HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1962-07-05, Page 9Four Gallant Canadians
These are four men of the Royal Canadian Air
Force who were decorated with the George Cross.
No. 1, LAC Karl Mander Gravel); No. 2, Air Com-
modore Arthur Dwight Ross, CM; No. 3,. Flying
Officer Roderick Borden Gray; No. 4, LAC kenneth
G. Spooner, (RCAF Photos)
-were 15 different decorations
for gallantry in existence, a dif-
ficulty arose in 'that they only
applied 'to acts of bravery eith-
er in (the presence of the enemy,
under fire or, in 'the case of
the Air Force Cross' and Air
Fcirce Medal, in the air. The
Victoria Cross, for example,
could only 'be won in the 'actual
presence of the enemy.
It was therefore 'typical of
the King who became known as
"George the Good" to set him-
self the task of dealing with
the problem. He probably ap-
preciated 'the fact that there
were 'already 'too many gallan-
try awards and resisted the
simple solution of adding to
their number. He must have
considered the obvious alterna-
tive of making • a. change in the
conditions of the Victoria 'Cross,
and it is likely that 'he aband-
oned this idea out of deference
of his great-grandmother's Wish
that it should be given only
for valour 'in battle.
In the end he decided to re-
place an existing award with
one that had the status of the
Victoria 'Cross. He seleeted the
Empire Gallantry Medal which
could be won by any perton of
any rank or station who per-
formed an aat of gallantry that
merited recognition by the'
Crown anyWhere in the world.
The Kink took particular plea-
sure in planning every detail
of the new. decoration, and he
made 'several rough sketches 'of
the Cross himself. The final
design was drawn by the late
F. W. Barry, MVO, who worked
until 'his death in the Royal
Library at Windsor.
Two other members' of the
RCAF have been awarded the
George Cross; Air Commodore
Arthur Dwight Rots, CBE, and
Flying Officer. Roderick Borden
Gray.
,While serving as a station
commander of Tholthorpe air-
field in England in Sure, 1944,
Air Commodore Ross5 with the
assistance of two other airmen,
rescued the pilot and rear gun-
See
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FEEDcLi •MILL — Ntorsii otNtAf110;';
Gordon A. Wright, 52, Toron-
to, has been !named director of
fitness and 'amateur sport for
the Canadian Health and Wel-
fare Department. Announce-'
me/It was made on May 23.
Mr. Wright is, a native- of
Cromarty, in Hibbent Township •
and 'is 'the son of 'the late Mr.
and Mrs. James Wright, Kip-
pen and brother of Frank
Wright, RR 3, Kippen' and Mrs.
Orland: Reichert, RR 2, Hensall.
Mr. Wright was' a member of
the intermediate 'intercollegiate
rugby championship team for
'two years' while at 'the' Univer-
sity of Toronto. He also won
the Canadian senior intercol-
legiate wrestling title and plac-
ed second in the Canadian
wrestling championships in
Montreal in 1934.
Since 1959 Mr. Wright bat
been president of the Canadian
Attoolation for health, phySical
education and recreation. For
the past 14 years' he has been
Ontario's director of physical
and health education. He will
move shortly to his new post,
'in a country-wide civil ser-
vice competition. Salary will
be from $14,000 to $15,000,
Nowadays men donft talk
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Join the thousands of families who won a
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In the past year, hundreds of thousands of HFC
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Coming Friday, July 20th
LOUIS. ARMSTRONG Ottt'ESIL
TICKETS NOW ON SALE — $5.00 EACH
LAKEVIEW CASINO
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ROCK & TWIST EVERY WEDNESDAY
"THE CRESCENDOS" — DICK WILLIAMS M.C.
RON BROWN AND HIS
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EVERY FRIDAY
LIONEL THORNTON ANC HIS CASA ROYAL
ORCHESTRA
EVERY SATURDAY
"Thursday,, 11.9001.09A1 News-Record--Page 9
4-14 :PPV.F. PX41.1,1
`1FiE1 T AT 49i[ 0W,f'SQZ•T'S
MeMer$ of the )3e),figicf .441
Reef meet
night At 8,$0 p n . At the rffxmi
of George RObertsOn, near Car,
low.
