CARTER, F/O Arthur Reginald (J15673) - Distinguished Flying Cross - No.153 Squadron - Award effective 15 September 1943 as per London Gazette dated 28 September 1943 and AFRO 2198/43 dated 29 October 1943. Born 28 April 1919 in Toronto; home there; enlisted there 9 October 1940. At No.1 Manning Depot, 9-25 October 1940 and Station Rockcliffe, 25 October 1940 to 3 January 1941. Trained at No.1 ITS (graduated 11 February 1941), No.1 EFTS (graduated 8 April 1941) and No.9 SFTS (graduated 20 June 1941, awarded wings and promoted to Sergeant). Commissioned 1 July 1942; F/O, 1 January 1943; F/L 1 July 1944. Posted to UK, arriving 16 August 1941. Further trained at No.60 OTU, 21 August to 21 October 1941 (Defiants). To No.153 Squadron, 21 October 1941 until 18 December 1942 (Defiants, converting to Beaufighters); Station Portreath, 18 December 1942 to 12 February 1943; returned to No.153 Squadron, 12 February to 19 September 1943. With No.63 OTU, 28 October 1943 to 12 March 1944. Attended No.3 Tactical Evaluation Unit (Hurricanes), 12 March 1944 to 12 May 1944. Took leave in Canada, 20 May to 18 July 1944, returning to Britain by air on the latter date. Posted to No.409 Squadron, 28 July 1944. Killed in flying accident with No.409 Squadron, 9 August 1944 (Mosquito HK406 was being tested when it went out of control; starboard engine torn out and aircraft went into fatal spin; P/O T.C. Kewen also killed); buried in United Kingdom. Chris Shores, Those Other Eagles, provides the following victory list: 29/30 January 1943, two Junkers 88s destroyed, Algiers Bay, north-northeast of Cap Matifou (Beaufighter V8624); 14/15 June 1943, two Heinkel 111s destroyed, Tunisia (Beaufighter EL168). Award presented to next of kin, 27 June 1945. Flying Officer Carter has taken part in a large number of operational sorties. A determined and relentless night fighter, he has consistently displayed keenness and courage of a high degree in the course of air combat. At night he has destroyed four enemy aircraft. RCAF Press Release 1823 dated 17 June 1943 reads as follows: North Africa - June 17 - Flying Officer A.R. Carter, 13 Dufferin Street, Toronto, scored a double victory two nights ago when his Beaufighter squadron shot down four Axis aircraft during two small scale raids on a North African coastal town. Carter downed two Heinkel 111\'s in the space of a few minutes. His first victim disintegrated in mid-air. \"I was stooging along when I caught up to Jerry\", he remarked afterwards. \"I closed in and gave it a second and a half burst. I saw it come apart. Oil from the Heinkel splashed across my windscreen and I was forced to take evasive action to avoid pieces of wreckage that flew through the air. The remains of the Jerry kite dropped away and later I saw pieces of blazing wreckage on the sea.\" Shortly afterwards, Flying Officer Carter saw another Heinkel immediately in front of him, and gave it a sharp burst from his guns. He saw his tracers pour into the enemy?s fuselage, and the Heinkel turned on its back and fell away to starboard. He chased it down, still shooting and saw it hit the water and blow up. His observer was Sergeant F.G. Wilkinson of the RAF. While he was shooting down two, his squadron mates were getting another pair, which made it four for the night?s operations. The squadron has been fighting in North Africa since the early days of the campaign. The recommendation to the DFM awarded to 656445 Sergeant Francis George Wilkinson (London Gazette, 28 September 1943) is an interesting counterpoint to Carter\'s award (from Ian Tavender, The Distinguished Flying Medal Register); drafted and submitted 21 July 1943; Public Record Office Air 2/8981: Sergeant Wilkinson is the Radio Navigator to Flying Officer Carter. He has, through great skill and determination, aided his pilot to destroy four enemy aircraft at night. His first successful interception took place after chasing the Hun through our own anti-aircraft defences. Although heavy ack-ack was exploding all around him and rocking the aircraft, he stuck to his job with complete disregard for everything except putting his pilot in a position for his victory. Since then, he has successfully intercepted three more enemy aircraft which his pilot has destroyed. He has carried out many successful patrols and escorts at night and, due to his keenness, skill and cooperation with his pilot, a first class team has resulted. NOTE: On 1 July 1942, while practicing night flying with No.153 Squadron at Station Ballyhalbert, County Down (Beaufighter X7872, 656445 Sergeant F.G. Wilkinson, RAF, observer), at 0315 hours, he was landing with difficulty (aircraft yawing) and on his second attempt he touched down very fast, using up most of the runway. The lighting system at this point was inoperable and he turned off the runway onto the perimeter track at five miles per hour. Unhappily, some construction was in progress and he ran into an unmarked hole, four feet deep and four feet across. The port undercarriage leg was torn away and the port propellor badly bent. The inquiry was not critical of him but very critical of unlit obstacles. Two assessments from No.153 Squadron make interesting reading. On 12 December 1942, W/C W.G. Moseby recorded that Carter had flown 531 hours (187 in previous six months) and remarked: Keen type who would do better if he used his common sense a little more. Is rather wild but has worked very well and is an asset to the squadron. On 29 September 1943, W/C Moseby wrote another assessment, noting that Carter had now flown 819 hours (166 in previous six months). His conduct was \"Satisfactory\", his attitudes \"Temperate\". He then wrote: A young officer who has yet to acquire much experience. His dash, impetuosity and keenness are most remarkable and make it a very great pleasure to know and work with this officer. As of 10 May 1944, just prior to leave in Canada, he filed a form stating he had flown 170 operational hours (75 sorties) and that his flying time to that dated was 892 hours. At the time of his fatal accident, Carter was reported to have flown 840 hours on all types (which cannot be reconciled with the above statements) - and only three hours 35 minutes on Mosquitos.