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Battle of Britain profile of courage: Pilot Officer John Blandford Latta

Pilot Officer John Blandford Latta.

News Article / August 12, 2015, RCAF website

By Major William March

242 Squadron, Royal Air Force

John Blandford Latta was a salmon fisherman on the West Coast of Canada, complete with his own trawler, when he decided to take a crack at becoming a flyer in the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1939.

He was no stranger to military life, being the son of Lieutenant-Colonel William S. Latta, a Canadian Expeditionary Force veteran who had been awarded the Distinguished Service Order three times during the First World War. Although he had served in his father’s old militia unit, 1st Battalion, The Canadian Scottish Regiment, from 1930 to 1933, it was the exciting world of aviation that inspired the young Canadian to apply to an RAF recruiting ad. Assisted by the advice and support of Royal Navy Captain Henry Seymour-Biggs, who had retired in British Columbia, Mr. Latta found himself accompanying six other “Bigg’s Boys” on board a ship heading to England in January 1939.

The 24-year-old went through the usual battery of interviews and tests before arriving at No. 4 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training School in Brough, Yorkshire, on March 6, 1939, as a provisional Pilot Officer. Latta received his wings on April 12 and proceeded to No. 12 Flying Training School on May 13 for instruction on more advanced aircraft. Fate then took a hand in his next posting; Canada and Great Britain had just agreed that, for political and public relations purposes, an RAF squadron would be designed as “Canadian” and manned as far as possible by aircrew from the Dominion. No. 242 “Canadian” Squadron was formed at Church Fenton, Yorkshire, on October 30, 1939, and Latta, posted in on November 6, became one of its first members.

A newly established squadron with a large proportion of pilots fresh from flying schools spends most of its time training, and so it was for No. 242. A variety of aircraft were used on the unit until it received the first of its Hurricane fighters in March 1940. Training, however, ended in May 1940 when elements of the squadron were sent to France to bolster Allied defences. As German forces advanced, forcing Allied armies back toward Dunkirk, No. 242 became more heavily engaged. On May 29, Latta scored his first victory when he downed a Messerschmitt Bf109, and by the middle of June he claimed three more German fighters. In a letter home on June 1, 1940, Latta summed up the situation:

“…still alive and kicking but pretty tired as we have been going from daylight till dark for some time now. We have been doing our best to protect the B.E.F. [British Expeditionary Force] during their embarkation from Dunkirk, and it certainly hasn’t been any picnic. The squadron bag is about thirty enemy machines now, and I have got three sure ones myself. Naturally, we haven’t got off scot-free ourselves, but our losses haven’t been too bad.”

In fact, after about 30 days of combat the squadron had lost 11 aircraft, resulting in the deaths of three pilots, two wounded, and six missing (one subsequently reported as being a prisoner). After the squadron was withdrawn to RAF Coltishall on June 18 to refit and rebuild, No. 242’s new commanding officer, RAF Squadron Leader Douglas Bader, found a group of tired and demoralized personnel. By sheer force of will, and by relying on experienced people such as Latta, No. 242 absorbed its replacements, trained, and was ready for another “go at Jerry” by July 9.

During the opening months of the Battle of Britain, Latta and the rest of No. 242 came to grips with the enemy only rarely. Still, he claimed a Heinkel (He 111) bomber on July 10, 1940, the “official” first day of the Battle of Britain. He was not able to add to his score until August 21, when he and two of his squadron mates each claimed 1/3 of a Dornier Do 17. As Latta wrote to his family:

“Three of us jumped one yesterday…and I guess he never knew what hit him. All three caught him at the same time, one from above, one from dead astern, and myself from below. We only put a five second burst each into him, but he practically blew up. I must have hit his loaded bomb rack. The only damage to one of our fellows was a dint to his wing from a piece of flying debris.”

