BENTZ, P/O Wilbur Boyd (J87378) - Belgian Croix de Guerre 1940 with Palm (deceased) - Awarded 17 July 1948 as per Canada Gazette of that date and AFRO 455/48 dated 23 July 1948. Born 7 June 1920. Home in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Enlisted in Vancouver, 16 December 1941. To No.3 Manning Depot, 6 January 1942. To No. 1 BGS (guard), 14 March 1942. To No.5 ITS, 25 April 1942; graduated and promoted LAC, 20 June 1942 but not posted to No.13 EFTS until 15 August 1942; to No.5 SFTS, 24 October 1942; graduated and promoted Sergeant, 19 March 1943. To \"Y\" Depot, 27 April 1943. To RAF Trainee Pool, 24 May 1943. Promoted Flight Sergeant, 19 September 1943. Commissioned 11 May 1944. Killed with No.426 Squadron, 12/13 May 1944, Halifax LW682. Name on Runnymede Memorial. The following refers to Public Record Office Air 2/9110. The award of Belgian Croix de Guerres appears to have been a minor embarrassment to British authorities, as witnessed by a letter dated 10 April 1946 from the Foreign Office to Sir Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen, Brussels (presumably the British Ambassador). The Belgian Minister of War had, on 29 January 1946, offered to the Commander-in-Chief, British Army of Occupation on the Rhine, 1,000 additional awards of Belgian decorations to members of His Majesty?s Forces in connection with the liberation of Belgium. This was described as a \"third batch of 1,000 honorary distinctions\", for distribution to army, navy and air force personnel, and was to consist of the following: 250 National Orders with Palm and the Award of the Croix de Guerre 1940 with Palm, to be distributed to 30 Generals, or equivalent (Commander), 120 \"senior officers\" (Officer) and 120 (Chevalier). 750 Croix de Guerre 1940 with Palm It is not clear what context this entailed; the Canadian Army alone was to gazette some 200 Belgian awards on 31 August 1946, but most had arisen from recommendations written the previous autumn. The Foreign Office letter read in part: Although His Majesty?s Government are deeply susceptible of the kindness of the Minister in proposing this allocation, and of the graciousness of the Prince Regent in approving it, they would nevertheless prefer to refrain from taking advantage of it in view of the embarrassment that would be likely to result from awards being made on so considerable a scale, having regard to the carefully restricted principles on which the forces concerned have received British awards. In the light of these principles it is felt that His Royal Highness and the Belgian Government have already displayed the most ample generosity in honouring the British forces that were privileged to take part in the liberation of Belgium. I shall be glad if Your Excellency will convey the substance of this despatch to the Belgian Government in whatever manner you may consider most suitable. The website “Lost Bombers” has the following on his final sortie. Halifax LW682, No.426 Squadron (OW-M), target Leuven, 12/13 May 1944. This was one of two No.426 Squadron Halifaxes lost on this operation;. The other was LK883. Airborne at 2211 hours, 12 May 1944 from Linton-on-Ouse, tasked to bomb the railway yards. Shot down by a night-fighter (Hptm Martin Drewes, 111./NJG1), crashing at Schendelbeke (Oost-Vlaanderen) on the west bank of the River Dender approximately 3 km NNE of Geraardsbergen, Belgium. Crew (all killed )were P/O W.B.Bentz, RCAF; Sergeant R.Elerslie, (RCAF); F/O T.W.Taylor (RAF), F/O C.S.Phillips (RCAF), WO1 J.E.McIntyre (RCAF), Flight Sergeant J.E.J.G.Arbour (RCAF), Sergeant J.W.Summerhayes (RCAF), Sergeant F.Roach (RCAF).