DONKERSLEY, P/O Harry Woodward (J8302) - Distinguished Flying Cross - No.69 Squadron - Award effective 8 November 1942 as per London Gazette dated 20 November 1942 and AFRO 1962/42 dated 4 December 1942. Born 30 December 1919 in Powell River, British Columbia; home there; enlisted in Vancouver 9 January 1941. Posted to No.2 Manning Depot, Brandon, 6 March 1941; to No.7 Equipment Depot, Winnipeg, 10 April 1941; to No.2 ITS, Regina, 17 May 1941 (graduated 20 June 1941 and promoted Leading Aircraftman), to No.5 EFTS, High River, 21 June 1941 (graduated 8 August 1941); to No.7 SFTS, 9 August 1941 (graduated 23 October 1941 and commissioned next day). Attended General Reconnaissance School, Charlottetown, 17 November 1941 to 17 January 1942. On course at No.31 OTU, Debert, 19 January to 10 April 1942. Ferried Hudson FH371 from Montreal to Goose Bay, 21 April 1942 and to United Kingdom on 24-25 April 1942; to No.7 (C) OTU, 11 May 1942; to No.1406 Torpedo Training Unit, 11 August 1942; to No.69 Squadron (Malta), 6 September 1942; promoted Flying Officer, 1 October 1942; promoted Flight Lieutenant, 3 January 1943; to UK, 8 March 1943. Attached to No.1 Torpedo Training Unit, 23 March 1943; DFC and Bar presented at Buckingham Palace, 23 March 1943. To No.7 (C) OTU, 23 April 1943; disembarked in Canada, 12 June 1943. To Station Rockcliffe, 19 June 1943; to No.32 OTU, 21 July 1943. Killed with three others 16 January 1944 when Beechcraft HB100 went missing between No.32 OTU and Vancouver (aircraft was being ferried from Rockcliffe); name on Ottawa Memorial. Photo PL-15714 is a portrait. Photo PL-15706 shows F/L H.W. Donkersley (left) and P/O Albert Smith outside Buckingham Palace after investiture. PL-15707 shows F/L H.W. Donkersley (left) and F/L J.H. Safferty, MBE, RAF, after investiture. This officer has recently achieved much success against enemy shipping. One day in October 1942, he attacked a tanker, inflicting severe damage. A few nights later he located and attacked a convoy of four merchant ships escorted by several destroyers. After making his attack he returned to base, rearmed and made a second attack. Early next morning reconnaissance aircraft carried [out] a search over a wide area in the vicinity of the attack and observed that three of the enemy ships were missing. Some nights later Pilot Officer Donkersley attacked one of two ships escorted by destroyers, setting the vessel on fire. Later it was learned that the ship had sunk. The success which attended his efforts deprived the enemy of much fuel so vital for the battle in Africa. DONKERSLEY, P/O Harry Woodward (J8302) - Bar to Distinguished Flying Cross - No.69 Squadron - Award effective 26 December 1942 as per London Gazette dated 29 December 1942 and AFRO 185/43 dated 5 February 1943. Public Record Office Air 2/4922 identifies dates as 12 November 1942 and 2 December 1942. In sorties against enemy shipping this officer has achieved much success. One night in November 1942 he captained an aircraft detailed to drop flares over Italian naval units and accomplished his task successfully. Several nights later he attacked and sank a small merchant vessel. On another night in December 1942, he participated in an operation against an important enemy convoy in the Mediterranean. As a result, other air and surface forces were enabled to strike successfully. Two merchant vessels were sunk and one badly damaged. Pilot Officer Donkersley is a courageous leader who has displayed great initiative in the face of the enemy. Public Record Office Air 2/4922 has message from Headquarters, Royal Air Force to Air Ministry, 13 December 1942. An immediate award of a Bar to the Distinguished Flying Cross has been made to Pilot Officer Harry Woodward Donkersley, DFC (J.8203) of No.69 Squadron. This officer arrived in Malta in September 1942 and has carried out his duties as captain of an ASV Wellington with outstanding ability and determination. On the night of 12th/13th November 1942 he carried out a very successful illumination of the Italian