which shot down 21 German transport planes, four German fighters and one Italian fighter.
Rathwell downed one Junkers Ju-52 transport and Burrows shared another with an English squadron-mate.
The flyers described the foray as "an absolute shambles," reminiscent of earlier and similar destruction of transport aircraft in the Tunisian campaign.
There are approximately 25 R.C.A.F. men flying in one Sicily-based, fighter-bomber wing which has been doing spectacular work over the enemy positions near Catania, bombing supply lines and strong points.
One daring strafing foray was led by Sqdn. Ldr. Stanley Turner, D.F.C. and bar, of Toronto, who was accompanied by F.O. Hedley Everard, of Timmins, Ont., and W.O. Paul Lapointe, of Escourt, Que.
Yesterday P.O.'s William Steel, of Toronto, and Malcolm Bakken, of Edmonton, returned from a patrol with flak holes in their planes.

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Airmen Who Met Huns During Battle of Britain
Paved Way For Offensive
Some of Canada's First Aces of This War Still Are in Action
— Pilots Now Seek Out Enemy Over His Own Territory

(Written for the Canadian Press by Flt.Lt. Basil Dean, R.C.A.F.)
Fighter Command, Somewhere in England, Sept. 8, ‘43.— (CP)—There are still some of the few left, some of those hard-fighting combat pilots of Battle of Britain days, but mostly it is a new brood of pilots who fly from the air bases hereabouts in Britain's Fighter Command. Three years ago, when the first few of Canada's aerial aces were fighting their way to fame, the battles were over British soil. Now, with greater numbers of Canadians than ever before in Fighter Command, the pilots are going out to seek the enemy over his own territory. This air fighting of today is offensive, not defensive, as during the Battle of Britain, but it was the fighting then that made the current offensive possible.

Some Still Flying
Some of the Canadians who fought with honour and glory in those grim days three years ago are still flying. Wing-Cmdr. D. B. Russell, D.F.C., of Montreal, who now leads an R.C.A.F. Spitfire wing in Britain, was then P.O. Dal Russell and a member of Canada's No. 1 Fighter Squadron, which arrived in England in June, 1940—just in time to get trained for the fierce tests of August and September of that year.
Russell's old commanding officer, Ernie McNab, now is Group Capt. Ernest McNab, D.F.C., of Regina, commander of an R.C.A.F. fighter station.
In Sicily, Squadron-Ldr. Stanley Turner, D.F.C. and Bar, of Toronto, led the R.C.A.F.'s City of Windsor fighter squadron through the island campaign. In 1940, he was a flight commander in the R.A.F.’s famed "all-Canadian" squadron led by Wing-Cmdr. Douglas Bader, D.S.O., D.F.C., which destroyed 63 enemy aircraft during the Battle of Britain and shared three with other squadrons.
The squadron was composed mainly of Canadians who had joined the R.A.F. before the war, and fought nobly during the Battle of France and over Dunkerque.