. .
Murray Lobb, Blenheim,.
A. pleasant afternoon came
fto,a close with the usual, famLly
Singing Ted by Mrs, Gordon
MacFarlane, .St, 'Thomas. There
were .57 .present.
Silver Wedding
Day Marked By
Mervyn Lobbs
On ,SundaY, July 1, Mr. and
Mt s, Mervyn Lobb were enter-
Mined. by their family 4
home ,of their son, Mr, and grts,
Donald Lobb on the occasion of
Their 25th wedclihg:.ahhtver4ry,
)-.1.1,1y: 3.
At the conclusion of the dirt-
ner the family presented their
parents with several lovely
gifts,
Clinton Memorial. Shop
T. foRypg and SON .
CLINTON , EXETER SEAFORTH
Open Every Aftprnogn
PHONE .H14 27712
At other times contact
Local Reptosontativo--A. W. Steep--MU 2-6642
2ltfb
VE7012[00
THE NEW MOTOR VEHICLE
ACCIDENT CLAIMS ACT
Under the new law establishingthe Motor Vehicle Accident Claims Fund which replaces
the Unsatisfied Judgment Fund with effect from July 1st, 1962, it will be an offence for
an owner to operate or permit the operation of his motor vehicle on the highway without
being able to produce either:
(a) Proof that the vehicle is insured under a liability policy for
bodily injury and property damage.
OR
(b) Proof that the $20.00 uninsured motor vehicle fee has been paid.
If your vehicle is insured, be sure you have an insurance certificate. If you do not
have one, see your insurance agent at once.
Ifyour vehicle is not insured, make certain your motor vehicle permitis endorsed
to show that you have paid the $20.00 additional fee.
If your vehicle becomes uninsured, at any time because of cancellation or expiry
of the policy, you must pay the $20.00 additional fee immediately at your local office of
the Ontario Department of Transport.
THE PENALTY FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO PRODUCE PROOF
OF INSURANCE OR PAYMENT OF THE FEE, OR FOR
PRESENTING FALSE PROOF, IS ,A FINE OF $50.00 TO $500.00.
If you have a claim for damages as a result of an accident with an uninsured driver,
make application for payment to the Director of Claims, Ontario Department of Trans.
port, i0 St. Mary St., Toronto 5. You may make application personally or through your
solicitor. Claims will be dealt with promptly. For further information ask for a copy of
the pamphlet explainingthe operation of the Fund from your local office of the Ontario
Department of Transport.
BE SURE TO CARRY YOUR LIABILITY INSURANCE CERTIFICATE
OR PROOF OF HAVING PAID THE ADDITIONAL $20.00 UNIN-
SURED MOTOR VEHICLE FEE IN YOUR VEHICLE AT ALL TIMES.
ONTARIO DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT
Hon, H, Li gowrifriv, 9.a, Minlact A G, hfacHab, Deputy AllnIsi'at
I
rosses e
.
by _ ____
— :-----:"----
,---..-7----7,--,—._ -.-
-,----:<:,----,
4VaTft GD VO Ciatta' 'LS -ME. MOTTO OF AIR TPANSPDIr commAND's ;35 'CHINTNE:' zpuADRoN -AND THIS HELD TRUE, IN SEPTEMBER,
I%O WHEN AN ESKIMO MOTHER GAVE 81R114 TO A It POUND BABY SOY DURING AN EMERGENCY AIRLIFT' FROM RESOLUTE BAY, N.WT: TO THE HOSPITAL.
Kr -rtitlE, eRs,triLAND. 7)1Z. BABY WAS, DELIVERED BY. CPL. R. DUP0CHER . .WrrH RAblOED ADVICE. FROM A U.5: AIR FORCE. DOCTOR IN QRGENLAND!
tHls WAs THE AERONAUTICAL NAM. GIVEN TO 111E FIRST CHILD IN THE
WORLD To Be. BORN IN AN AEROPLANE. IT HAPPENED ABOARD AN rc 2 L. FAIRCHILD oN MARCH 29th, 1931. PILOT HORFEE, WA$ EVALUATING THE. INDIAN MOTHER FROM MILE al!i• ON THE
HUDSON BAY RAIL ROAD -TO -THE. Ho5PrrAt. A'r:111E PAS, MAN.
