TURNER, F/L Percival Stanley (41631) - Distinguished Flying Cross - No.242 Squadron - awarded as per London Gazette dated 8 October 1940. Born at Ivybridge, Devon, 3 September 1913; home in Toronto. Educated there including short courses in mining and physics, University of Toronto. Served with 9th (Toronto) Field Battery, Canadian Artillery, 28 January 1930 to 6 January 1934, having attended Local Training and Practice Camps, 1930 to 1933 and attained rank of Sergeant. Attested with No.10 Squadron, NPAAF, 20 February 1934 (General Duties, AC2). Promoted Acting Corporal, 26 June 1934. Attached to Camp Borden for annual training, 26-29 June 1935, reverting to LAC on 13 December 1935. Although record says he was “discharged” 3 February 1936, it is elsewhere stated he was an Air gunner with No.110 Squadron (Auxiliary) for three years, passing all Sergeant exams with Royal Canadian School of Artillery plus a course in parachute packing. Also a life guard. Medically examined and interviewed for RAF, Toronto, 31 August 1938 at which time he had flown five hours in dual instruction and 20 hours as passenger. Appointed Acting Pilot Officer on Probation, RAF, 14 January 1939 on posting to RAF Depot. To No.5 Flying Training School, 28 January 1940. To Headquarters, No.11 Group Pool, 9 September 1939. To No.242 Squadron, 20 November 1939. Attached Manston, 13 May 1940. Returned to No.242 Squadron, 18 May 1940. Promoted Flying Officer, 3 September 1940. Promoted Acting Flight Lieutenant, 16 September 1940. To No.145 Squadron, 13 April 1941. Promoted Acting Squadron Leader, 16 April 1941. To Headquarters, No.82 Group, 22 October 1941. To Headquarters, No.11 Group, 13 December 1941. To No.411 Squadron, 17 December 1941. To Station Hornchurch, 8 February 1942. To Headquarters, Mediterranean Command, 16 February 1942. To No.249 Squadron, 17 February 1942. Promoted Acting Wing Commander, 14 March 1942. To Headquarters, Malta, 24 June 1942. Relinquished Acting Wing Commander, 9 August 1942 on posting to Headquarters Middle East. To No.252 Wing Headquarters, 31 August 1942. To No.22 S.O.R. (whatever that is), 21 September 1942. To No.417 Squadron, 24 January 1943. Injured, 4 August 1943 with S/L A.U. Houle when vehicle ran over a land mine. To No.244 Wing, North African Air Force, 21 November 1943. Promoted Acting Wing Commander, 4 December 1943. Relinquished Acting Wing Commander, 25 October 1944. Promoted Acting Wing Commander, 24 December 1944. Promoted Acting Group Captain, 15 January 1945. Relinquished Acting Group Captain, 1 December 1945. Transferred to RCAF, 15 July 1946 (C53459) on repatriation to Canada and posting to No.1 Composite Training School, Trenton. To War Staff College, Toronto, 30 August 1946. Remained in postwar RCAF (20426); posted to No.11 Group, Winnipeg, 25 March 1947. To Joint Air School, Rivers, 28 May 1947. To Northwest Air Command Headquarters, 23 February 1948. To Joint Air Training School, Rivers, 9 August 1949. To Station Chatham, 12 July 1951. To AFHQ, 18 January 1953. Promoted Acting Group Captain, 15 September 1954 while serving as Air Attache in Moscow. Returned to Canada, 9 October 1957 and relinquished Group Captain rank. To AFHQ/AMP, 13 September 1959. To Bedford Air Force Base, 11 October 1960 on liaison duty. To Air Defence Command Headquarters, 4 July 1961. Retired 24 February 1964. Subsequently with Expo 67 Security. Inducted into Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame, 1974 with the following citation: “His record can only be matched by those airmen of high endeavor and professional calling, who have devoted their lives and skills to the benefit of the free world, despite adversity, and whose contributions have substantially benefited Canadian aviation." Died in Ottawa, 23 July 1985 as per Airforce Magazine, issued of October-November-December 1985. Air Ministry Bulletin 1892 refers. Awarded Czech War Cross and Czech Medal for Bravery after transfer to RCAF. RCAF photo PL-41730 (ex UK-18574) shows G/C Stan Turner, two Russian officers, W/C J.E. Johnson, Captain Hugh Dennison and F/L Curt Johnson (Senior Intelligence Officer). RCAF photo PL-41732 (ex UK-18576 taken 5 February 1945 on occasion of visit by Commander Brabner, Under Secretary of State for Air to an airfield in Belgium, shown left to right with G/C P.S. Turner, W/C J.E. Johnson, S/L Jim Collier, and S/L J.D. Michner. RCAF photo PL-41733 ex UK-18577 dated 5 February 1945 taken when Commander Brabner, Under Secretary of State for Air visited an airfield in Belgium, met by W/C J.E. Johnson and G/C Stan Turner. RCAF photo PL-43144 (ex UK-20257 dated 9 April 1945) shows W/C J.E. Johnson and G/C Stan Turner chatting in front of flying control