Manitoba Knights of the Air

Story by Bill Zuk,
National Membership Secretary,
Canadian Aviation Historical Society
May 2025
Of the scant number of Victoria Cross (VC) winners from the ranks of the air force, amongst the seven Canadian military personnel who have been awarded the nation’s highest honour for valour in the air, three have been Manitobans. Two of the recipients were recognized for their actions in the First World War while the other award was destined to be the last Canadian VC to be bestowed.
Mid-upper gun turret on an Avro Lancaster bomber. Image copyright free from WikiCommons.
Wing Commander William George Barker, Royal Air Force/ Royal Canadian Air Force. Image copyright free from WikiCommons.
William George “Billy” Barker (1894-1930) was the third highest ranking “ace” and most highly decorated Canadian serving in the First World War. Born in Dauphin, he enlisted in the Canadian Mounted Rifles in December 1914. After eight months in the trenches, he received a commission in the Royal Flying Corps in April 1916. Although starting out as a mechanic, he qualified as an observer in August 1916 and shot down his first enemy aircraft from the rear seat of a B.E.2d observation/reconnaissance bomber.

Posted to England in November 1916, Barker qualified as a pilot and was sent to the front in February 1917 flying an R.E.8 bomber until he was wounded by anti-aircraft fire in August 1917. When he recovered, he served as a flight instructor before returning to combat duty in France, but in November 1917, his squadron was reassigned to Italy where Barker's began flying the redoubtable Sopwith Camel. Barker shot down 46 enemy aircraft with his aerial mount, Camel #B6313 becoming the single most successful fighter aircraft of the war, logging more than 379 hours of flight time. In October 1918, Major Barker assumed command of the air combat school at Hounslow, England.
Although under orders to return to England, Barker joined 201 Squadron in France to observe air combat techniques in preparation for his new assignment. For 10 days, he saw no action, but he decided to make one more excursion over the front lines. On October 27, 1918, alone and flying a new Sopwith Snipe fighter, he encountered as many as 60 Fokker D.VIIs flying in stepped formation. In an epic battle with Jagdgeschwader 3, Barker shot down four enemy aircraft despite receiving appalling wounds to his elbow and both legs. Fainting from pain and loss of blood, he alternately revived and continued the “dogfight” until he managed to reach the British lines to crash-land his aircraft. Nearly 100,000 soldiers from both sides observed this momentous aerial battle. A group of “Tommies” reached the unconscious Barker and dragged him to safety. For his actions that day, Barker received the Victoria Cross, although he had to wait nearly a year before he recovered sufficiently to walk the few paces at the investiture at Buckingham Palace.
 
In postwar years, Barker first tried his hand at civilian work, then reenlisted to help form the Canadian Air Force in postwar years. Later in 1930, as the president and general manager of Fairchild Aircraft in Montreal, he lost his life during a test flight. It was said that his shattered elbow, a vestige of his last wartime fight, prevented him from reacting quickly enough to prevent the stall and resulting crash of the experimental trainer.
2nd Lieutenant Alan Arnett McLeod, Royal Air Force. Image copyright free from WikiCommons.
Alan Arnett McLeod (1899 – 1918) survived the war despite grievous wounds only to die in the Great Spanish Influenza of 1918.
 
McLeod was born in Stonewall, Manitoba and although he tried to enlist in 1914 at the age of 15, he had to wait three more years before he was accepted. As a Second Lieutenant in No. 2 Squadron, he was posted as a pilot to fly the lumbering Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8. bomber. Scoring four victories with the bomber was a remarkable achievement, but McLeod who wanted to fly fighters was determined to use his aircraft as an effective weapon.

On March 27, 1918, McLeod, with his observer Arthur Hammond set out on a mission bombing and strafing enemy concentrations around Bray-sur-Somme, France. Leaving the formation of five Allied aircraft, McLeod and his observer intercepted and destroyed an enemy triplane, but the pair were immediately attacked by seven more fighters diving down from above. The fuel tank at the front of the bomber was hit, and the F.K.8 burst into flames. During the aerial combat, both pilot and observer were badly wounded with the pilot receiving five hits and his observer being wounded six times although doggedly remaining at his machine gun, and managing to shot down three of the attackers. McLeod, by side slipping steeply, tried to keep the flames away from his observer, and to escape the fire, even climbed out on the wing, balancing himself with one foot still inside the cockpit, pushing on the rudder pedals. The flames overwhelmed the cockpits, with the floor of the rear position falling away leaving Hammond barely able to remain inside.
 
When the blazing machine finally crashed in No Man's Land, the young pilot, oblivious to his own injuries, tried to drag his comrade from the burning wreckage but was wounded again by a bomb that went off as he half dragged, half rolled Hammond away from danger. He managed to get his observer into a shell hole before collapsing from exhaustion and loss of blood.
 
