William George Barker William George Barker VC , DSO & Bar , MC & Two Bars ( 3 November 1894 – 12 March 1930 ) was a Canadian First World War fighter ace and Victoria Cross recipient . He is the most decorated serviceman in the history of Canada , and indeed in the history of the British Empire and Commonwealth of Nations . Early life . Born on a family farm in Dauphin , Manitoba , " Will " Barker grew up on the frontier of the Great Plains , riding horses , shooting , and working as a youngster on his father ' s farm and sawmill . He was an exceptional shot , using a lever - action Winchester that he had modified with his own peep sight . He was particularly adept at shooting on the move , even while on horseback . One biographer has suggested that he could have been a trick shooter in a circus . He was physically poised , emotionally intense , with wide - ranging interests , and had an innate flair for the dramatic act . He was a very good student in school , but had frequent absences due to farm and sawmill life ; he was the hunter providing food for the workers in the sawmill while still a young teenager , and missed classes because of this obligation . Barker fell in love with aviation after watching pioneer aviators flying Curtiss and Wright Flyer aircraft at farm exhibitions between 1910 and 1914 . He was a Boy Scout at Russell , Manitoba , and a member of the 32nd Light Horse , a Non - Permanent Active Militia unit based at Roblin , Manitoba . He was in Grade 11 at Dauphin Collegiate Institute in the fall of 1914 , just before his enlistment . First World War . In December 1914 , soon after the outbreak of the First World War and the subsequent call to arms in the Dominion of Canada , Barker enlisted as No " 106074 " Trooper William G . Barker in the 1st Canadian Mounted Rifles . The regiment went to England in June 1915 and then to France on September 22 of that year . Barker was a Colt machine gunner with the regiment ' s machine gun section until late February or early March 1916 , when he transferred as a probationary observer to 9 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps , flying in the BE - 2 . Western Front 1916 - 17 . He was commissioned as a second - lieutenant in April and was given five days leave in London to acquire an officer ' s uniform and equipment . On his return , he was assigned to 4 Squadron and on 7 July transferred to 15 Squadron , still flying in the BE - 2 . On 21 July Barker claimed a Roland scout " driven down " with his observer ' s gun , and in August claimed a second Roland , this time in flames . He was Mentioned in Despatches around this time . He officially qualified as an Observer on 27 August and on 15 September he worked for the first time with Canadian troops , including his old regiment . On 15 November Barker and his pilot , flying very low over the Ancre River , spotted a large concentration of German troops massing for a counter - attack on Beaumont Hamel . The crew sent an emergency Zone Call brought to bear all available artillery fire in the area onto the specified target . The force of some 4 , 000 German infantry was effectively broken up . He was awarded the Military Cross for this action in the concluding stages of the Battle of the Somme . In January 1917 , after spending Christmas on leave in London , he commenced pilot training at Netheravon soloing after 55 minutes of dual instruction . On 24 February 1917 he returned to serve a second tour on Corps Co - operation machines as a pilot flying BE - 2s and RE - 8s with No . 15 Squadron . On 25 March Barker claimed another scout ' driven down ' . On 25 April 1917 during the Arras Offensive , Barker , flying an RE 8 with observer Lt . Goodfellow , spotted over 1 , 000 German troops sheltering in support trenches . The duo directed artillery fire into the positions , thereby avoiding a counter - attack . After being awarded a bar to his MC in July , Barker was wounded in the head by anti - aircraft fire in August 1917 . After a short spell in the UK as an instructor , Barker ' s continual requests for front line service resulted in him being transferred to become a scout pilot , being offered a post with either No . 56 Squadron or with No 28 Squadron . He chose command of C Flight in the newly formed 28 Squadron flying the Sopwith Camel , which he preferred over the SE . 5 of 56 Squadron . Although Barker was reportedly not a highly skilled pilot - suffering several flying accidents during his career - he compensated for this deficiency with an aggressiveness in action and highly accurate marksmanship . The unit moved to France on 8 October 1917 , and downed an Albatos DV on his first patrol , though Barker did not claim it as the patrol was unofficial . He claimed an Albatros of " Jasta 2 " ( Lt . Lange , killed ) on 20 October , and two more , of " Jasta 18 " , on 27 October ( " Lt . " Schober killed , " Offstv " . Klein , force landed ) . Italian Front 1917 - 18 . On 7 November 1917 , No . 