van. RCAF photo PL-45367 (ex UK-22826 dated 21 July 1945) shows him boarding an Anson of No.83 Group, departing a German airfield south of Hamburg. RCAF photo PL-45723 (ex UK-23286 dated 29 August 1945) is captioned as follows: “It’s a quiet, almost homey life that G/C Stan Turner, DSO, DFC, is leading these days as Commanding Officer of RCAF Holding Unit, Aldermaston, after commanding one of the RCAF’s crack fighter wings on the Continent. Here he is seen on his daily rounds of the kitchen, making a close inspection of the day’s salad, whipped up under the supervision of messing officer, Flight Officer Elizabeth Little of Haileybury, Ontario, who is looking on.” See H.A. Halliday, The Tumbling Sky. // On 15th September 1940, Flight Lieutenant Turner succeeded in shooting down one enemy aircraft when his own aircraft was hit by a cannon shell, which put it temporarily out of control. On recovery, he saw and attacked a further enemy aircraft which he destroyed, afterwards bringing his own damaged aircraft safely back to its base. This officer has personally destroyed a total of ten hostile aircraft during engagements over Dunkirk and England. He has proved himself a most courageous and capable leader, dislaying coolness and initiative in the face of the enemy. // TURNER, S/L Percival Stanley (41631) - Bar to Disinguished Flying Cross - No.145 Squadron - awarded as per London Gazette dated 5 August 1941. Air Ministry Bulletin 4629 refers. // This officer has led his squadron on all sweeps over France, and has set a splendid example by his quiet coolness in the face of the enemy. He has been responsible for the destruction of at least twelve enemy aircraft. // TURNER, W/C Percival Stanley, DFC (41631) - Distinguished Service Order - awarded as per London Gazette dated 23 May 1944. Air Ministry Bulletin 14006/AL.807 refers. // This distinguished fighter pilot has flown nearly 900 operational hours in single engined fighters. Since November 1943 he has taken part in all the more important air operations during the invasion of Sicily and Italy and in the Sangro and Anzio battles. He has destroyed at least fourteen enemy aircraft and has always shown the utmost gallantry, enthusiasm and leadership. // RCAF Press Release No.8582 dated 4 February 1945 from S/L MacGillivray, transcribed by Huguette Mondor Oates, reads: // From the thinning ranks of the Battle of Britain Boys, the be-ribboned and sky-wise veterans whose slender blue line saved England and Democracy in 1940, comes S/L Stanley Turner, DFC and Bar, newly-appointed Commanding Officer of the RCAF City of Windsor Fighter Squadron of the RAF Middle East Command. // // This 29-year-old, sandy-haired English-born Toronto pilot has served through almost four years of war in the Motherland, France, Malta and Africa. He has served through almost four years of war in the Motherland, France, Malta and Africa. He has amassed a score of fourteen enemy aircraft destroyed, three probably destroyed and six damaged. He’s been shot up, and he’s been shot down. He’s been slightly wounded once and decorated twice. He’s had a warship sunk beneath him, and he’s helped the one-and-only Bader sink two enemy ships to even up the score. He’s chummy and jocular on the ground, and deadly serious in the air. He’s just “one of the boys” in the mess, but a crisp and authoritative leader in combat. // He has what the RAF lads call “bags of clues”. Which means, in Canadian, “all the answers” for he’s come up against almost all types of enemy aircraft, and has triumphed in varied sorts of aerial fighting. In fact, he’s seen so many flamers and spinners and glycol-smokers heading earthward that sometimes he has trouble remembering which scrap was which. But there’s one scrap he’ll never forget. It was the time, in Malta last year, when he was himself shot down on fire, and his adversary’s too-accurate shooting missed Turner’s head by a quarter-of-an-inch, and shot the goggles off his brow as neatly as William Tell de-appled his son. He got out of his blazing kit with nothing more than a few cuts, and a singe. “Too close for comfort,” recalls Turner, with the quizzical grin for which he is noted. “Makes you think, that sort of thing.” // P. Stanley Turner - the “P” is on the Secret List - son of Mr. and Mrs. Harry Turner of 3 Kerr Road, Toronto, Ontario, was a student in the School of Practical Science at the University of Toronto which, in 1938, he answered the lure of the RAF as the war-clouds gathered. He had already trained as an air-gunner with old No.110 City of Toronto RCAF Auxiliary Squadron, but didn’t fancy a full-time job as “Tail-end Charlie”. // Back in his native land of England he was quickly accepted by the RAF and