fleet for which he received congratulations of the Naval Staff. On the night of 22nd/23rd November whilst on patrol between Maritimo and Carbonara he attacked and sunk one 1,000 ton merchant vessel. The successful strike carried out by the naval air arm and surface forces against a very important enemy patrol convoy off Kiukennah on the night of 2nd/3rd December was largely due to the accurate report and illumination given by Pilot Officer Donkersley’s aircraft. This action resulted in two merchant vessels sunk and one badly damaged. He is a courageous leader who has at all times shown considerable gallantry and initiative in the face of the enemy. NOTE: Upon repatriation he signed a form (no date) which gave his flying times overseas as follows: No.7 (C) OTU - 110 hours; No.1 TTU - 75 hours; No.1446 MEFU (which I take to mean Middle East Ferry Unit) - ten hours; No.69 Squadron - 250 hours; No.1 TTU (instructing), 30 hours; No.7 (C) OTU as instructor - 50 hours. He further listed aircraft types flown as follows: Tiger Moth (50 hours), Anson (75), Hudson (175) and Wellington (500). His training record is worth detailing as it shows the type of training as well as the accidents which might come his way. At ITS he graduated 72nd in a class of 174. Courses were: Mathematics (86/110), Armament P and O (80/100), Signals (93/100), Hygiene and Sanitation (26/40), Drill (77/100), Law and Discipline (50/60). He was described as having a "frank outspoken nature." At EFTS he gradated 7th in a class of 64. The flying portion was on Tiger Moths (22 hours 15 minutes dual, 27 hours 15 minutes solo, five hours 10 minutes on instrument, ten hours in Link). Assessed as "Rough on controls - a very keen student - should do well", and was recommended for twin-engine training. His courses and marks in Ground School were as follows: Airmanship (170/200), Airframes (74/100), Aero Engines (92/100), Signals, Practical (74/100), Theory of Flight (80/100), Air Navigation (155/200), Armament, Oral (192/200), Qualities as Officer (120/200). Again described as a good student but "inclined to be talkative". At SFTS he flew Anson aircraft (31.15 day dual, 36.20 day solo, 3.05 night dual, 6.55 night solo, 12.20 on instrument, 20 hours in Link). Described as "Fairly smooth pilot but has a habit of depending on others to do his thinking for him at times". Graduated 11th on a class of 51 (granted distinguished pass). Ground school subjects and marks as follows: Airmanship and Maintenance (170/200), Armament W (82/100), Armament P (83/100), Navigation and Meteorology (164/200), Signals W (45/50), Signals P (68/100). At General reconnaissance School he took navigation courses on Ansons (26 hours by day, 26 by night). He graduated 8th in a class of 21. Assessments were mixed; typical was that of the Station CO: "Somewhat apt to be careless but should make a useful GR pilot when he becomes more mature in his outlook on life. In the meantime should do 2nd pilot only for some time." Ground School subjects and marks as follows - DR Navigation (68/100), DR Navigation again, apparently a different course (227/300), Astro Navigation (50/100), Compass and Instruments (164/200), Meteorology (131/200), Signals (86/100), Reconnaissance (152/200), Coding (65/100), Ship recognition (166/200), Photography (84/100), Visual Signals (Pass). At No.31 OTU he flew Hudsons (11.40 day dual, 40.00 day as first pilot, 62.30 as 2nd pilot, 55 minutes night dual, 22.55 as 2nd pilot at night, 12.05 on instrument cloud flying, 24.30 in Link). He dropped only eight bombs in low level practice and fired 100 rounds of bullets on range (no air to air or air to ground). Course very restricted because bombing and gunnery ranges not yet completed. On 31 January 1942, as a pupil, he was involved in an accident at No.31 OTU. The pilot was P/O Hennell (there were no others aboard). Hudson AM761 was landing when an engine cut and the aircraft swung off the runway. One side of the undercarriage collapsed when the wheel struck a ditch. On 13 February 1942, again