GROUP CAPTAIN GORDON LEARMONTH RAPHAEL, D.S.O., D.F.C. and Two Bars, of Brantford, Ont., was one of the many Canadians who enlisted in the RAFVR prior to the war. On the outbreak of the war he was a pilot of a Whitley of No 77 Squadron and took part in early leaflet operations over Germany and Poland, patrols off the German coast, night reconnaissance, and bombing attacks. He was mentioned in despatches an 20 February 1940, being the first Canadian airman to earn this distinction in World War II. When the Germans invaded Norway in April 1940, he took part in the first bombing attacks on the airfields at Trondheim and Oslo. From bombers R aphael then made an "about turn" tonight fighters and in the spring of 1941 joined No.85 (Havoc) Squadron. Within a few weeks he proved himself to be a relentless and skillful night fighter on the new radar-equipped aircraft. When the flying-bomb attacks began in the summer of 1944, he flew Mosquitoes for a short time and destroyed two 'buzz-bombs'. On 10 April 1945, while flying a Spitfire, be collided with a Dakata and was killed. G/C Raphaei's final tally of enemy aircraft was 7 destroyed.
PILOT OFFICER M. REEVES, of Madoe, Ontario, served with No. 403 Squadron. He completed many sorties and invariably displayed a high degree of skill and courage by destroying 5 enemy aircraft and damaging 2 others. P/O Reeves was killed in action on 28 March 1945.
FLYING OFFICER DONALD GEORGE REID, D.F.M., of Lacombe, Alberta, served on Malta with NO. 85 Squadron. On one occasion in June 1942, he encountered a force of Italian bombers which were heavily escorted by fighter aircraft. Diving through the fighters, he attacked one of the bombers and set it on fire and then destroyed one of the fighters which had attacked him. Before being shot down and reported missing on 22 July 1942, F/O Reid destroyed 5 enemy aircraft and damaged 2 others.
FLIGHT LIEUTENANT JOSEPH GUILLAUME LAURENT "LARRY" ROBILLARD, D.F.M., of Ottawa, Ontario, served with Nos. 145,72,442 and 443 Squadrons. On an operational sweep over the Lille area in July 1941, he saw one of his buddies bail out of his severely damaged aircraft. Thinking it was his commanding officer who had been shot down, he escorted the descending parachute to protect the airman. Robillard was immediately "jumped" by nine enemy fighters. In the ensuing lopsided aerial battle, he destroyed two of the 'Jerries' and drove the others off. By war's end F/L Robillard had accounted for 8 enemy aricraft.
WING COMMANDER BLAIR DALZELL "DAL" RUSSEL, D.S.O., D.F.C. and Bar, C de G. (Fr.), Order of Orange Nassau with Swords (Nether.), War Cross 1939 (Czech.), of Toronto, Ontario, served with numerous squadrons - Nos. 1 (Canadian), 126 Wing, 401, 442 and 412 Squadrons. The citation for his D.S.O. reads, in part: "in recent intense air operations the squadron under the com- mand of W/C Russel has completed a great number of sorties. Within a period of three days a very large number of enemy transport vehicles were attacked of which twnety-seven were set on fire and a bigger number were damaged. In addition four hostile aircraft were destroyed and seventeen tanks and nineteen other armoured vehicles were damaged. By hi, masterly leadership, sound judgement and fine fighting qualities, W/C Russel played a good part in the success achieved." W/C Russel destroyed 5 1/2 enemy aircraft.