graduated on Hawker Furies. War found him flying Hurricanes, and he was posted to France and fought throughout the brief continental campaign. Around Dunkirk -- time he first distinguished himself by destroying five enemy aircraft in ten days – all Me109’s. Three of the five he knocked down in one day, and two of the three on one sortie. He’s a bit vague about details of these scraps. “Just a general mix-up,” he says. “Usually, they jumped us.” // After Dunkirk, Turner, a pilot officer at that time – returned to France until two days after the French capitulation, and remembers vividly what he describes as “a second Dunkirk on a small scale” at St. Nazaire. There, he saw the troop-ship Lancastria sunk near shore. “I had been doing a patrol over her,” he recalls, “and had just been relieved. I looked back and saw a Heinkel drop a bomb smack down her funnel. I hurried toward her. Somebody else got the Heinkel. But the damage was done. It was a terrible sight.” // A little later, when W/C Bader, the legless ace, took command of a squadron composed mainly of Canadians in the RAF, Turner was made flight lieutenant and given one of the flights. With this unit, he served through the ensuing Battle of Britain. // His bag during the “B of B” was three Dorniers and one Me110, bringing his total to eight destroyed, in addition to probables and damaged. On one of these occasions, only a strange circumstance and his own fighting instinct prevented him making his first and only parachute-hop. // “A 109 had hit me and set me on fire,” he recalls, “and I was just going to bail out when I saw another Dornier ahead. I decided I had a few seconds to spare, so I went after the Hun and gave him a squirt. “After finishing off the bomber, I went into a cloud, and when I came out again I discovered that my fire was extinguished. Later, I learned that a wing petrol-tank had been shot off. Anyhow, the danger was past and I was able to keep going.” It was at this juncture that Turner was given the DFC. // On another occasion, while he and Bader were doing a two-man “low-level” over the Channel, they sighted and attacked an E-boat and drifter, both of which disappeared, and were presumed to have sunk. Next, came convoy patrols over vital shipping in and beyond the Thames Estuary, during which two more Dornier bombers fell to Turner’s guns, bringing his total score to ten. // Promoted to squadron leader, he led his own unit on many sweeps over France, added another 109 and several probables and damaged to his log, and won the Bar to his DFC. Then for two months, he was CO of an RCAF Spitfire squadron. For the next six months, he was in Malta, where he notched up another 109, and had his own “close shave”. His score now stood at fourteen destroyed, including two additional 109’s whose fate is somewhat obscure due to Turner having lost his log-book with details of his earlier claims. // After leaving Malta last August, he acted as RAF observer on a British cruiser which was sunk by bombs off Tobruk. Diving overboard, he was picked up by a destroyer. Early this year (1943), Turner re-formed a squadron which had just returned from Russia, and led it throughout the last months of the African campaign in fighter-bombing and convoy patrols. Then, with promotion open to his in other directions, Turner recently accepted with characteristic eagerness the opportunity of taking command of the City of Windsor squadron, the first unit to carry the RCAF flag in the Mediterranean theatre of war. “I’m going to like this job”, he says. “Flying with a bunch of Canadians is the next best thing to being back home.” // Selected Assessments in RCAF: // Excerpts from report of his attendance at RCAF Staff College, prepared by G/C C.L. Annis, 22 February 1947 - “W/C Turner likes company and mixes well with moderate success. He is attractive in appearance and is earnest and sincere in his views. He seems to lack, or chooses to ignore, polished social graces, being frequently abrupt and antagonistic to the point of tactlessness. He has not shown leadership in the normal life of the College but he has engaged willingly in all College activities...W/C is not naturally cut out for staff work and probably will prove more useful in field appointments. However, there is no reason that he could not be satisfactory in routine staff appointments, especially of an operational nature.” // “W/C Turner is an individualist who lacks finesse. He is capable of turning out a large volume of work and displays sound judgement. He lacks some of the social graces one would expect of an officer of his rank but he has shown considerable improvement during the past year. Should develop into a capable staff officer.” (Air