Most Efficient
Its achievements during the Battle of Britain, indeed, brought from the air officer commanding of the group in which it was serving at the time a message which said that its efficiency as a squadron was "equal, if not superior, to any squadron in the R.A.F." The British chief of air staff signaled: "You are well on top of the enemy and obviously the fine Canadian traditions of the last war are safe in your hands."
Greatest pilot of the "all-Canadian" squadron—apart from the legless commander, Bader (who was not Canadian)—was P.O. W.L. McKnight, D.F.C. and bar, of Calgary, who was reported missing some months after the Battle of Britain ended. McKnight destroyed 16½ enemy aircraft, and was the first Canadian ace of the war.
The "all-Canadian" squadron's first Battle of Britain engagement was August 30, when Bader, now a prisoner of war, led a formation of 14 Hurricanes against a "vast number" of German aircraft, two swarms of 70 to 100 each. Detaching one section to investigate a third formation of aircraft some distance away, Bader led the rest of his pilots to the attack. As a result, 12 enemy aircraft were destroyed; not one of the Hurricanes had so much a scratch.
Similar engagements followed. On September 7, Bader and his Canadians destroyed 10 enemy aircraft without losing a pilot, although seven of the squadron's Hurricanes were damaged. On September 19, when the wing in which the squadron was flying destroyed a total of 18 enemy aircraft, the "all-Canadians" were credited with 11 of these for the loss of one pilot killed.
And then, in the greatest day's fighting of all on September 15, the squadron destroyed 12 enemy aircraft. This was the day on which Bader described the fighting as "the finest shamble I've ever been in."
"The sky," he added, "was full of Hurricanes and. Spitfires, queuing up and pushing each other out of the way to get at the Dorniers. I was seldom able to hold my sights on a target for long for fear of colliding with other Spitfires and Hurricanes anxious to get in a burst."
Among the Canadians P.O. J.B. Latta, D.F.C., Victoria, B.C., had knocked down five enemy planes; Flt.-Lt. Turner had five; so had P.O. N.K. Stansfeld, D.F.C., Vancouver. P.O. H.N. Tamblyn, D.F.C., North Battleford, Sask., and P.O. N. Hart had four each. Altogether Canadian pilots in the squadron had destroyed 45 of the total of 65 credited to the squadron; Bader had scored 11.
Canada's own No. 1 fighter squadron, which although its personnel have completely changed; is still flying in Britain with fighter command, had scored a total of 31 victories during the battle under McNab's leadership. McNab himself had scored the first victory to be credited to a member of the squadron when, in order to gain combat experience, he flew as a supernumerary officer with an R.A.F. squadron before No. 1 fighter was ready for front-line duties.
In the squadron's first engagement as a unit, on August 24, it destroyed three Dorniers for the loss of one pilot. By the end of its first week in action it had destroyed eight enemy aircraft for the loss of one pilot killed. The score continued to mount until September 27, when the Canadian squadron destroyed seven enemy aircraft out of about 70 engaged during the day; one pilot of the squadron was killed. In the day's first fight, Russell had destroyed an ME 109 and an ME 110 and had shared with a Polish pilot the destruction of a third enemy fighter.
McNab, Flt.Lt. G.R. McGregor and Russel were each awarded the D.F.C., having destroyed between them, 11½ of the squadron's total. McNab and McGregor now are both group captains; Russel is a wing commander.
In other squadrons of the R.A.F., Canadians had also distinguished themselves. One of the flight commanders in the R.A.F. squadron was a Canadian, Flt-Lt. R. A. Barton, Kamloops, B.C., who later became squadron commander of his unit. He was awarded the D.F.C. for his "outstanding leadership" on September 27, a day on which the squadron destroyed 21 enemy aircraft for the loss of two pilots killed. The total bag during September was 48, a total exceeded only by the famous No. 303 Polish squadron, in which another Canadian, Flt.-Lt. (now Wing-Cmdr.) John Kent, Winnipeg, was at that time a flight commander.

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Flies in Major Action Before Taking New Post

By RALPH ALLEN Globe and Mail War Correspondent With the Canadians in Italy, Dec. 3, 1943 — Wing Cmdr. Stanley Turner, D.F.C. and Bar, was slated to say good-bye to the City of Windsor Squadron just about the time the squadron was saying hello again to the slightly revived Luftwaffe. For Turner had just been promoted to commander of the Spitfire wing of which his old squadron was a part, and received, theoretically, his latest half stripe just in time to miss the latest flurry of aerial excitement along the lower Sangro River.But the Toronto fighter ace balked at letting his new administrative duties rob him of his first chance for real action in weeks, and

WinCo Turner

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EVERARD, F/L Hedley Joseph (J6222) - Distinguished Flying Cross - No.417 Sq.
Award effective 20 April 1944 as per London Gazette dated 25 April 1944 and
AFRO 1075/44 dated 19 May 1944.

This officer has completed a very large number of sorties, most of them during the fighting in Sicily and more recently in the Italian theatre. He has at all times displayed outstanding keenness, great skill and resolution and has destroyed at least three enemy aircraft, two of which he shot down over the Anzio beaches. He has set a fine example to all.

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23 July 1943 - Stan Turner (front and center) and his 417 Squadron mates. Aces Jack Doyle (2nd from left on wing), Bert Houle (crouching R front) & Snooks Everard (standing far right) accompany him. Click the photo to see it closer with all the pilot's names

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Knows What Fritzes Think

In a May 7, 1944 newspaper article Bert Houle ventured that Wing Cmdr. Stanley (Bull) Turner of Toronto knows more than any one else about air fighting. He said Turner had flown more than 1,000 operational hours, and has been in so long "he practically knows what a German is going to do - even what he’s thinking about."