WHEN THS..4STORK ARRIVED; ASSISTED BY CREWMAN, LAC. BA114
RELEASED en THE R.C.A.P,'s AIR TRANSPORT COMMAND
.Q.corge
"Many ,•anal. ,g19110US .ore .the
deeds of ,,gallantry
these perilous brut famous
,Order that they should. Abe
Worthily .and promptly !raPOg.,
nixed;. I have decided to cr elute
A new mark Of honour for!Men.
and. women in ail, walks of
Civilian life. propose to give
my .name to this new (Tisane.,
Lion which will ,eonsist the
George Cross.."
So spoke Majesty 'King
George VI ,Septeirber 23, 1940
to a 'country ,still dazed from
the tittle], -devastating •shock of
total war; to the people in filli•e
rubble-4ftiled,streets :of battered.
and Smouldering
The clear, .calm message eap-
tured their interest and
inatien in a way that no new
honour had done siiiee the in,
stitution of the VictOria Cross
in, 185(3. In the new award
they' saw recognition for the
ordinary man and woman who
fought (the war ',not in the pre,
sence of the enemy' as most
deterationa required, but who
nevertheless acted with the
greatest of heroism and dis-
played conspicuous courage in
circumstances of extreme dang-
er in the maelstrom of nations
fighting for .survival,
All the' King's subjects in the
British Commonwealth a n d
Empire were 'to be eligible :for
the award, although- the Royal
Warrant said that it was in,-
tended primarily for civilians
and should only be given to
'members of the fighting ser-
vices for actions for which mili-
tary honours were not normally
granted. It is a fact, however,
that just over three quarters
of the 132 recipients of the
George .Cross ;have been mem-, '
bers of 'the services. ' j
The first member of the
RCAF to' e decorated' was LAC ,
Karl Mender Graven. On No- •
vember 10, 1941 be was train-
ing 'as a wireless air gunner .in
a Tiger Moth aircraft when the
plane crashed near Calgary and
caught fire, In spite of severe i
injuries, including burns and
the loss of one eye, he managed
to extricate himself from the
wreckage, but. finding The pilot
was still in the aircraft, went
back to help him.
He finally managed 'to drag
the unconscious pilot clear,
then rolled on the ground to ,
extinguish 'the flames 'that were ,
leaping from his own clothing.
The pilot survived, but 'the gal-
lant. LAC Gravelly died of Ms
injuries, and the official citation
stated that "had he not consid-
ered his pilot before him own
safety . ,the would probably
not have lost his. life.'
The second RCAF recipient
was also a leading aircraftsman
undergoing training in Canada.
On May 13, 1943, LAC Kenneth
G. Spooner, a student flavig.aft-
or 'at the '.satellite station at
West Freugh,. Ont., boarded an
AnIson for a routine training
flight. Shortly after.. take-off
the pilot collapsed at the con-
trols.
Although he bad no pilot
,braining Spooner took charge,
ordered the other crew memb-
ers to bale out, then tried, for
the first time in his, life, 'to
land an aeroplane. He was not
successful and both he and the
pilot were killed.
The citation read in part , . .
"this airman, with. complete dis-
regard for his personal safety
and in conformity with the
highest 'tradition of the RCAF,
sacrificed his life in, order to
save the lives of his comrades'.
