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RCAF AWARDS
Ottawa, Jan. 22, 1945 - (CP) - Air Force Headquarters announced tonight the award of one Distinguished Service Order and 15 Distinguished Flying Crosses to members of the RCAF serving overseas. The recipients include :
D.S.O.
S/L O.C. Kallio, DFC, of Ironwood, Mich.
D.F.C.
W/C L.H. Randall, Bristol, N.B.
F/L D.W. Banting, Fort San, Sask.
F/L R.E. Coffey, Greenview, Ill.
F/L H.A. Crawford of Edmonton
F/L H.A. Dean, Vero Beach, Fla,
F/L J.E. Hogg of Dartmouth, N.S.
F/L H.R. Hunter of Strathcona, P.E.I.
F/L G.F. Mercer of 77 Church St., St. Marys
F/L L.W. Metcalfe of 50 Scott St., St. Thomas
F/L J.M. Portz, Weyburn, Sask.
F/O G.P.A. Bodard, Lethbridge, Alta.
F/O C.L. Burgess of Fredericton
F/O A.R. Lehman of 307 Niagara St., Welland
P/O A.D. Fraser of Winnipeg &
F/O J.P. Jessee of Vancouver.
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Born 5 February 1917 in St.Mary's, Ontario
Enlisted in Hamilton, 2 January 1941
To
No.1 Manning Depot, Toronto, 2 January to 21 January 1941
No.1 Auxiliary MD, Picton, 22 January to 18 March 1941
No.1 Manning Depot, 19 March to 30 March 1941
No.17 Equipment Depot, Ottawa, 31 March to 26 May 1941
No.1 ITS, Toronto, 10 June to 8 August 1941
(promoted to LAC on latter date)
No.3 EFTS, London, 9 August to 25 September 1941
No.14 SFTS, Aylmer, 26 September to 20 December 1941
(promoted to Sergeant, 19 December 1941)
Posted to Halifax
Arrived in the UK, 21 January 1942
Further trained at
No.5 (P) AFU, 12 May to 2 June 1942
No.59 OTU, 2 June to 26 August 1942
(promoted to Flight Sergeant, 19 June 1942)
Posted to
No.610 Squadron (28 August 1942 to 17 January 1943
Promoted to WO2, 19 December 1942
Claimed his first sortie was 18 August 1942 & that
He flew 85 operational hours
To No.185 Squadron, Malta, 17 January to 13 July 1943
Commissioned 22 April 1943
Claimed he flew 86 sorties, 115 operational hours
Forced to bale out 6 May 1943 when
engine overheated and glycol fumes filled cockpit
(probably from a bird strike in radiator)
Returned to England, 1 August 1943
At Station Cranfield, 16 August 1943 to 18 April 1944
(promoted to Flying Officer, 22 October 1943)
Posted to Canada on leave, 26 April to 16 June 1944
Returned to UK, 26 June 1944
No.411 Squadron, 18 July to 16 November 1944
Promoted to Flight Lieutenant, 10 October 1944
(flew 106 sorties in 125 hours & ten minutes of Ops)
Shot down by flak while strafing a train, 16 November 1944
Imprisoned at Stalag Luft III
Safe in the UK, 8 May 1945
Returned to Canada, 8 July 1945
Remained in the RCAF until 11 Nov. 1947 (mainly Trenton)
Medal presented in the UK in 1949 |
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MERCER, F/L George Franklin (J17795) - Distinguished Flying Cross - No.411 Sq.
Award effective 13 January 1945 as per London Gazette dated 23 January 1945 and
AFRO 471/45 dated 16 March 1945.
Flight Lieutenant Mercer is now on his second tour of operational duty. During his flying career he has shown exceptional skill and keenness in leading his flight on fighter bombing and armed reconnaissance sorties. He has always displayed a fine fighting spirit, especially in missions against ground targets and has destroyed seventy enemy transport vehicles. He has also destroyed four enemy aircraft.
NOTE: Public Records Office Air 2/9043 has recommendation dated 4 November 1943 when he had flown 166 sorties (210 hours); text does not differ materially from that published.
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Air Force Casualties
Ottawa, Dec. 27, 1944 - The Department of National Defense for Air today issued casualty list No. 1076 of the Royal Canadian Air Force, showing next of kin of those named from Ontario as follows: OVERSEAS – Reported Prisoner of War :
MERCER, George Franklin, F/L - G. F. Mercer (father), St. Marys, Ont. (Wife overseas)
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Victories Include :
02 July 1943
09 July 1943
12 Aug 1944
27 Sept 1944 |
one Me109
one MC202
one Me109
one FW190
one FW190 |
Probable
destroyed
destroyed
destroyed
damaged |
15m S of Sicily
Gerbini
SE of Alencon
&
E of Nijmegen |
3 / 1 / 1
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Tommy Brannagan & George Mercer after their release from Stalag Luft III.
(Photo from The Royal Canadian Air Force at War 1939 - 1945
by L. Millberry & H. Halliday) |
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