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TURNER, W/C Percival Stanley, DFC & Bar (41631) - Distinguished Service Order
Awarded as per London Gazette dated 23 May 1944.
Air Ministry Bulletin 14006/AL.807 refers.

This distinguished fighter pilot has flown nearly 900 operational hours in single engined fighters. Since November 1943 he has taken part in all the more important air operations during the invasion of Sicily and Italy and in the Sangro and Anzio battles. He has destroyed at least fourteen enemy aircraft and has always shown the utmost gallantry, enthusiasm and leadership.

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Group Capt. Turner Takes Over Spitfires

London, Jan. 31, 1945 — (CP Cable) — Group Capt. P. Stanley Turner, D.S.O., D.F.C. and bar, RAF ace who formerly commanded the RCAF City of Windsor squadron in the Mediterranean theatre, has assumed command of an all-Canadian Spitfire wing in the 2nd Tactical Air Force based behind the western front, it was announced today.
Turner was born in England but was educated in Toronto where his parents live.

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'The Few' Fly Once More To Plaudits of
‘the Many' In Spectacular Parade

By NORMAN CRIBBENS
London, Sept. 16, 1945 - (CP) - Twelve powerful Spitfires roared over London's cheering millions yesterday, manned by Battle of Britain aces who took to the sky in memory of the earlier, slower Spitfires which battled the Luftwaffe exactly five years previously and on that memorable Sept. 15, 1940, sent 185 German planes falling in flames.
Behind the Spitfires in the 30-mile parade of squadrons came 300 fighters and fighter-bombers of Fighter and Coastal Commands. Mustangs flew with Spitfires, Typhoons and Beaufighters in perfect formation, screaming Tempests streaked by at greater heights. Seemingly slow by comparison were the fleet Mosquitos. At the end of the line searing across the steely sky came jet-propelled Meteors.

Bader in Lead
Above the roar of this armada fliers heard terse commands radioed by Group Capt. Douglas Bader, legless ace and one-time commander of the RAF's All-Canadian Squadron, who led the procession in an immaculate Mark XI Spitfire. Bader, who wore white kid gloves and the blue scarf known to airmen before he was shot down and taken prisoner in 1941, was one of the 12 gallant young men who took part in the epic battle and also shared in the flight.
They represented possibly 1,000 pilots - the immortal "few" who fought the Battle of Britain and of whom an unknown number survive. Some survivors are serving overseas or holding staff appointments and many Canadian aces are back home or grounded for repatriation.
Londoners remembered Winston Churchill's words, "Never have so many owed so much to so few," as the mighty roar of the fighter planes recalled to them that Sept. 15, 1940, day — "the most brilliant and fruitful" of large-scale air engagements, as Mr. Churchill, then, Prime Minister, said at the time.
From a Beaufighter Mark X in which I flew with two Londoners, FO Harry Sharp, pilot, and FO Red Godwin, navigator, it was possible to catch only a brief glimpse through straggling clouds of the massed humanity gathered in London streets and on rooftops — where in grimmer days many of them kept vigil for Nazi fire-bombs.

Thousands in Square
As we roared down over Trafalgar Square fluttering handkerchiefs like a flurry of snowflakes indicated the wild demonstration. FO Sharp, who trained at Brandon Man., was too occupied with keeping formation even to glance down.
"There are thousands of them,” I shouted through the intercom, “All are cheering like mad.”
"Sorry, can't talk now old boy, have to concentrate hard." Sharp replied. "This is tricky work."
Often Sharp had to throttle down abruptly because he was too close to the plane ahead and a buzzer warning of reduced speed ran through the ship.
Low clouds made it necessary to fly lower than normally. We never rose above 2,000 feet, dropping to 500 over London for the benefit of watchers below, who said later, they could almost feel the slipstream from the planes as they tore past.
Above and ahead of us in perfect alignment, the trim Spitfires stood out sharply against a background of dark clouds, gold-edged by the sun. Every now and then a fiery Tempest shot underneath so that the trapdoor of our plane seemed to shake with the roar of the mighty engines. Sometimes the wings of neighboring Beau fighters seemed dangerously close — not more than 10 feet — but Sharp's cool, steady hands and watching eye lent confidence.

