Spooner, Kenneth Gerald (1922-1943). Spooner, a young student Navigator, born in Smith Falls, Ontario, and serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force, was on a training flight over Lake Erie on May 14th, 1943. When the pilot fainted, Spooner took over the controls and ordered the remainder of his colleagues to bail out. Shortly thereafter the plane crashed into Lake Erie. Spooner was posthumously awarded the George Cross. See Website: http://home.cogeco.ca/~dgphillips/spooner.htm The cross
was awarded for an act of the greatest heroism or of the most conspicuous
courage in circumstances of extreme danger. It was intended primarily for
civilians and award in the military services was confined to actions for
which purely military honours were not normally granted and awarded for
actions not in the face of the enemy.
See Website: http://198.103.134.2/remembers/sub.cfm?source=collections/cmdp/mainmenu/group01/gc LAC (Leading Air Craftsman) Kenneth G. Spooner of Smith Falls, Ontario was posthumously awarded the George Cross for heroism displayed on May 14, 1943. A British Commonwealth Air Training Program (BCATP) student navigator with no pilot training, he was in an Anson from No. 4 Air Observers School, located at London, Ontario, when the pilot fainted. He revived momentarily, only to freeze on the controls. The aircraft went into a dive. Spooner took charge. He ordered his companions to take to their parachutes while he struggled to keep the Anson level. The plane eventually crashed in Lake Erie, killing Spooner and the pilot. Although three of his companions bailed out, one came down in the lake and drowned. The two survivors' testimony brought Spooner his posthumous award. In summing up the incident the George Cross citation noted: "This airman with complete disregard for his personal safety and in conformity with the highest traditions of the service, sacrificed his life in order to save the lives of his comrades." The 427 (London) Wing is selling engraved memorial bricks for the Spooner Memorial. A brick which will record one name costs $100.00; for two names, the cost is $150.00, and for Veterans' Associations and other organizations or businesses, the cost is negotiable. We are very pleased to preserve and perpetuate the glorious traditions of the Air Force since its birth and all of those who served in it. For more
information or a Registration and Order Form, please contact Sam Newman
at 519-452-1886 or at sfn.afac@rogers.com
|
|||
