BACON, F/O James Alexander (J38725) - Distinguished Flying Cross - No.428 Squadron - Award effective 8 September 1945 as per London Gazette dated 21 September 1945 and AFRO 1704/45 dated 9 November 1945. Born 13 April 1912 in Montreal (obituary). Educated at Victoria School, Montreal (1918-1924), Derby Line School, Derby, Vermont (1924-1926), Derby Academy (1926-1930) and Syracuse University (1930-1931, chemical engineering). Home in Rock Island, Quebec (farmer, machinist); enlisted Montreal, 15 October 1942 and granted Leave Without Pay until 1 November 1942 when posted to No.5 Manning Depot. To No.4 Manning Depot, 24 December 1942. To No.6 ITS, 28 February 1943. To No.5 ITS, 4 April 1943; graduated and promoted LAC, 12 June 1943 but not posted to No.1 AOS until 10 July 1943; graduated and commissioned 26 November 1943. To \"Y\" Depot, 10 December 1943; to No.2 Aircrew Graduate Training School, 16 January 1944. To \"Y\" Depot again, 14 February 1944. Embarked from Halifax 5 March 1944. Taken on strength of No.3 PRC, Bournemouth, 15 March 1944. To No.2 (O) AFU, 11 April 1944. To No.82 OTU, 23 May 1944. To No.61 Base, 4 August 1944. Attached to No.1664 CU, 5 August to 14 September 1944. To No.428 Squadron, 14 September 1944. Repatriated 3 May 1945. To No.13 EFTS, 18 June 1945. To No.2 Release Centre, 16 August 1945. Retired 28 August 1945, settling in Rockland [?], Quebec. Medal presented 27 February 1947. Died at Stanstead Bridge, Quebec, 6 July 1979 as per Legion Magazine of October 1979. No citation other than \"completed...numerous operations against the enemy in the course of which [he has] invariably displayed the utmost fortitude, courage and devotion to duty.\" DHist file 181.009 D.1941 (RG.24 Vol.20612) has recommendation by S/L R.W. Swartz dated 20 April 1945 when he had flown 35 sorties (250 hours 15 minutes), 6 October 1944 to 25 March 1945. This officer has displayed great courage, determination and devotion to duty. As a navigator he has shown exceptional skill and ability with great tenacity of purpose and the faculty of retaining coolness and presence of mind at all times and under any circumstances. His ability and desire to serve have been of incalculable assistance to his pilot and have contributed to a major degree to the operational success of his crew and the completion of their tour. For his courage, ability and devotion to duty I recommend the Non-Immediate award of the Distinguished Flying Cross. The sortie list (identical to that of F/O Edwin Franklin Marritt) was as follows: 6 October 1944 - Dortmund (6.15) 14 October 1944 - Duisburg (6.00) 14 October 1944 - Duisburg (6.25) 15 October 1944 - Wilhelmshaven (5.35) 19 October 1944 - Stuttgart (7.45) 23 October 1944 - Essen (6.40) 25 October 1944 - Essen (6.05) 28 October 1944 - Cologne (4.40, duty not carried out) 30 October 1944 - Cologne (6.10) 1 November 1944 - Oberhausen (6.15) 6 December 1944 - Osnabruck (6.50) 15 December 1944 - Ludwigshaven (6.25) 18 December 1944 - Duisburg (6.40) 21 December 1944 - Cologne (7.00) 24 December 1944 - Dusseldorf (4.45) 5 January 1945 - Hanover (5.55) 6 January 1945 - Hanau (6.35) 14 January 1945 - Merseburg (9.00) 16 January 1945 - Zeitz (8.10) 28 January 1945 - Stuttgart (8.00) 1 February 1945 - Ludwigshaven (7.40) 2 February 1945 - Wiesbaden (7.00) 4 February 1945 - Bonn (6.40) 7 February 1945 - Hassun (6.40) 13 February 1945 - Dresden (10.00) 27 February 1945 - Mainz (7.00) 28 February 1945 - Neusse (2.40, recalled) 1 March 1945 - Mannheim (7.35) 2 March 1945 - Cologne (6.10) 5 March 1945 - Chemnitz (10.20) 7 March 1945 - Dessau (9.10) 11 March 1945 - Essen (6.00) 14 March 1945 - Zweibrucken (7.10) 15 March 1945 - Hagen (7.00) 22 March 1945 - Hildesheime (5.50) 24 