MOTHERWELL, F/L Victor George (J7920) - Distinguished Flying Cross - No.420 Squadron - Award effective 6 January 1945 as per London Gazette dated 16 January 1945 and AFRO 508/45 dated 23 March 1945. Born 3 May 1919 in New Westminster; home in Vancouver; enlisted there 10 January 1941 and posted to No.2 Manning Depot. To No.1 ANS, 20 February 1941. To No.2 ITS, 10 April 1941; graduated and promoted LAC, 15 May 1941 when posted to No.16 EFTS; graduated 3 July 1941 when posted to No.4 SFTS; graduated and commissioned, 10 October 1941. To Trenton, 11 October 1941. To No.4 SFTS, date uncertain. Promoted Flying Officer, 1 October 1942. To RAF Ferry Command, 25 April 1943. To United Kingdom, 1 July 1943. Promoted Flight Lieutenant, 10 October 1943. Promoted Squadron Leader, 30 October 1944. Repatriated 10 September 1945. Retired 25 October 1945. TCA and Air Canada pilot for 30 years. Died in Delta, British Columbia, 14 September 2015. Medal presented 27 November 1948. RCAF photo PL-41600 (ex UK-18123 dated 19 January 1945) shows him as a Flight Commander in Snowy Owl Squadron. Photo PL-41602 (ex UK-18125 dated 19 January 1945) shows commanders of No.420 Squadron - F/L F.S. McCarthy (Windsor, flight commander), W/C W.G. Phalen (Toronto, squadron commander) and S/L B.C. Motherwell (Vancouver, flight commander). RCAF photo PL-41603 (ex UK-18126 dated 19 January 1945) shows S/L B.G. Motherwell and LAW Helen Woodcroft (Victoria, education section assistant). // This officer has completed a number of sorties including attacks against several strongly defended targets in Germany. On one occasion in September 1944 Flight Lieutenant Motherwell was captain of an aircraft detailed to attack Kiel. The mission was successfully accomplished but on the return flight the flaps and undercarriage fell down and the bomb doors opened. Height was maintained but after two hours flying at a low airspeed the aircraft was forced down on to the sea. Flight Lieutenant Motherwell and his crew spent sixteen hours in their dinghy before being rescued. During the whole operation he displayed fine captaincy, magnificent airmanship and cheerful and gallant courage which largely contributed to the safety of the crew. // Note: The incident described was on 15/16 September 1944 involving Halifax NA629 (PT-W), following an operation against Kiel. Airborne at 2156 hours, 15 September 1944 from Tholthorpe. Bombed from 18,000 feet at 0119. While returning to base the crew experienced trouble with the hydraulic system and eventually the flaps, undercarriage and bomb doors dropped down. All efforts to rectify the situation failed and at 0225 an emergency signal was transmitted, followed at 0350 by an SOS. Fifteen minutes later the Halifax was ditched some 70 miles off the East Anglia coast. After six hours they saw two aircraft some six miles distant but they were note spotted. At about 1750 hours, 16 September 1944 a squadron Halifax, captained by F/L E.S.Heimpel RCAF (F/O King as WOP), sighted their dinghy about 38 miles from original ditching position. In due course a Walrus arrived and picked up the crew, but then was unable to take off. It taxied until 2000 hours when an RAF ASR HSL reached the crew and took them into Great Yarmouth. Between time in dinghy and time in Walrus they had been afloat for 16 hours. Despite their harrowing experiences, none were injured. Crew were F/L V.G.Motherwell RCAF (awarded DFC), Sergeant J.Porter, F/O I.E. McGown, RCAF, F/O A.J. MacDonald, RCAF, Sergeant L.K.Engemoen, RCAF (awarded DFM), Sergeant T.J.Bibby, RCAF, Sergeant J.A.Wigley, RCAF, and Sergeant J.L.Hickson, RCAF. // The original recommendation, drafted 23 September 1944, is in DHist file 181.009 D.3456 (National Library and Archives RG.24, Box 20639) and read as follows: // On the night of September 15/16th, Flight Lieutenant Motherwell was captain of an aircraft detailed to attack Kiel. On the return journey after a successful attack, the flaps and undercarriage suddenly fell down and the bomb doors opened. Height was held at 4,000 feet using full power, but after two hours flying at a low airspeed it was obvious that ditching would be necessary. // Flight Lieutenant ordered his crew to ditching stations and then, although flaps and wheels were down and bomb doors open, he successfully ditched the aircraft without injury to any of his crew. He then directed all his crew into the dinghy and cast off. // During the hours they were adrift, Flight Lieutenant Motherwell kept his crew in good cheer and assured them that as proper R/T procedure had been carried out, they would be located. Sixteen hours after ditching the dinghy was sighted by an aircraft of their own squadron and an Air Sea Rescue flying boat directed to their rescue. // Flight Lieutenant Motherwell during this whole operation displayed superb captaincy and magnificent airmanship to which his crew undoubtedly owe their lives, and it is strongly recommended that he be awarded the immediate Distinguished Flying Cross. // // RCAF photo PL-33075 (ex UK-15344 dated 26 September 1944) is captioned as follows: “Flight Lieutenant Vic Motherwell (centre) has good reason to shake the hand of F/L E.S. Heimpel. It was the latter (whose home is at MacDonald College, Quebec), who spotted F/L Motherwell’s crew adrift in the North Sea and assisted in their rescue after nearly 14 hours in a dinghy. At left is Flight Sergeant L.K. Engemoen od Wadena, Saskatchewan, the wireless operator who earned the praise of crewmate for his work inn sending out SOSs. The incident occurred on the crew’s 15th trip, a long over-water bombing mission to Kiel.” Photo PL-33076 (ex UK-15345 of 26 September 1944) shows him alone. Photo PL-33077 (ex UK-15346 dated 26 September 1944) is captioned as follows: “Sergeant Jack Porter (right), a flight engineer in the RCAF Bomber Group’s Snowy Owl squadron discusses with his skipper [F/L Vic Motherwell] their rescue after nearly 14 hours adrift in the North Sea.” // RCAF photo PL-42680 (26 September 1944) is captioned as follows: “Two Winnipeg men who were rescued from the North Sea after nearly 14 hours adrift in a dinghy talk over the incident with their pilot, F//L Vic Motherwell (left) of Vancouver. At centre is F/O Alastair MacDonald of 357 Maplewood Avenue, the crew’s bomb aimer, and at right is F/O Ian McGowan of 100 Roslyn Road, the navigator. Incident occurred after the pilot was forced to ‘ditch’ his Snowy Owl squadron Halifax following an attack on Kiel carried out by the RCAF Bomber Group.”