Poles in Flight
Flying with us were five squadrons of Mustangs manned by Polish pilots. But the plane which played the biggest part in winning the Battle of Britain — the 400-miles-per-hour Hurricane — was conspicuously absent. Even at maximum speed it would have been left lagging by the Typhoon and Tempest fighters of 1945.
Bader's own Spitfire — pride of his ground crew — had been tuned to a nicety and he was smiling when the mechanics helped him into the cockpit at the start of the flight.
"Let's go, boys," he said. Many times during the Battle of Britain he had spoken those words, but now there was a subtle difference in his tone. No grim battle with the enemy lay ahead. He and "the few" were going to "raid"' London and cheering crowds awaited them.
Afterward Bader presented his beribboned ace pilots to Air Chief Marshal Lord Dowding, commander-in-chief of Fighter Command in those fateful days of 1940.
Well pleased with the performance, Lord Dowding shook hands warmly with Bader and his fellow aces, who wore 52 medals between them.
"Excellent show," Lord Dowding commented.

Thanks and Commendation
"The few" then gathered at an officers' mess where they receives thanks and commendation from Bader and congratulations of other fliers. Many regretted such aces of the air war as Flt. Lt. George Beurling of Verdun, Que., and Group Captain Johnny Johnson, English-born leader of a crack Canadian Spitfire wing, could not have taken part.
In the final scoring record compiled by the RAF, RCAF and United States Army Air Forces, Johnson topped the list with 38 German planes destroyed. Next came Group Capt. A. G. (Sailor) Malan, a South African member of the RAF, and the late Sqdn. Ldr. Brendan (Paddy) Finucane of the RAF with 32.
Beurling was credited with 31 enemy planes destroyed and Wing Cmdr. Stanford Tuck of the RAF, who participated in the anniversary flight, scored 29 "kills."
Aces who flew with Bader yesterday were: Group Capts. Frank Carey & Stan Turner; Wing Cmdrs. Pete Brothers, Ed Wells, Dennis Crowley-Milling, Keith Lofts, Billy Drake, John Ellis & Tim Vigors; Sqdn. Ldr. Charlie Bush.
Group Capt. Turner, who was born in Devon, lived in Toronto before the war and came to England to join the RAF.

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MERE HANDFUL OF PILOTS ALIVE

London, Oct. 13. 1945 - (AP) - Fewer than 50 of "the few" Battle of Britain fighter pilots who saved this island from German invasion in the gloomy autumn of 1940 are alive today. All the rest of the 375 top-flight fighters of the battle were killed in action. The last one went down six weeks before the war ended. Almost all of those whose luck kept them alive through five years of war still are serving in the R.A.F., Air Ministry records show. Many of them, too young to have had civilian professions when they joined up, plan to make the air force their career. Most widely known

Wing Commanders Johnny Johnson & Stan Turner

among the survivors is legless Group Capt. Douglas Bader, 35, who led the "all-Canadian" squadron of the R.A.F. into the Battle of Britain

Turner High On List
Among the men who flew with him and lived to see the war through are Group Capt. P. S. (Stan) Turner, born in Devon, England, but who lived most of his life in Toronto. Taciturn and superstitious, Turner would never pose for newspaper photographers. "Bad luck," he said succinctly.
Turner was one of the young Canadians who went to England before the war to join the R.A.F. and was posted to Squadron 242, which became the "all-Canadian" unit, and which numbers among it, survivors Flt.-Lt. R. D. (Bob) Grassick, of London, Ont.; recently returned from Egypt.
Bader fought the Battle of Britain from the cockpit of a Hurricane using a set of artificial legs. He previously had made flying history with a comeback after a flying accident in 1931 cost him both legs. Bader was shot down over France after the crucial battle and spent four years in German prison camps before the United States 1st Army set him free last summer.