at No.32 OTU (Sergeant MacNall as pilot, no others aboard), Hudson AM903 force-landed on a frozen lake near Parrsborough, Nova Scotia. They hit a concrete block at the end of the lake which took out the starboard wheel, hit two telegraph poles and went through two fences. At No.7 (C) OTU as a pupil he dropped 16 bombs and logged the following times: day dual (6.45), day 2nd pilot (44.00), day solo (83.30), night dual (1.10), night solo (25.15), instrument flying (3.00), Link Trainer (5.00). Under "Flying Aptitude" the assessment was under the following headings: Natural Aptitude (Above Average), Skill in Handling (Above Average), Airmanship (Above Average), Aerobatics (not graded), Cockpit Drill (Above Average), Instrument Flying (Above Average), Formation Flying (Above Average), Night Flying (Above Average), Map Reading (Average) and Flying for Bombing (Average). Under "Distinctive Qualities" were the following headings: Persistence "Does he keep on trying or is he easily discourage ?"(Average), Sense of Responsibility "Has he common sense or is he over-confident ?" (Above Average), Endurance "Does he put up a consistently satisfactory performance under conditions of strain ?" (Average), Leadership "Has he taken the lead in any activities ? Would he make a good captain of aircraft or Flight Leader ?" (Above Average), Method "Does he work systematically to a plan ?" (Average), Deliberation "Does he act decisively for a reasons or on impulse ?" (Average), Initiative "Does he want to try things on his own ?" (Above Average), Dash "Is he quick and decisive in action ?" (Above Average), Distribution of Attention "Does he find it difficult to do more than one thing at once ?" (Average), Self Control "Does he get flustered ?" (Average). Generally assessed as a "Exceptional" for an operational pilot; the CO wrote, "A very good officer and a pilot of exceptional ability. The report of the investigation attending the disappearance of his aircraft included a recapitulation of his flying times to that date. These were as follows: Tiger Moth - 61 hours 35 minutes (six hours on dual instrument flying) Anson - 91 hours 40 minutes (3.05 night dual, 6.55 solo at night, 12.20 dual instrument) Hudson - 187 hours 45 minutes (1.35 night dual, 7.45 night solo, 10.30 dual instrument, 11.35 solo instrument) Wellington - 556 hours 15 minutes (1.10 night dual, 281.40 night solo, 10.15 instrument solo) Liberator - eight hours Hampden - 42 hours Dakota - 23 hours 10 minutes Beechcraft - 17 hours 25 minutes. He had departed under instrument flight rules and was last reported near Vancouver (although there was uncertainty as to the precise location). The investigation centred upon his lack of recent experience in instrument flying. Weather was ruled a contributing factor. Text of RCAF Press Release No. 1549 dated 5 May 1943, drafted by F/L Kenneth MacGillivray, Public Relations Officer in the Middle East MALTA – (R.C.A.F. News Service) - One of the numerous Canadians who have “come into their own” in Malta, who have recognized and grasped the unique opportunities which this plucky and pounded colony offers an up-and-coming war-bird, is Flight Lieutenant Harry W. Donkersley, D.F.C., and Bar, former High School student of Powell River, B.C., and now one of the best-known pilots of R.A.F. torpedo-carrying aircraft in this theatre of war. It didn’t take the 23-year-old Canadian lad long to get under way after he arrived in Malta as a Pilot Officer last September. Since that time he has piled up many operational hours, has risen two notches in rank and has earned two decorations. Now he and his crew have completed their tour of ‘ops’ in Malta, and are awaiting posting elsewhere. Right with him during his spectacular career, and sharing the credit for his successes, have been the fellow-members of his crew, preponderantly R.C.A.F. like their captain. The second pilot is an Englishman, Sgt. Newton Dodsworth of Leeds; the navigator is P/O Dick Cline of 3328 Point Gray Road, Vancouver; and the wireless operators