Commodore H.M. Carscallen, NWAC Headquarters, 24 August 1949). // “This officer held the rank of Group Captain during the war and during Fighter and Tactical operations he gained a very high reputation as an operational pilot and leader. It is the opinion of the undersigned, however, that his distinguished war career and his extensive war experience have made it difficult for him to make a complete adjustment to peace time Service career. He has given the impression of being somewhat intolerant of others who do not possess the knowledge or have not had the experience which he himself has had. This has naturally led to minor disagreements with fellow officers which of course is not conducive to a smooth running organization. It is felt that this trait developed under the stress of war when there was no time to tolerate conflicting opinions of subordinates and what is now considered drastic action was the order of the day.” (G/C P.A. Gilchrist, 26 April 1950). // “W/C Turner has been enthusiastic and energetic in carrying out his assigned duties. It is considered that he has given the undersigned unqualified support and that he has made every endeavour to maintain a high standard throughout the Air Training Wing. During the past six months he has shown a very marked tendency to be more tolerant with inexperienced officers. Hiis potential as an efficient organizer and administrator has therefore been enhanced proportionally.” (Group Captain P.A. Gilchrist, CJATC Rivers, 23 August 1950). // “G/C Turner has done a first class job as Air Attache Moscow even though new domestic arrangements for the post have consumed a great deal of his time and through the past year. It is the first time we have had a married officer there with his wife and so far seems to be a great success. The intelligence he is producing has been most useful.” (G/C D. Edwards, AFHQ/DAI, 16 August 1955). // “I have known G/C Turner for about seven months. Though not qualified to assess his technical qualifications, I am glad to make the following general report about him. His appearance and bearing, both on and off duty, are beyond reproach. G/C Turner is a loyal member of my staff. He has cheerfully and ably carried out such duties as I have assigned to him, and in so doing has shown determination, initiative and leadership of a high order. He cooperate fully and easily with all members of my staff. Moreover he gets on well with service attaches and diplomatic officers of other Embassies. Mrs, Turner has been a great asset to him and the Embassy as a whole. Together they are a deservedly popular couple in the diplomatic colony.” (D.M. Johnson, Head of Mission, 4 March 1957). A further comment is illuminating - “G/C Turner has produced more intelligence than all the other ‘intelligence’ posts put together. This report reflects that of the previous Ambassador as a result of which Turner was on the point of being recalled. He has been a very satisfactory Air Attache.” (Air Commodore M.D. Lister, AFHQ, 2 April 1957). // “W/C Turner is doing a good job as CO Lachine. He did well on the North Star OTU course, is qualified on the type and is instrument rated. I have tried hard over the past year to get to know thias officer so that I might adequately assess him. It is difficult and I still remain uncertain. He is by nature studious and somewhat introverted. He is inclined to be ruthless to an extent which can go beyond what might be considered normally necessary. He is decisive and gets on with the job in hand with energy and despatch.” (Air Commodore F.S. Carpenter, 29 September 1958). // “W/C Turner seems to bear a grudge against all the rest of the world. It is my impression that he has lived in this state of rebellion and antagonism since he was a youth. He has some fine qualities but sooner or later they are overcome by this disposition.” (Air Commodore F.S. Carpenter, ATCHQ, 16 October 1959). // “This officer has served under me for six months. W/C Turner will be retiring from the Service this year. He has done outstanding work in coordinating the planning involved in the take-over of the Heavy radars and the USAF Group III Radars. In selection for promotion this officer has been bypassed for many years. To the best of my knowledge this has had no adverse effect upon his work here. On his retirement the RCAF will lose one of its most colourful and courageous wartime pilots.” (G/C C.L. Olsson, ADCHQ St. Hubertt, 30 January 1963). The above is then commented upon (21 February 1963) by Air Commodore A.C. Hull - “I first met W/C Turner in 1952 when he was CO of Chatham. My assessment of him is still coloured by the views I held at that time. I would not rate him as highly as this R211B.”