March 1945 - Mathias-Stinnes (6.10) 25 March 1945 - Hanover (6.00) Training: Course at No.1 AOS was 12 July to 26 November 1943.Flew in Anson aircraft - 34 hours as first navigator (day), 26,05 as first navigator (night), 31.35 as second navigator (day), nine hours 30 minutes as second navigator (night) plus five hours 50 minutes of other flying by day. Ground work courses and marks as follows: Air Navigation, Elements (150/200), Air Navigation, Theory (162/200), Air Navigation, Exercises (188/200), Meteorology (87/100), Signals, Practical (100/100), Aircraft Recognition (36/50), Reconnaissance (43/50), Photography (42/50) and Armament (35/50). Air Work assessments in following categories: Air Navigation, Day (272/350), Air Navigation, Night (157/200), Log Keeping (159/200), Reconnaissance (77/100), Photography (80/100) and Meteorological Observations (46/50). Character assessed as 78/100; deemed \"moderately suitable\" as a navigation instruction or as a candidate for specialist navigation course.. Course at No.2 (O) OTU was 19 April to 15 May 1944. Flew 11 hours 50 minutes as first navigator (day), five hours 30 minutes as second navigator (day), ten hours as first navigator (night), three hours 55 minutes as second navigator (night). Ground courses and marks as follows: Air Navigation Exercises (259/350), Air Navigation Test (200/300), Signals (135/150). Air work marked under following: Air Navigation, Day (259/350), Air Navigation, Night (245/350). Described as \"Good, neat worker, average navigator\". Course at No.82 OTU was 22 May to 30 July 1944. Gee Training was eight hours of lectures. \"Ground manipulation\" (whatever that was) was ten hours. Flying Training described as 33 hours 20 minutes as first navigator (day), 40 hours 25 minutes as first navigator (night). In \"Navigation Aids\" he did 138 GEE fixes, four GEE homings, 18 Loop Position Line exercises and two Loop Fixes. One Bullseye exercise. Assessed under following headings: Proficiency Tests - 8/10 (one lost through slow work, one through inaccuracy); Chart Work, above average; Log Keeping, above average; Track Keeping, very good; Timing, very good; GEE, \"Used intelligently. Sufficiently fast and accurate\"; Use of Instruments, average. Described overall as \"A good, all round navigator who showed up well in his work in the air. Track keeping and timing is very good and use of GEE is quite commendable. Should make good operational navigator.\" (F/L W.R. Spackman). CFI at No.82 OTU was W/C R.M. Cox; CO was G/C H.I. Dabinett. At No.1664 CU he trained with P/O Quinn (pilot) and P/O Marritt (air bomber). Assessed on D.R. Navigation (\"Good basic knowledge of D.R.\"), Log Keeping (\"log keeping accurate, not neat\"), Calculations, for accuracy and speed (\"Calculations are accurate\"), Manipulation of Aids (deemed \"OK\" with Dalton device, protractors, dividers, DR Compass, API, GEE and H2S), although it was noted that he did not do enough RTA checks). Similarly, his navigation was deemed \"OK\" in climb and descent, level flight, track keeping and timing. The term at No.1664 CU included a special H2S course (28 August to 4 September 1944) which involved six hours of \"Bench Set Work\", ten hours of \"Synthetic Training\", these including seven blind bombing runs and nine homings. Air work was seven hours 35 minutes (set work in this was five hours 45 minutes). Described as \"above average - learns slowly but thoroughly - solo effort very good.\" On repatriation he signed a form stating he had flown 35 sorties (254 hours 45 minutes) plus 181 hours 15 minutes non-operational times. Last sortie had been 25 March 1945. Aircraft types experienced were Anson (31.15), Wellington (73.45), Halifax (30.45) and Lancaster (304.15)