DRAPER, F/O John William Patterson (J10159) - Distinguished Flying Cross - No.111 Squadron - Award effective 1 July 1943 as per London Gazette dated 9 July 1943 and AFRO 1724/43 dated 27 August 1943. Born 15 July 1921 in Toronto; home there; enlisted there 23 April 1941. Granted Leave Without Pay until 4 May 1941 when posted to No.4A Manning Depot; to Trenton, 9 June 1941; to No.1 ITS, 15 July 1941; graduated and promoted LAC, 20 August 1941 when posted to No.20 EFTS; graduated 10 October 1941 when posted to No.2 SFTS; graduated and commissioned 16 January 1942. To “Y” Depot, 14 February 1942; to RAF Training Pool, 1 March 1942. Arrived overseas 18 March 1942. Promoted Flying Officer, 1 October 1942. Further trained at No.9 (P) AFU and No.58 OTU. To No.611 Squadron, 18 August 1942; to No.111 Squadron, 11 November 1942 to 3 June 1943. Posted to Fighter Pilot’s Practice Unit, 28 June 1943; to UK by aircraft, 1 January 1944; promoted Flight Lieutenant, 16 January 1944. In Canada, 8-17 February 1944; returned to UK, 31 March 1944 (arrived 7 April 1944); to No.53 OTU, 25 April 1944; to No.91 Squadron, 14 June 1944; slightly injured at Maldegam, Belgium, 28 February 1945; engine cut while taking off for an operational sorties, aircraft crashed and did two somersaults. He walked away. Posted to Cranfield, 26 June 1945; to Canada, 2 August 1945. Released 7 January 1946 but subsequently served in RCAF Auxiliary (100222), attaining the rank of Group Captain, 1 January 1962 before retirement on 1 October 1964. In all he was credited with 157 sorties (202 operational hours). Photo PL-29326 taken after investiture shows W/C R.C. Fumerton, F/L N. Smith, S/L B.R. Walker, F/O D.E. Berry, F/O S.C. Aistrop, W/C R.J. Lane and F/L J.W.P. Draper. PL-108055 shows him in 1957 (in flying gear); PL-108070 also taken in 1957 (at desk). Victory claims as follows (courtesy of Chris Shores): 18 November 1942: one Ju.87 probably destroyed, Bone area; 29 November 1942: one Ju.88 probably destroyed plus one Ju.88 destroyed (shared); 26 January 1943: two FW.190s destroyed, Tabarka-Souk el Arba; 5 April 1943: one Bf.109 damaged, Hamman Lif; 1 May 1943: one Bf.109 destroyed, Ras Zebib; 19 June 1944: one V-1 destroyed, Beachy Head; 24 June 1944: one V-1 destroyed, northwest of Hastings; 28 June 1944: one V-1 destroyed, Channel; 9 July 1944: one V-1 destroyed, Goudhurst; 12 July 1944: one V-1 destroyed, Newchurch; 20 July 1944: one V-1 destroyed, Tonbridge. // During the campaign in North-West Africa, Flying Officer Draper has destroyed three enemy aircraft and shared in the destruction of a fourth. He invariably displays outstanding courage and enthusiasm for flying operations. On one occasion he brought his aircraft into collision with an enemy aircraft, causing its destruction without serious damage to his own. His continued keenness and devotion to duty have been a valuable inspiration to his fellow pilots. // Public Record Office Air 2/8961 has recommendation drafted 24 April 1943 when he had flown 479 hours (162 on operations) of which 156 had been in previous six months. He had flown 133 operational sorties. // During this campaign, Flying Officer Draper has destroyed three enemy aircraft and shared in the destruction of another. He has probably destroyed two more, and damaged two. He has also made successful attacks on enemy ground targets. At all times he shows great keenness to engage the enemy. // To this the officer commanding No.324 Wing added: // Flying Officer Draper has shown outstanding courage and enthusiasm for engaging the enemy. On one occasion brining his aircraft into collision head on with an enemy aircraft, he caused its destruction without serious damage to his own. His continuous keenness has had a very valuable effect on his fellow pilots, and I most strongly recommend this award. // RCAF PR Handout dated 17 July 1943 read as follows: // F/O J.W.P. (Bill) Draper, (J10159), 9 Humewood Drive, Toronto, Ontario, has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, it has been announced. // Draper, who was 22 on July 15, flew throughout the