South African troops eventually reached the wounded aviators and under cover of darkness, brought them back to safety. While convalescing in England, McLeod received word that he was awarded the Victoria Cross. Tragically, soon after returning to Canada, he contracted influenza and died in Winnipeg, five days before the Armistice.
Warrant Officer Andrew Charles Mynarski, Royal Canadian Air Force. Image copyright free from WikiCommons.
The final Victoria Cross had a number of firsts assigned to the award: the first to be given based on the report by one observer and the last VC to be presented to a Canadian. Andrew Charles Mynarski (1916 – 1944) was an air gunner whose selfless act was to try to save a trapped crewman in a doomed aircraft.
 
Winnipegger Warrant Officer Mynarski was the mid-upper gunner of a Lancaster aircraft, from 419 Squadron assigned to attack a target at Cambrai in France in support of the Normandy landings. On the night of June 12, 1944, the 13th "op" of the crew, the aircraft was “coned” by searchlights which attracted a German night fighter that attacked from below and astern, raking the bomber with cannon fire.

As an immediate result of the attack, both port engines failed and a fire fueled by hydraulic lines bursting broke out between the mid-upper turret and the rear turret, as well as in the port wing. The flames soon became fierce, and the captain ordered the crew to abandon the aircraft.
Warrant Officer Mynarski left his turret and went towards the escape hatch. He then saw that the rear gunner was trapped in his turret, apparently unable to leave it. The turret was, in fact, immovable, since the hydraulic gear had been put out of action when the port engines failed, and the manual gear which had been used to partially swing the turret, had been broken by the gunner in his attempts to escape.
 
Without hesitation, Mynarski immediately decided to reach the rear turret to release the gunner. With his parachute and his clothing set on fire, he continued to crawl through the flames to the rear turret. He attempted to move the turret by hand and tried to force open its rear doors with a fire axe, but all efforts to free Lt George “Pat” Brophy, the rear gunner, were in vain. Eventually Brophy clearly indicated to him that there was nothing more to be done, although Mynarski ignored his friend's shouts of, "Go back! Save yourself!"
 
Reluctantly, crawling back through the flames to the escape hatch, there, as a last gesture to the trapped gunner, Mynarski turned towards him, stood to attention in his flaming clothing, and saluted. In memory of his nightly ritual that he carried out with his friend, his last words as he saluted were, "Good night, sir."
 
After jumping out of the aircraft, Mynarski's fiery descent with both his parachute and clothing on fire, was seen by French villagers on the ground. He was eventually found by the French, but was so severely burnt that he died from his injuries shortly after.
 
In a miraculous escape, Brophy rode down with the doomed aircraft as it crash-landed and exploded in a French farm field. The force of the crash into a tree, swung the remains of the rear turret around violently, pitching the rear gunner out. After recovering consciousness, Brophy found his way into the French underground where he remained until September 1944 before being evacuated back to England. In 1945, after being reunited with some of the surviving Lancaster crew, Brophy began to recount the story of Andrew Mynarski's bravery. Andrew Mynarski was awarded the Victoria Cross posthumously for his effort to save another's life. In an ironic twist, the award was not made until October 11, 1946 as the last VC of the Second World War for "valour of the highest order" to Andrew Charles Mynarski, by then, also being promoted to the rank of Pilot Officer. No other Victoria Crosses have been bestowed to a Canadian since that time.
 
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories, including Canada. The VC was introduced by Queen Victoria on January 29, 1856 to reward acts of valour carried out by military personnel during the Crimean War. Since then, the medal has been awarded 1,356 times. Originally intended not to discriminate against any individual by class, status or rank, the Victoria Cross was highly revered, being bestowed by Queen Victoria herself to 185 recipients during her reign. As a reflection of the award’s origins, the VCs would be cast from the bronze cascabels of two cannon that were captured from the Russians at the siege of Sevastopol. The last shards of metal that are today preserved will allow approximately 85 more awards to be cast.
 
The VC takes precedence over all other orders, decorations and medals. It may be awarded to a person of any rank in any service and civilians under military command, and is presented to the recipient by the British monarch during an investiture held at Buckingham Palace or by the Governor-General, the monarch’s representative in Canada. It is the joint highest award for bravery in the United Kingdom with the George Cross, which is the equivalent honour for valour not in the face of the enemy. The Victoria Cross of Canada is a unique Canadian medal based on the original Victoria Cross, instituted in 1993, although the Canadian version has several small changes in its appearance. It is presented to the recipient by the Monarch or the Governor General of Canada. It can be awarded more than once, but no one has received the award since its creation in 1993.