Defies Hun Captors
He had broken his artificial legs in his parachute jump to German capture and a new set was parachuted to him by Flight-Sgt. Jack Nickleson, of Toronto, since lost. Bader attempted to escape four times so the Germans took away his legs.
He now is second in command of the R.A.F.'s famous 11 Fighter Group, the same outfit with which he fought in 1940.
The commander of No. 11 Group during some of the hottest days was Sir Keith Park, now Allied air commander of the Southeast Asia command. He is an air chief marshal.
Little Art (Sailor) Malan was one of the most publicized pilots in the Battle of Britain. He now is a group captain at R.A.F. Staff College.
F. R. Carey, another one of the original few, has a desk job in the same office with Bader. Wing-Cmdr. P. M. Brothers, veteran Hurricane ace, is one of the top men at the R.A.F. Cadet College.
Among other old-timers holding staff jobs are: Wing-Cmdr W. Crowley-Milling, Keith Lofts, Bill Drake, Joe Ellis and Tom Vigors. All those names once were virtually household words around London.

Released, Serves Again
Al Donaldson, who knocked down three Germans in one afternoon, now, is stationed with the R.A.F. in Calcutta. Stanford Tuck, who gained almost as much attention as Bader and Malan, spent two years as a prisoner of war, but now is back with old Group 11. How the few hundred pilots contrived to give the Luftwaffe the thrashing they did in the Battle of Britain is one of the miracles of the war.
The superior morale of the pilots, their skill, the fact that they were fighting over and for their very homes, the excellence of the Spitfire and Hurricane fighters, good organization in the control rooms and the invaluable secret of radar —all were factors contributing to victory.
It has been admitted officially that in July, 1940, the R.A.F. Fighter Command had only 640 aircraft available daily for the battle. These were being supplemented at the rate of 130 new planes a week.

Terrible Toll of Life
This was little more than enough to make up for heavy losses. But it was the high toll among the best pilots, more than the loss of aircraft, that almost cost them the decision. In the four months from July to October, 1940, the fighter command lost 481 pilots killed, captured or missing plus 422 injured.
The turning point in the Battle of Britain came on that historic Sunday of September 15, 1940, when a gallant little band of dog-tired Pilots, outnumbered ten to one, went up for a desperate last-ditch stand and shot down 185 German Planes in a nightmare battle which lasted all day over London and southeast England. The pilots fought in relays that day, each coming down only long enough for a cup of tea and for refueling his plane.

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Battle Of Britain Service Planned Here For Sunday
Pay Tribute To Heroic Airmen

On Sunday, September 21, (1947) across the whole Dominion of Canada congregations in churches will bow their heads in prayer in tribute to the valiant members of the Royal Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Force who gave their lives for freedom in the Battle of Britain waged over the skies of that island from July to October 1940.
In that epic struggle for supremacy of the air Canada was represented by several hundred officers and airmen who served as air crew and ground crew in Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands. The great majority of these Canadians who fought in the Battle of Britain were young men who had crossed the Atlantic in pre-war days to enroll in the R.A.F. and served in units of that force. There were, however, two fighter squadrons which bore the name Canadian. One was 242 (Canadian) Squadron of the R.A.F., composed of Canadian fighter pilots in the R.A.F.; the other was No. 1 (Fighter) Squadron of the R.C.A.F., (later designated No. 401) which arrived in Britain on the eve of the battle.
Hamilton today mourns the loss of one of her sons who fought in this heroic battle. P/O Norris Hart, son of R. S. Hart, 90 Stinson Street, was shot down in the first week of November 1940 after having served with 242 Squadron under the famous leader S/L Douglas Bader for two months.

Official Record
Speaking of 242 Squadron R.A.F., on September 15, 1940, the official R.A.F. records state "September 15 marked the climax of the battle, the historic day on which 85 enemy aircraft were shot down. When, just before noon on that sunny Sunday morning, the first great waves of raiders began to cross the Channel, No. 242 Squadron took off to engage them. Over Gravesend, east of London, the squadron, accompanied by four other fighter units, found about 30 Dorniers escorted by Messerschmitt fighters flying 6,000 feet below. S/L Bader led his pilots in a diving attack out of the sun and the enemy force was all but annihilated. Bader described the action as "the finest shambles" he had been in. For once the British had the advantage of height, position and numbers; indeed the sky seemed to be full of Spitfires and Hurricanes who queued up and pushed each other out of the way to get a shot at the Nazi bombers. The German fighters judiciously stayed out of the way. Stansfeld and Turner each destroyed a Dornier; F/O Tamblyn shared another with a companion; S/L Bader shot down a fourth and a Fleet Air Arm pilot in the squadron accounted for a fifth. P/O Hart shot down an Me-109 in flames. In addition several Dorniers were damaged. The four squadrons flying with No. 242 claimed 23 destroyed and eight probables in the action.
This is but the account of one squadron in one day of those terrible four months that finally hammered the Hun into submission so far as striving for the conquest of Britain was concerned. It is for the heroism of those pilots who fought those grim battles high above the British Isles that Canadians everywhere will offer a prayer of thanks on Sunday as will the people of Great Britain.

