Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum logo

Gill, Harry Lewis DFM (Warrant Officer 1st Class)

Killed in Action 1943-January-17

Birth Date: 1922-May-09 (age 20)

Born: South Devon, New Brunswick

Son of Herbert Spencer Gill and Mabel Gill, of Fredericton, York County, New Brunswick.

Home: South Devon, York County, New Brunswick

Enlistment: Moncton, New Brunswick

Enlistment Date: 1940-08-22

Decorations: DFM


Distinguished Flying Medal
Service
RCAF
Unit
607 Sqn- Squadron
Rank
Warrant Officer 1st Class
Marshal
Air Chief MarshalA/C/M
Air MarshalA/M
Air Vice MarshalA/V/M
Air CommodoreA/C
Group CaptainG/C
Wing CommanderW/C
Squadron LeaderS/L
Flight LieutenantF/L
Flying OfficerF/O
Pilot OfficerP/O
Warrant Officer 1st ClassWO1
Warrant Officer 2nd ClassWO2
Flight SergeantFS
SergeantSGT
CorporalCPL
Senior AircraftmanSAC
Leading AircraftmanLAC
Aircraftman 1st ClassAC1
Aircraftman 2nd ClassAC2
Position
Pilot
Service Numbers
R/64935
Born in South Devon, New Brunswick, 1922; home there (labourer). Enlisted in Moncton, 22 August 1940. Trained at No.1 ITS and No.11 EFTS. Graduated from No.2 SFTS, 10 April 1941. Arrived in UK, 24 April 1941 and further trained at No.55 OTU. 607 County of Durham Squadron. W/O Gill was flying his Hurricane aircraft (BN327) at 10,000 feet when it went into a dive and crashed two hundred miles east of Calcutta at Fenni, presumed enemy action. Addendum: - Distinguished Flying Medal - No.607 Squadron - Award effective 17 March 1942 as per London Gazette dated 17 March 1943 and AFRO 611/42 dated 24 April 1942. The citation reads - "Since joining the squadron in July 1941, this airman has carried out several offensive fighter patrols over enemy territory both by day and by night. Targets attacked included power stations, large concentration distilleries and factories. On one occasion Flight Sergeant Gill sighted two of our aircraft which had been forced down onto the sea and remained over them until driven off by a formation of enemy fighters. On 12th February 1942 this airman participated in operations against a German battleship and their escorts and pressed home his attack with great determination in the face of fierce enemy opposition. He damaged at least one enemy motor vessel and one enemy aircraft. This airman has always displayed initiative and keenness and has proved himself to be an inspiration to his fellow pilots." Detail provided by H. Halliday, Orleans, Ontario.

Canada Source Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Find-A-Grave.com Finadagrave.com

Canada Primary Source Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)

Home
Google MapSouth Devon, York County, New Brunswick
Burial
Google MapMaynamati War Cemetry
4 C 2

Hurricane HV496

Hawker Hurricane

Hawker Hurricane Mk IIc.
Source BBMF

The Hawker Hurricane is a single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s"“1940s that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). The Hurricane developed through several versions, as bomber-interceptors, fighter-bombers, and ground support aircraft in addition to fighters. Versions designed for the Navy were popularly known as the Sea Hurricane, with modifications enabling their operation from ships. Some were converted to be used as catapult-launched convoy escorts. By the end of production in July 1944, 14,487 Hurricanes had been completed in Britain and Canada.

A major manufacturer of the Hurricane was Canadian Car and Foundry at their factory in Fort William (now Thunder Bay), Ontario. The facility's chief engineer, Elsie MacGill, became known as the "Queen of the Hurricanes". The initiative was commercially led rather than governmentally, but was endorsed by the British government; Hawker, having recognized that a major conflict was all but inevitable after the Munich Crisis of 1938, drew up preliminary plans to expand Hurricane production via a new factory in Canada. Under this plan, samples, pattern aircraft, and a complete set of design documents stored on microfilm, were shipped to Canada; the RCAF ordered 20 Hurricanes to equip one fighter squadron and two more were supplied to Canadian Car and Foundry as pattern aircraft but one probably did not arrive. The first Hurricane built at Canadian Car and Foundry was officially produced in February 1940. As a result, Canadian-built Hurricanes were shipped to Britain to participate in events such as the Battle of Britain. Canadian Car and Foundry (CCF) was responsible for the production of 1,451 Hurricanes. Wikipedia and Harold A Skaarup Web Page


YouTube Hurricane

Wkikpedia Wikipedia Hurricane

General Harold A Skaarup Web Page

Kestrek Publications Hurricane - Kestrel Publications

last update: 2021-12-21 01:11:03

Hurricane Mk. ll HV496

#607 County of Durham Squadron. Warrant Officer Gill was flying his Hurricane aircraft at 10,000 feet when it went into a dive and crashed two hundred miles east of Calcutta at Fenni, presumed enemy action. (discrepancy: details per RCAF Association; but RAF Commands shows FO AC Krause (403459) as flying HV 496 but captured as a POW on 16 Jan 1943).

1943-01-17 Accident Category A 2022-02-20

© Canadian Warplane Heritage 2024

To search on any page:
PC — Ctrl-F
Mac — ⌘-F
Mobile — or …