28 Squadron was transferred to Italy and most of the unit , including aircraft and with Barker temporarily in command , travelled by train to Milan . On 29 November he downed an Austrian Albatros D . III flown by Lt Haertl of " Jasta 1 " near Pieve di Soligo . A " Jasta 39 " pilot was shot down and killed and a balloon of " BK 10 " destroyed on 3 December . One of his most successful , and also most controversial raids , fictionalized by Ernest Hemingway in the short story , " The Snows of Kilimanjaro " , was on 25 December 1917 . Catching the Germans off guard , he and Lt . Harold Hudson , his wingman , shot up the airfield of " Fliegerabteilung " ( A ) 204 , setting fire to one hangar and damaging four German aircraft before dropping a placard wishing their opponents a " Happy Christmas . " Lt Lang of " Jasta 1 " was killed by Barker on 1 January 1918 , and two balloons , two Albatros fighters ( one flown by " Feldwebel " Semelock of " Flik 51J " ) and a pair of two - seaters fell to Barker during February . Awarded the DSO , in March he claimed three more Albatros and an observation balloon . Owing to his tendency to ignore orders by flying many unofficial patrols , Barker was passed over as when the post of Commanding Officer of No . 28 Squadron became vacant . Dissatisfied , he applied for a posting and joined No . 66 Squadron in April 1918 , where he claimed a further 16 kills by mid - July . On 17 April , he shot down " Oblt . " Gassner - Norden of " Flik 41J " , flying an Albatros D . III ( Oef ) , over Vittorio . He then became Squadron commander of 139 Squadron , flying the Bristol Fighter . Barker however took his Sopwith Camel with him and continued to fly fighter operations . He carried out an unusual sortie on the night of 9 August when he flew a Savoia - Pomilio SP . 4 bomber to land a spy behind enemy lines . By this time , Barker ' s personal Sopwith Camel ( serial no . B6313 ) had become the most successful fighter aircraft in the history of the RAF , having used it to shoot down 46 aircraft and balloons from September 1917 to September 1918 , for a total of 404 operational flying hours . It was dismantled in October 1918 , Barker keeping the clock as a memento - although he was asked to return it the following day . During this time Barker trialed a series of modifications to B6313 , in order to improve its combat performance . The Clerget rotary engine ' s cooling efficiency was poorer in the hotter Italian climate , so several supplementary cooling slots were cut into the cowling . The poor upward visibility of the Camel resulted in Barker cutting away progressively larger portions of the centre - section fabric . He also had a rifle - type , notch and bead gun - sight arrangement replace the standard gun sight fitting . Having flown more than 900 combat hours in two and one half years , Barker was transferred back to the UK in September 1918 to command the fighter training school at Hounslow Heath Aerodrome . Barker ended his Italian service with some 33 airplanes claimed destroyed and nine observation balloons downed individually or with other pilots . Victoria Cross . In London at RAF HQ , he persuaded his superiors he needed to get up to date on the latest combat techniques in France and he was granted a 10 - day roving commission in France , wherein he selected the Sopwith Snipe as his personal machine and attached himself to No . 201 Squadron RAF , whose Squadron commander , Major Cyril Leman , was a friend from his days as a Corps Co - operation airman . He was awarded the Victoria Cross for his actions on day 10 , Sunday , 27 October 1918 . While returning his Snipe to an aircraft depot , he crossed enemy lines at 21 , 000 feet above the Forêt de Mormal . He attacked an enemy Rumpler two - seater which broke up , its crew escaping by parachute ; ( the aircraft was of " FAA 227 " , Observer Lt Oskar Wattenburg killed ) . By his own admission , he was careless and was bounced by a formation of Fokker D . VII s of " Jagdgruppe 12 " , consisting of Jasta 24 and Jasta 44 . In a descending battle against 15 or more enemy machines , Barker was wounded three times in the legs , then his left elbow was blown away , yet he managed to control his Snipe and shoot down or drive down three more enemy aircraft ( Two German pilot casualties were " Lt . " Hinky of " Jasta 44 " , wounded ; and " Vfw " . Alfons Schymik of " Jasta 24 , " killed ) . The dogfight took place immediately above the lines of the Canadian Corps . Severely wounded and bleeding profusely , Barker force landed inside Allied lines , his life being saved by the men of an RAF Kite Balloon Section , who transported him to a field dressing station . The fuselage of his Snipe aircraft was recovered from the battlefield and is preserved at the Canadian War Museum , Ottawa , Ontario . At a hospital in Rouen , France , Barker clung to life until mid - January 1919 , and then was transported back to England . He was not fit enough to walk the necessary few paces for the VC investiture at Buckingham Palace until 1 March 1919 . Barker is officially credited with one captured , two ( and seven shared ) balloons destroyed , 33 ( and two shared ) aircraft destroyed , and five aircraft " out of control ; " the highest " destroyed " ratio for any RAF , RFC or RNAS pilot during the