Church Parade
Here in Hamilton the occasion will be marked by a church parade of 424 Fighter Squadron R.C.A.F. (Auxiliary) and the Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadrons of Hamilton to the Church of St. Thomas. At this special service Wing Cmdr. Douglas H. Wigle, commanding officer of 424 Squadron will read the lesson and Rev. Dr. R.C. Blagrave, rector of the church, will deliver a special sermon.
Following the service the squadron and cadets, led by the Air Cadet Trumpet Band, will march west on Main Street East to James Street, north on James to King Street, and east on King Street past a saluting base near the Cenotaph. Here the salute will be taken by Commander Sam Ross R.C.N. (R), commanding officer of H.M.C.S. Star; Lt.Col. A.E. Bliss, E.D., commanding officer of The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, and Group Captain Norman S. McGregor, president of the Hamilton Air Cadets.
Following the march past the squadron will return on the north side of King Street and halt in front of the Cenotaph where a wreath will be placed and Last Post and Reveille sounded. The parade will then move off south on Hughson Street to Hunter Street for dismissal.
In the afternoon at approximately 4 o'clock two flights of the squadron, commanded by S/L Douglas Annan, D.F.C., A.F.C., and S/L William A. Olmsted, D.S.O., D.F.C. and Bar, will fly in formation over the city.

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21 Canadian Airmen Decorated by Czechs

Ottawa, Jan. 23, 1948 - (CP) - Recognizing the co-operation between Canadian and Czech fliers during the war, Czechoslovakia has conferred decorations on 21 serving and retired members of the RCAF, it was announced tonight.
The Czechoslovak War Cross, 1939, was awarded to five officers, all of whom served in the Battle of Britain. The Czech Medal for Bravery went to 12 others, while four officers won the Czech Medal of Merit, 1st Class.
Wing Cmdr. P.S. Turner of Toronto, who served with the RAF in the Battle of France, Dunkerque and the Battle of Britain, won both the War Cross and the medal for Bravery.
Already a holder of the DSO and the DFC, he destroyed 14 enemy aircraft and for a time commanded the City of Windsor Squadron No. 417 at Malta. Later he headed No. 244 Wing and then transferred to the RCAF. He now is stationed at the Joint Air School at Rivers, Man. Other winners of the War Cross are: Group Capt. G. R. McGregor of Montreal and Winnipeg; Group Capt. E.A. McNab of Regina; Sqdn. Ldr. B.E. Christmas of St. Hilaire, Que., and FO. B.D. Russel of Montreal.
There were no citations accompanying the awards, presented in each case to Canadians associated in some way with the Czech war effort.
Group Capt. McNab, 41, a son o£ a former Lieutenant-Governor of Saskatchewan, was the first Canadian flier to receive an award in the Second Great War. That was on Oct. 4, 1940. Following service overseas, he returned to Canada and commanded No. 4 Service Flying Training School in Saskatchewan.
Group Capt. McGregor was among the first three RCAF pilots to get the DFC. A fighter pilot like the others who won the War Cross, he headed an overseas fighter station, saw service in the Aleutians, and later commanded No. 126 Wing.
FO. Russell, who holds his present title as a member of the auxiliary air force in Montreal, formerly was an acting wing commander and led a wing overseas.

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TURNER, W/C Percival Stanley, DSO, DFC & Bar (20426) - War Cross, 1939 (Cz)
Canada Gazette dated 24 January 1948 &
AFRO 81/48 dated 6 February 1948

On these pages I use Hugh Halliday's extensive research (which includes info from numerous sources), newspaper articles via the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation (CMCC) as well as other sources both published and private