By Joe Corrigan
In my previous blog entries for “Village Vignettes” I’ve
focused on the centennial anniversaries of the major battles involving
Canadians in the Great War of 1914 to 1918. On this occasion, I’d like to focus
on another major battle in which Canadians played a part; this one occurred in
World War II and it was the first major battle in history fought entirely in
the air.
Shortly after the evacuation of British and French troops
from Dunkirk in May of 1940, newly appointed British Prime Minister Winston
Churchill made a speech that was broadcast to his nation and the world. He
announced that the Battle of France was over and that the Battle of Britain was
about to begin. Churchill stated that “Hitler
knows that he must break us in this island or lose the war.” Given the
military situation at the time, that was a bit of a stretch. He ended the
speech by urging his people to brace themselves for the bitter struggle ahead
and to so conduct themselves that “if the
British Empire and its Commonwealth lasts for a thousand years, men will still
say, this was their finest hour”.
Noting Empire and Commonwealth separately was an important
distinction. In 1914, when Britain declared war on Germany, Canada was also
committed to the conflict as part of “the Empire”. In 1939, Britain declared
war on Germany on September 3rd. Canada did not follow suit until a
week later following a debate in parliament. The Statute of Westminster of 1931
had given Canada a greater degree of self-governance and formal recognition as
an independent member of the British Commonwealth of Nations.
In those dark days of the summer of 1940, Canada stood at
Britain’s side getting ready for the invasion which was seen as immanent. The 1st
Division of the Canadian Army was already in Britain. Indeed, elements of the
Division had landed in north-west France around the time of Dunkirk but had subsequently
also been evacuated as the true gravity of the situation became clear. Had the
German army invaded England in the summer of 1940, the Canadian 1st
Division may well have been the only fully equipped army division they would
have faced in the entire country. The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and Royal
Canadian Navy (RCN) also had elements involved in the defense of Britain at
that time. The Canadians that this article will focus on are the ones who
volunteered to serve with the Royal Air Force (RAF), who enlisted prior to, or
just shortly after, the start of World War II and who took part in the early
stages of the war as members of the RAF’s all-Canadian 242 Squadron.
The squadron, which had originally been formed during the First World War,
was reformed for service in World War II at RAF station Church Fenton on 30 October
1939 with Canadian RAF personnel. They initially flew the
Bristol Blenheim and Fairey Battle but converted to
the Hawker Hurricane in February of 1940.
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| A Hawker Hurricane IIC wearing the "LE" code of 242 Squadron |
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| Painting of a 242 Hurricane |
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| Douglas Bader |
In May 1940,
the squadron moved to RAF station Biggin Hill prior to being sent to France to
counter the German offensive. The squadron’s Canadian pilots had suffered high
losses in the Battle of France and their morale was quite low on
being recalled to England. To address the need for leadership and improved
morale, RAF Fighter Command assigned Squadron Leader Douglas Bader to command the Squadron at the end of June 1940. Bader
was a unique individual to say the least. As a pilot in the pre-war RAF he had
lost both legs in a crash. In an epic example of determination, he not only
taught himself to walk on tin legs, but even passed the RAF’s Central Flying
School course. Despite his exceptional performance, the peace time air force
had no place for him among its ranks. With the coming of war in 1939, he was
able to win back his wings and prove himself an able flight commander prior to
being posted to 242 squadron. The Canadians of 242 weren’t keen on getting a
“passenger” as their new CO but Bader soon won them over by the strength of his
flying skills, strong character and perseverance. He proved a strong leader,
especially in cutting through bureaucratic red tape to make the squadron
operational again. The squadron became part of No. 12 Group of the RAF’s Fighter Command and was assigned to
RAF Station Duxford. Bader’s tactics and leadership were instrumental in the development
of the “Duxford Wing”, a unique formation of five squadrons, led by Bader,
during the climatic stages of the Battle of Britain through August and
September of 1940. By October of 1940 the battle was over, the Germans had
postponed their invasion plans indefinitely and, although night bombing raids
continued, Britain was no longer in the crosshairs of the Nazi juggernaut.
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| RCAF personnel on their way to England in 1940 |
Paul Brickhill,
a British airman, POW and author of the book “The Great Escape” wrote a
biography of Douglas Bader entitled “Reach for the Sky”. The book was made into
a movie, by the same title, in 1956 with Kenneth More in the lead role. It was by
watching that movie in my youth that I learned of the important role Canadians
played in the Battle of Britain. The movie is currently available on the Internet
as a YouTube video for those who might be interested in learning more about Douglas
Bader and 242 Squadron.
Somewhere in
the neighbourhood of 90 Canadian pilots took part in the Battle of Britain
between 242 Squadron and the RCAF’s 401 Squadron (Canadian Squadrons that
served overseas during World War II were numbered in the 400’s to avoid
confusion with the RAF’s numbered squadrons. These numbers were retained for
general Canadian service after the war to maintain their wartime battle honours
and tradition). The Canadians suffered a high rate of loss with some
twenty-five pilots being killed in action. Theirs was an important contribution
to a historic victory and should not be forgotten.
This blog is
written in memory of my uncle, Leading Aircraftsman Hubert Michael Corrigan of
the RCAF, himself a Canadian in the service of the RAF, primarily No. 58
Squadron from 1943 to 1945.
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| H. M. Corrigan, RCAF |
Joe Corrigan has been Museum Manager at Lang Pioneer Village since February of 2003. He has been a lifelong student of history. His specific areas of interest are Canadian and world political, military and sports history with a particular focus on biographical works. Joe has been interpreting Sir John A. Macdonald at the Museum's Historic Dominion Day event since 2007. 