In the summer of 1940, when little stood between Hitler and the Nazi invasion of Britain, Winston Churchill’s “few” fighter pilots scrambled daily for 113 straight days – often 12 Hurricanes or Spitfires against 200 Luftwaffe bombers at a time – to thwart that threat. Between July 10 and October 31, the outcome of the Battle of Britain (and the fate of civilization) rested in their hands. Among the few were more than a hundred Canadian pilots and 200 ground crew.
Though barely remembered today, the names Kirkpatrick Sclanders, Harry Hamilton and Duncan Hewitt – three young RAF fighter pilots from New Brunswick – stand out. All from a tiny corner of Saint John, called Milledgeville, they served in legendary squadrons that summer.
“The Milledgeville Trio” understood the risk. Wrote P/O Hewitt to family back home, “Please don’t worry if a letter doesn’t come for a week or more. If I am killed or taken prisoner, Air Ministry will notify you.” Despite that cruel reality, Hewitt’s downing of an Me 110 early in the battle made London’s Illustrated News and the Pathé newsreels, seen back home in Saint John by his parents.
Meanwhile, F/L Hamilton flew with RAF ace Peter Townsend, who noted that “Death was always present. We knew if we did die, we would be alone, smashed to pieces or burnt alive or drowned.” Hamilton downed four enemy aircraft, then fulfilled the request of a squadron mate who did not return by ensuring that “his mascot dog was fed and consoled.”
And after witnessing the evacuation at Dunkirk that spring first-hand, P/O Sclanders became a respected member of RAF No. 242 Fighter Squadron led by Douglas Bader (the legless RAF ace); together S/L Bader and his All-Canadian squadron emerged among the highest scoring units in the Battle of Britain.
These and other little-known stories of Canadians who served with distinction in the Battle of Britain are contained in the latest nonfiction book, Battle of Britain: Canadian Airmen in Their Finest Hour, by bestselling author Ted Barris. The author has three upcoming appearances in the Maritimes: 4 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, at LaHave River Books, 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, at the Cambridge Library in Halifax, and 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, at the Charlottetown Library Learning Centre.
The RCAF Association membership extends their warmest message of congratulations to Ted Barris on his recent appointment to the Order of Canada.
Mr. Ted Barris
- Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada
