HENRY, F/L Ernest Raymond (J16469)- Distinguished Flying Cross - No.109 Squadron - Award effective 1 September 1944 as per London Gazette dated 15 September 1944 and AFRO 2373/44 dated 3 November 1944. Born in Kincardine, Ontario, 6 July 1918; educated there; home there (ledger keeper). Brother of Douglas Woods Henry. Another brother, Ralph Ballantyne Henry, killed 26/27 July 1942 while training on Beauforts, No.5 OTU. Former sea cadet. Enlisted Niagara Falls, 16 August 1940. To Trenton, 31 August 1940. To No.1 ITS, 23 October 1940; graduated and promoted LAC, 28 November 1940 when posted to No.13 EFTS; ceased training 29 January 1941 when posted to No.1 Manning Depot. To No.4 AOS, 14 April 1941; graduated 7 July 1941 on posting to No.4 BGS; graduated 18 August 1941 and promoted Sergeant. To No.1 ANS, 18 August 1941; to No.31 OTU, 8 October 1941; to RAF overseas, 22 October 1941, embarking 23 October 1941 and arriving in UK on 4 November 1941. To No.22 OTU, 25 November 1941. Promoted Flight Sergeant, 1 May 1942. To No.156 Squadron, 12 June 1942. Promoted WO2, 18 August 1942. To No.15 OTU, 30 November 1942. Commissioned 28 December 1942. Promoted Flying Officer, 28 June 1943. To No.1655 Mosquito Training Unit, 7 December 1943. To No.109 Squadron, 15 February 1944. Promoted Flight Lieutenant, 15 June 1944. To No.8 Group Headquarters, 31 October 1944. To No,25 Aircraft Holding Unit, 25 July 1945. Repatriated 23 December 1945; released 3 February 1946. Died in Scarborough, Ontario, 15 September 1991. RCAF Photo PL-43438 (ex UK-20728) and PL-43439 (ex UK-20729, 23 April 1945 taken soon after his marriage to John Henry Kyle. Caption stated he had flown two tours. No citation other than "completed... many successful operations during which [he has] displayed high skill, fortitude and devotion to duty." Public Records Office Air 2/9276 has recommendation dated 23 June 1944 when he had reportedly flown 58 sorties (232 hours), although sortie sheet lists 60 trips. // (F) denotes flare sortie // (M) denotes marking sortie // * denotes daylight sortie // 6 February 1942 - GARDENING (Lorient) // 16 June 1942 - GARDENING (Borkum) // 19 June 1942 - GARDENING (Emden) // 21 June 1942 - GARDENING (Borkum) // 25 June 1942 - Bremen // 21 July 1942 - Duisburg // 25 July 1942 - Duisburg // 26 July 1942 - Hamburg // 31 July 1942 - Dusseldorf // 12 August 1942 - Mainz (F) // 15 August 1942 - Dusseldorf (F) // 18 August 1942 - Flensburg (F) // 24 August 1942 - Frankfurt (F) // 27 August 1942 - Kassel (F) // 28 August 1942 - Nuremburg (F) // 1 September 1942 - Saarbrucken (F) // 2 September 1942 - Karlsruhe (F) // 14 September 1942 - Wilhelmshaven (F) // 16 September 1942 - Essen (F) // 19 September 1942 - Saarbrucken (F) // 1 October 1942 - Krefeld (F) // 6 October 1942 - Osnabruck (F) // 9 October 1942 - Hamburg (F) // 18 October 1942 - Turin (F) // 24 February 1944 - St.Trond // 25 February 1944 - St.Trond // 1 March 1944 - Florennes // 2 March 1944 - Aachen // 7 March 1944 - Aachen // 10 March 1944 - Duisburg (M) // 20 March 1944 - Cologne // 22 March 1944 - Dortmund // 24 March 1944 - Munster // 25 March 1944 - Hann // 27 March 1944 - Duisburg (M) // 30 March 1944 - Twente (M) // 4 April 1944 - Cologne // 6 April 1944 - Cologne // 22 April 1944 - Laon (M) // 27 April 1944 - Montzen (M)) // 1 May 1944 - Acheres // 1 May 1944 - Abancourt* // 6 May 1944 - Chateaudun // 8 May 1944 - 4938N 0132E* // 11 May 1944 - Hasselt (M) // 12 May 1944 - Chateaudun // 14 May 1944 - Leverkusen // 27 May 1944 - Morsaliens (M) // 30 May 1944 - Leverkusen (M) // 31 May 1944 - Montcouple (M) // 2 June 1944 - Calais (M) // 5 June 1944 - St.Pierre du Mont (M) // 6 June 1944 - Caen (M) // 8 June 1944 - Fougeres (M) // 9 June 1944 - Flers (M) // 11 June 1944 - Massy (M) // 12 June 1944 - Gelsenkirchen (M) // 14 June 1944 - Gelsenkirchen (M) // 15 June 1944 - Boulogne (M) // 18 June 1944 - Watten // A navigator who has now completed 58 operational sorties, 49 of which have been as a target marker. His keenness to fly on operations against the enemy and his ability to always produce good results has been most marked. // HENRY, F/L Ernest Raymond, DFC (J16469) - Bar to Distinguished Flying Cross - No.109 Squadron - Award effective 6 January 1945 as per London Gazette dated 16 January 1945 and AFRO 508/45 dated 23 March 1945. // Since the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross, this officer has continued to operate with outstanding skill, courage and devotion to duty which, combined with his unfailing determination to complete his allotted tasks, are worthy of high praise. // NOTE: Public Record Office Air 2/9038 has recommendation for Bar to DFC drafted 24 October 1944 crediting him with 92 sorties (34 since previous award) and 309 operational hours (77 since previous award). It includes an incomplete sortie sheet which lists targets (but owing to part of the sheet not being copied, gives dates for only the first half:: // Borkum - 6 August 1944 - Marking and Bombing // Emden - no date - no details // Borkum - 8 August 1944 - Marking // Bremen - 9 August 1944 - Marking // Lorient - 11 August 1944 - Marking // Duisburg - 12 August 1944 - Route Marking // Duisburg - 14 August 1944 - Marking // Hamburg - 15 August 1944 - Bombing // Dusseldorf - 18 August 1944 - Bombing // Mainz - 23 August 1944 - Bombing // Dusseldorf - 5 September 1944 - Marking // Flensburg - 9 September 1944 - Marking // Frankfurt - 10 September 1944 - Marking // Kassel - - 12 September 1944 - Marking // Nuremberg - 17 September 1944 - Marking // Castrop-Rauxel - details missing // Fremental - details missing // Dortmund - details missing // Douai - details missing // 5029N 0611E - details missing // 4757 ½ N 0016 ½ E - details missing // Dortmund - details missing // Wanne Eickel - details missing // Homberg - details missing // Le Havre - details missing // Le Havre - details missing // Le Havre - details missing // Scholven - details missing // Boulogne - details missing // This navigator has now completed 92 operational sorties with Bomber Command and his second operational tour. His first operational tour of 24 sorties was done with No.156 Squadron and includes 15 trips as Path Finder when that squadron joined the Path Finder Force. For his second tour Flight Lieutenant Henry completed a further 68 sorties, also as a target marker on Mosquito aircraft. // Flight Lieutenant Henry’s workmanship has always been of a very high standard and his ability to turn probable failure into success has been noticed on many occasions. He is very deserving of the award of a Bar to the Distinguished Flying Cross. // The Officer Commanding, RAF Station Little Staughton, added his remarks on 24 October 1944: // Since the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross, this officer has continued to operate with courage and devotion to duty of a high order. This, combined with his unfailing determination to carry out the task in hand, makes him very worthy of the award of a Bar to the Distinguished Flying Cross. // Assessments: “A navigator of some ability who lacks drive and initiative.” (9 December 1943, at No.15 OTU - had flown 496 hours 35 minutes of which 26 hours had been in previous six months). // “Posted as RCAF Sub-Staff Officer at Headquarters 8 Group Bomber Command, 31 October 1944 and making rapid progress in his present admin duties.” (G/C D.W. Stoneham,, 21 January 1945) // Notes: Application for Bar to Operational Wing dated 11 February 1944 stated he had flown 68 sorties (177 hours), 22 February to 15 September 1944. // Form dated 4 December 1944 stated he had flown 92 sorties (308 hours five minutes) plus 383.40 non-operational. Last sortie was 17 September 1944. Types experienced were Proctor (two hours), Whitney Straight (2.00), Oxford (38.45), Anson (66.55), Wellington (297.30), Lancaster (5.30) and Mosquito (279.05). // Training: Interviewed in Niagara Falls, 27 May 1940. “An exceptionally fine type, well educated, keen and alert - should make a good pilot.” // Attended No.1 ITS, 23 October to 29 November 1940. Courses in Mathematics (67/100), // Armament, practical and oral (76/100), Drill (85/100) and Law and Discipline (88/100). Placed 54th in a class of 65. “Keen and reliable, good pilot material.. Can assume responsibility, possessed tact and coolness.” // Attended No.13 EFTS, Fleet Finch aircraft - 28 hours 35 minutes dual, 24.35 solo. Graded average as pilot. Ground courses in Airmanship (139/200), Airframes (108/200), Aero Engines (113/200), Signals, practical (50/50), Theory of Flight (72/100), Air Navigation (123/200), Armament, oral (162/200) and graded in Qualities as Officer or NCO (186/200). Placed 27th in a class of 34. “Conduct good, ability average. Personality. Popular with his fellow airmen.” However, his instructor, J.M. Shatford, wrote “His first time in an airplane took place on his first day of instruction. From that day I have found him to be an