The need for a medal to 'hon-
our the gallantry of men like
Gravel! and 'Spooner had long
been recognized by King
George. Although at the end
of ethe First World. War there
ner of furiously -bUnning
bomber which 'had' crashed on
returning from a night .opera,
Mon, During heroic rescue
efforts, A/c- _ROOS .suffered 01P
loss of .hisright Arm haw the
elbow when a bon* exploded
but m.P.sined, at the scene
the T,e804e was successfully eon-
eluded,
Flying Officer Gray was the
navigator of a Wellington
bomber that was. shot down.
over the sea by a German U.,.
boat. Hp managed to' grab held
of a twoenari inflated dinghy
and, although one of hfs legs
was badly hunt, got the tiny
croft afloat and: scrambled
aboard, I-re then: pad'dled around
looking for other crew members
and found the badly wounded
captain floating in 'the water.
He pulled, him, into the dinghy
and continued his search. Hear-
ing 'cries he made fer the place
they were coming, from and
found another airman with ,a
broken arm floating in the sea.
F/O Gray ;slipped over the
side and helped the airman an
board and, as 'there was no
room for a third man in the
dinghy, remained in 'the water
clinging 'to the side. Later in
the night, he died• and his two
comrades survived to tell of his
gallantry.
Of theso four recipients of
the George Cross, only Air
Commo'clore Ross survived to
be invested with 'the dark blue
„ribbon -and silver cross, but
the deeds of these gallant
Canadians will live forever in
the annals of RCAF 'history.
Truly their names are immor-
tali.zed in the words of the
Bible: 'greater love bath no
man than this, 'that a man lay
down :his life for 'his friends'.
To Calgary
Corporal Fete-1"SM an
Applied training instructor at
RCAF Station Clinton, leaveS
this week for Calgary where
he `will meet once again, men
with whom be served in No.
100 Squadron, No, 1 Group
Bomber Command in Eng-
land during World War II.
Son of MrS, Annie Peter;
'se:n, 125 Patrick Street, King-
stan, Corporal Petersen was
the rear 'gunner of a Lan-
caster of this squadron dur-
ing 'the war. The crew has
decided to meet in Calgary
because it is the midWay
point between Ontario and
B.O. 'where moat of 'the ex-
crew members now live.
Also, a Lancaster is set up
on a pedestal in a park in
Calgary. It is this only fit-
ting 'that these men should
gather in this .city and once
again recall the days of their
comradeship in the 'air.
(RCAF Photo)
14)10), Re(1106,11
Mt MIA .1*At, Bert
their sons and 10440tors, With
their families Met for their
annual At the home
their 'eldest son, Mr. and
M01,17.Yn Lobb,13.11
Monday, ji4ly g,
rctIshig ge4TM- and
sports were conducted Pilt the
nearby school grounds by Mr..
and Mrs, Pan Crich. 'and Mr,
and Mrs., an Lobb,
(the occasion was 4140 the.
25th wedding ,oxiniverSary of
Mr. :and: Mrs fifervyu Tool*,
after supper the 'Meg. man"
Harolld 14olab Was. called on for
a few words and Mrs, 'Howard
Pym "flower girl:" of that day
made the presentation on te-
hailf of those present of a .lovely
clock. Mervyn made a fitting
rePTY,
The president, Gordon Mae-
Farlane, w4b. Mrs. MacFarlane
secretary, then continued the
business. The Mowing officers
were appointed 'for next year.
president, Mervyn Lobb; vice-
president, Alvin Lobb; secre-
tory, Mrs, Mervyn Lab; sports,
Mn'. ,-and Mrs. Don Crich, Mr.
and Mrs, Jim Lobb and Mr,
and Mrs, Don' Lobi). Table com-
mittee, Mrs. Gordon MacFar,
lane, Mrs. Don' Lobb and Mrs,
Howard Pym.
Otherslionoured at 'the picnic
were: oldest, Bert Lobb; young,
.ett, Stephen Lobb; birthday
nearest to picnic day, Bert
Lobb; one coming 'farthest,
RECEPTION
For
Mr. and Mrs. Jack
McGregor
(nee Norma Love)
at
Bayfield Pavilion
Saturday, July 7
Music by
Melody Makers
EVERYONE WELCOME
27p
CANADIAN cr
-----°"°•"0015P," Ztlyitte giroto
New Head of Canada Amateur Sport
Former Wrestler From Kippen