North Africa campaign as pilot with a top-scoring RAF Spitfire Squadron and now, having finished a tour, is acting as an instructor at an Operational Training Unit in this country. // The husky pilot finished the campaign with 41 confirmed victories, plus a few probables and damaged. [Transcriber’s note - this must either include ground targets or be a squadron figure,] // His most notable victory was scored when he downed an FW 190 without firing a shot. The FWs had attacked the RAF aerodrome and the Spits went up to attack the invaders. Draper shot down one FW in flames and then turned to attack another kite. He and an enemy pilot flew their machines at each other head on, until, when not more than 25 yards apart, they both dived sharply. Draper dived the steepest, however, and the prop of the German aircraft was shattered on the tail of Draper’s Spit. The FW spun into the ground and Bill landed his damaged aircraft safely. // Draper is a former Trinity College school, Port Hope student and played football on the school team. He took private flying lessons at Barker Field, Toronto, before the war and held a private pilot’s license. His hobby is guns, and at the present time, he has a private arsenal consisting of a Luger, a P.38 (German parachuter’s automatic pistol), an Italian Biretti pistol, a German rifle, a German machine gun and his service weapons. // Draper enlisted in the RCAF in April 1941 and took his training at Toronto Hunt Club ITS, Oshawa EFTS, and Uplands SFTS, receiving his wings and commission at the latter. // RCAF Press Release No.9947 dated 27 April 1945 from F/L A.F. Tinsley, transcribed by Huguette Mondor Oates, reads: // WITH THE RCAF IN FIGHTER COMMAND: -- Braving intense flak from shore batteries, and swooping down to within 50 feet of the sea, a Canadian and an English Spitfire pilot together sank a midget German U-boat with cannon fire this week off the hook of Holland. // F/L J.W.P. Draper, DFC, of Toronto, Ontario (Apt. 279, Homewood Drive) and F/L W.C. Marshall, R.A.F., of Bognor Regis, were on a patrol off the Dutch coast about noon when Draper sighted the tiny sub heading out to sea from the hook of Holland. He immediately warned Marshall and the two of them attacked the U-boat at once, although the shore batteries opened up on them with a hot fire from between 250 and 300 yards distance. “They sank it good and proper,” said the Intelligence Officer of the squadron to which Draper and Marshall belonged. “There was a large patch of oil, and wreckage all around on the surface,” he added. // Three or four attacks were made by the two pilots before the enemy craft was destroyed. The flight was Draper’s first since he returned from his honeymoon. // RCAF Press Release No.18858 dated 24 May, 1945, transcribed by Huguette Mondor Oates, reads: // A German midget submarine sneaking out to sea from the Hook of Holland, was sunk by two Spitfires of RAF Fighter Command while anti-aircraft gunners on the shore tried in vain to drive the attackers away. After each pilot had made two attacks with his cannons the submarine disappeared in a whirl of spray leaving a large patch of oil and wrecking on the surface. // F/L W.C. Marshall, of Bogner Regis, said “We were nearing the end of a patrol over the North Sea when my companion, F/L J.W.P. Draper, DFC, of Toronto, Canada, suddenly yelled over the radio telephone – ‘ There’s a sub coming out from the Hook’.” // Both pilots dived to sea level and opened fire when the submarine was only a few hundred yards from the shore. Flak guns on the Mole opened up at them, but they saw their cannon shells burst on the submarine’s super structure, around the conning tower, and it immediately slowed down. A second attack sent the midget submarine to the bottom and just to make sure, the Spitfires poured a few bursts into the oil and wreckage which bombed to the surface. // This was F/L Draper’s first operational trip since returning from his honeymoon. He won his DFC. while serving in N.W. Africa where he once destroyed an enemy aircraft by ramming it with his own fighter in mid-air.