average student as regards ability as a pilot. He was not particularly bright and was the last to go solo of all my students of that class, but dependable and steady. He was inclined to forgetfulness as to details at times but seemed to pick up the general points of flying okay. His acrobatics were quite poor but I feel that this was due particularly to the lack of more time for instruction in them. He had a habit of repeating mistakes frequently but these were mistakes of a minor nature. He had to be checked frequently on such things as throttle settings, airspeed, trimming, etc. I feel confident that Henry has enough natural ability as a pilot to warrant his being put back on flying in the near future and feel sure that with about ten hours of dual instruction would turn in a good test on his 50 hour check. I have never experienced any trouble with Henry. His conduct and character were the best, and he is a very serious minded and earnest type.” // His 50 hour test (reported by F/L M.E. Ferguson, 29 January 1941) was mixed. One of the worst things was in Landing - “He attempted to land down wind and after checking him in the face of oncoming aircraft that were flying towards us from his takeoff, he then circled the aerodrome after instructing him to climb out of the way of the incoming aircraft and landed using 4/5 of the aerodrome.” // Attended No.4 AOS, Anson aircraft - 25 hours 15 minutes as First Navigator by day, 30.15 as Second Navigator by day, 3.25 as First Navigator by night, 4.50 as Second Navigator by night, scoring 411/500. Ground coursers in DR Plotting (141/150), DR Written (145/200), Compasses and Instruments (105/150), Signals (90/100), Maps and Charts (61/100), Meteorology (56/100), Photography (50/100), Reconnaissance (69/100). Placed 33rd in a class of 39. “Bright dispassion and dependable and hard worker.” // Attended No,4 BGS, 7 July to 16 August 1941. Battle aircraft - 20.35 on day bombing, 7.30 on day gunnery. Scored two percent hits on Beam Test, 5.85 percent hits on Beam Relative Speed Test and 4.66 percent hits in Under Tail Test. Examined in Bombing, written (93/150), Bombing, practical (102/150), Gunnery, written (64/100) and Gunnery, practical (73/100). Placed 29th in a class of 42. “Has greater capabilities than those shown. Should make an officer.” // Advanced Air Observer Training at No.2 ANS. Anson aircraft - three hours 20 minutes as First Navigator by day, 10.35 as Second Navigator by day, 10.55 as First Navigator by night, 8.15 as Second Navigator by night. “Very good navigator, thinks clearly.” Examined in Astro Navigation plotting (98/150) and Astro Navigation written (76/100). // RCAF Press Release No.9779 dated 17 April 1945 from F/L W.A. Shields, transcribed by Huguette Mondor Oates, reads: // WITH CANADIANS IN THE RAF: -- F/L E.R. Henry, DFC and Bar, of Kincardine, Ontario, RCAF staff officer at a RAF bomber group, recently married Joan Helen Kyle, “The Tilt” Cobham, Surrey. His best man was LAC D. Bruce, Kincardine, a lifelong friend. // Joining the RCAF in August, 1940, F/L Henry, known to his comrades as “Hank”, went on operations in June, 1942, as navigator of a Wellington bomber crew. His squadron was one of the first to carry out the then new Pathfinder technique and Henry was one of the first Canadians to guide Pathfinder crews to Hamburg and the Ruhr, a task requiring a high degree of navigational skill. In those days, when Bomber Command was in the throes of growing pains, a 500-aircraft operation was a monster effort. Flak, rather than fighters, was the greatest hazard. Wellington bombers didn’t have the ceiling of the Lancasters and Halifaxes which succeeded them and, with fewer aircraft in the air, the German ground gunners concentrated on the two-engined Wimpies. // In three attacks by fighters in his first tour, Henry’s skipper got away Scot-free each time by violent evasive action. Over Essen, they collided in mid-air with another aircraft but got back to Britain with 18 inches chopped off the tail. While diving to escape searchlights over another target, their rubber dinghy flew out and the wire cable ripped the fabric off the whole of one side of the fuselage, like an Atlantic fisherman filleting a codfish. Only the metal skeleton was left on one side. // After a tour of instruction at an OTU, where he met his present wife, F/L Henry went on his second tour. He has been awarded the DFC and Bar for “outstanding skill, great courage, and devotion to duty.