The Semi-weekly leader., 1919-07-26

Medal forty-three the Royal Red Cross, first
class, and one hundred and forty-nine the Royal
Red Cross, second class.
Canada built $500 airplanes for the royal air
force and was building bombing planes for the
United States when the armistice was signed.
About 1900 men were enlisted in the royal air
force from Canada, and three Canadian air fight
ers won the Victoria Cross. The best known Of
the trio is Lieut. Col. William A. Bishop Of To
rOnto who was cavalryman In the Mississauga
Horse and went overseas with the horses but got
transferred to the flying corps. Bishop is Off
cially credited with seventy-two and unoficiany
credited with one hundred and ten enemy air
planes, and is called the worlds greatest living
ace King George sent for him and awarded him
the Victoria Cross the Distinguished Service Order
and the Military Cross.
Next in reputation is Maj. w. G. Barker, V. c.,
D. S. O.. NJ. c., a royal air force fighter from
Manitoba He given the Victoria Cross, Dis
tngushed Service Order, with bar, and the Mill
tary Cross, with two bars. His grand total is
fifty enemy machines.
According to Colonel Bishop, the pluckiest air
fight of the war that of Lieut. Alan Arnett
Mcleod V. c.. a royal air force pilot from Stone
wall, Manitoba. This eighteen-year-od boy, at
tackled by eight enemy airplanes, shot down three
of them He was wounded five times, and then his
machine caught fire. Climbing out on the left bot
tom plane he controlled his falling airplane from
In6 sue OL lHe 1uSSldBe, lduueu III 4NO man
Land, rescued his wounded observer from the
blazing aircraft and was again wounded by an
enemy bomb. Shortly after his return to Canada
Mcleod died of pneumonia in Winnipeg.
The first Canadian to win the V. G. a heroic
surgeon Capt. Francis A. G. Scrimger of the
Canadian army medical service
Color Sergeant Frederick w. Hall, Eighth bat
, TALON, heard 'ar caH fof help in No Mans Land.
In the face of very heavy enflade fire Hall made
two attempts at rescue. As he was lifting the
wounded man Hall was wounded mortally by bull
let through the head He paid for the coveted " G.
with his life. So did Lance Corporal Frederick
Fisher, Thirteenth battalion.
At Givenchy, June IS, 1915, Lieut.. Frederick
W. Campbell First Canadian battalion went over
the top with two machine guns, arrived at the
German first line with one gun and maintained
his position there under very heavy fire, though
every man in his detachment had been killed or
wounded. Later he stopped an enemy attack by
advancing his gup still farther and firing 1000
rounds from an exposed position. He was wound
ed subsequently and died; the V. G. was post
humously awarded him.
Private Leo Clarke, V. c., Twenty-seventh bat
talon; Private John Chipman Kerr, " c., Sixty
fifth battalion; Capt. Thain w. Mcdowell, V. G.
and d. S. c., Thirty-eighth battalion Lieut.. Fred
erick M. w. Harvey, " c., Thirteenth battalion
all these men performed prodigies of valor in kill
ing foes, capturing prisoners. enemy trenches and
positions and machine guns. They earned their
Victoria Crosses
Sergt Ellis w. Sifton, v. c. charged machine
gun alone, killing all the crew and stopped coun-
ter-attack until REINFORCED; he was killed. So
was Private William ]. Milne, " G., Forty-sixth