conflict . The Overseas Military Forces of Canada recognized Barker as " holding the record for fighting decorations " awarded in the First World War . Most Decorated Hero . Barker returned to Canada in May 1919 as the most decorated Canadian of the war , with the Victoria Cross , the Distinguished Service Order and Bar , the Military Cross and two Bars , two Italian Silver Medals for Military Valour , and the French Croix de guerre . He was also mentioned in despatches three times . The " Canadian Daily Record " , a publication of the Overseas Military Forces of Canada , wrote in December 1918 that William Barker of Dauphin , Manitoba was the Canadian holding the record for " most fighting decorations " in the war . No other Canadian soldier , sailor or airman has surpassed this record , and the Canadian War Museum exhibit , located in Ottawa , Ontario , states : " Lieutenant Colonel William G . Barker , one of the legendary aces of the war , remains the most decorated Canadian in military service . " A plaque on his tomb in the mausoleum of Toronto ' s Mount Pleasant Cemetery , officially unveiled on September 22 , 2011 , describes him as " The most decorated war hero in the history of Canada , the British Empire , and the Commonwealth of Nations . " Only two other servicemen in the history of the Commonwealth or Empire have received as many British medals for gallantry . These were Mick Mannock and James McCudden , and like Barker , both were " scout pilots " in the First World War . Barker , Mannock and McCudden each received six British medals , including the Victoria Cross . McCudden was also awarded a French Croix de Guerre . But with his three foreign medals and three British Mentions in Despatches , Barker received a total of 12 awards for valour . Postwar . Barker formed a business partnership , Bishop - Barker Aeroplanes Limited , with fellow Victoria Cross recipient and Canadian ace Billy Bishop which lasted for about three years . In 1922 he rejoined the fledgling Canadian Air Force in the rank of wing commander , serving as the Station Commander of Camp Borden ( 1922 to 1924 ) . Barker was appointed acting director of the RCAF in early 1924 and he graduated from RAF Staff College , Andover , in 1926 . While waiting to start RAF Staff College Course No 4 , Barker spent two weeks in Iraq with the RAF to learn more about the uses of air power . He formally reported on his findings to the Minister of National Defence , and informally to Brigadier General Billy Mitchell , of the US Air Service . One of his achievements in the RCAF was the introduction of parachutes . After leaving the RCAF he became the first president of the Toronto Maple Leafs hockey club , and involved in tobacco growing farms in southwestern Ontario . Barker continued to suffer from the physical effects of his 1918 gunshot wounds , his legs were permanently damaged and he suffered severely limited movement in his left arm . He also struggled with alcoholism in the last few years of his life . He died in 1930 when he lost control of his Fairchild KR - 21 biplane trainer during a demonstration flight for the RCAF , at Air Station Rockcliffe , near Ottawa , Ontario . Barker , aged 35 , was at the time the President and General Manager of Fairchild Aircraft in Montreal . Legacy . His funeral , the largest national state event in Toronto ' s history , was attended by an honour guard of 2 , 000 soldiers . The cortege stretched for more than a mile and a half , and included the Chief of the General Staff and his senior officers , the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario , the Mayor of Toronto , three federal government cabinet ministers , and six other Victoria Cross recipients . An honour guard was also provided by the United States Army . Some 50 , 000 spectators lined the streets of Toronto en route to Mount Pleasant Cemetery , where Barker was interred in his wife ' s family crypt in the Mausoleum . In his hometown , Dauphin , Manitoba , an elementary school and the Barker Airport ( dedicated in 1998 ) are named in his honour . The Dauphin squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets is named for Barker . An elementary school at CFB Borden in Ontario was also named after Barker before its closure in the mid - 1990s . In 2012 , Southport Aerospace Centre named their new flight student accommodation building after him . During the week of 8 January 1999 , the Canadian Federal Government designated Barker a person of national historic significance , while the Discovery Channel ' s " Flightpath " series , a television documentary , included an episode entitled " First of the Few " , a biography of William Barker , broadcast in Canada on 27 April 1999 . In 2003 History TV broadcast " The Hero ' s Hero - The Forgotten Life of William Barker . " Barker ' s only daughter , Jean Antoinette Mackenzie ( née Barker ) , died in July , 2007 . On 22 September 2011 , a memorial at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto was unveiled to mark William Barker as the “ most decorated war hero in the history of Canada , the British Empire , and the Commonwealth of Nations . ”