and air-gunners P/O Irving Cowan of Montague, Prince Edward Island, Sgt. Murray Anthony of Melville, Queens County, N.S., and Sgt. Renee LeClerc, of Mentona Street, Montreal. The crew started off, on October 3rd, by attacking a large enemy tanker near Point Stilo off the sole of the “Italian boot”. Their torpedo hit home, a column of water rose mast-high and the ship was sinking when the aircraft, its mainplane struck by flak from escorting enemy destroyers, headed homeward. Next came the exploit which won Donkersley his D.F.C. They torpedoed another enemy tanker off the coast of Greece, and this time they “struck it rich”, for the ship was loaded apparently with high-octane aircraft patrol. “It was really incredible the way that ship went up, almost on the instant that our torpedo hit her,” Donkersley recalls. “The flames raced from bow to stern in one great flash, and within a matter of seconds the hull was just a red-hot outline like a huge brazier belching fire.” Again braving a destroyer escort, the aircraft got safely home, while a second ship of the enemy convoy was sunk by another crew of the same Malta squadron, captained by an American member of the R.C.A.F., since missing. The next day a British aircraft visited the scene and found only one of the convoy’s cable-balloons floating on the oily surface. Donkersley and Co. next attacked a large enemy merchant vessel off Cogliari, Sardinia, in company with other Malta-based torpedo aircraft, and saw the blast as their fish hit home. The following day, a British submarine came across the half-submerged hulk, and finished it off with gun fire. The crew’s later activities were largely in cooperation with the Navy and the Fleet Air Arm. On one occasion they played an extremely important preliminary role in a combined operation which enabled them to wipe out an entire enemy convoy. It was for this achievement that the Bar was awarded to the pilot’s D.F.C. Donkersley’s promotion to Flight Lieutenant came on January 1st. This crack crew must now break up as Cline and Cowan propose to remuster to pilots, and its various other members have been or will be posted to other theatres of war to continue the operational careers which they have thus began so auspiciously.

H. W. J8203. - Distinguished Flying Cross - No.69 Squadron - Award effective 8 November 1942 as per London Gazette dated 20 November 1942 and AFRO 1962/42 dated 4 December 1942. Horne in Powell River, British Columbia or Moosomin, Saskatchewan; enlisted in Vancouver 9 January 1941. Trained at No.2 ITS (graduated 20 June 1941), No.5 EFTS (graduated 8 August 1941), and No.7 SFTS (graduated 23 October 1941). To No.7 OTU, 11 May 1942; to No.69 Squadron (Malta), 6 September 1942; to UK, 8 March 1943. DFC and Bar presented at Buckingham Palace, 23 March 1943. Killed with three others 16 January 1944 when Beechcraft HB100 went missing between No.32 OTU and Vancouver; name on Ottawa Memorial. The citation reads - "This officer has recently achieved much success against enemy shipping. One day in October 1942, he attacked a tanker, inflicting severe damage. A few nights later he located and attacked a convoy of four merchant ships escorted by several destroyers. After making his attack he returned to base, rearmed and made a second attack. Early next morning reconnaissance aircraft carried (out) a search over a wide area in the vicinity of the attack and observed that three of the enemy ships were missing. Some nights later Pilot Officer Donkersley attacked one of two ships escorted by destroyers, setting the vessel on fire. Later it was learned that the ship had sunk. The success which attended his efforts deprived the enemy of much fuel so vital for the battle in Africa." DONKERSLEY, P/O Harry Woodward (J8203) - Bar to Distinguished Flying Cross - No.69 Squadron - Award effective 26 December 1942 as per London Gazette dated 29 December 1942 and AFRO 185/43 dated 5 February 1943. The citation for this award is shown on page 188 Detail provided by H. Halliday, Orleans, Ontario.