Throughout the month of September, Latta was in combat on a regular basis as the Germans turned their attention to London and other cities. Often these engagements involved hundreds of aircraft on both sides, and in the melee, the risk of collision was almost as high as the danger of being shot down by enemy fire. Latta added to his score with a Messerschmitt Bf109 on the 9th and a second on the 15th. Up to this point, he had only had to contend with minor damage to his aircraft, but this changed on September 27, 1940, when the squadron was scrambled to engage a large body of enemy aircraft. The adrenalin may have still been pumping through his veins when he wrote:

“That keyed-up feeling does not seem to allow one to concentrate on writing. I was very fortunate in this last ‘do’ we had on the 27th September, we ran into 40 or 50 M.E. 109’s and when the smoke of battle sort of cleared away I found I had added two more planes to my bag. Both the poor blighters practically blew up in mid air. The gas tanks on the 109’s are situated right behind the pilot and I must have got incendiary ammunition into those tanks both times. The poor sods didn’t have a chance of getting out… I collected a burst or so along the bottom of my plane, but apart from knocking a few bits off one wing and a few pieces out of my tail plane not much damage was done.”

Although there would be further patrols during the Battle of Britain, these would be the last victories claimed by Latta. Promoted to Pilot Officer on November 6, 1940, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross two days later for his accomplishments to date and for demonstrating “the utmost coolness in the midst of fierce combat.” Unfortunately, Pilot Officer Latta did not survive the war. The 27-year-old went missing in action during an offensive patrol on January 12, 1941 and his body was never recovered. His name is listed on the Runnymede Memorial in Surrey, England.

Date modified: 2015-08-14

To view the original article, click here.

Documentary on Lancaster bombers premieres Remembrance Day

CBC News Posted: Aug 06, 2015 11:35 AM ET Last Updated: Aug 06, 2015 3:19 PM ET

The documentary "Reunion of Giants" will screen at select theatres on Remembrance Day. The film follows a 70-year-old Avro Lancaster bomber as it travels to the United Kingdom from the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton. (John Dibbs)

A film documenting the historic reunion of the world's two remaining airworthy Lancaster bombers will screen for the first time on Remembrance Day, when it will be shown for free in select theatres across Canada.

Cineplex Entertainment will premiere the documentary Reunion of Giants, which follows the transatlantic journey of a 70-year-old Avro Lancaster to England and its highly successful summer tour there with the only other airworthy Lancaster in the world. With the screening, Cineplex says, Canadians will have a chance to remember the valiant crews who flew and maintained the Second World War-era planes.

"It's a big deal," said Morgan Elliott, who is making the film with her Dundas company Suddenly SeeMore Productions.

"We really want people to come on Remembrance Day and enjoy a free movie and reflect on what the brave men of the Bomber Command did."

The voyage took place in the summer of 2014, when crews flew the plane from the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton to the United Kingdom.

It wasn't an easy journey for the bomber, which is named VeRA. It flew via Goose Bay, Labrador and Iceland during its transatlantic flight. Along the way, the crew encountered an engine failure, an emergency landing, and a storm. Thousands of people came out to see VeRA and her English counterpart, Thumper, take to the skies together during a series of appearances around the country.

The last time Lancasters flew together was 50 years ago over Toronto, at RCAF Station Downsview. The RCAF flew a special formation of three of the bombers in April 1964 to mark their retirement from service.

The documentary includes interviews with veterans of the Royal Air Force's Bomber Command.

The film is in the final stages, Elliott says. The team is adding the score now. The project has become "the little engine that could."

She also hopes to plan an official red-carpet screening in the Hamilton area.

Cineplex says it will announce participating theatres in September and make free tickets available Oct. 2.

To view the Reunion of Giants trailer, click here.

To read the original CBC news article, click here.

Book launch – She Made Them Family: A Wartime Scrapbook from the Prairies

By Anne Gafiuk
Published by the Bomber Command Museum of Canada in Nanton, Alberta.

In partnership with the Okotoks Museum and the BCMC, the book launch will take place on Sunday, November 8, 2015 at the Rotary Performing Arts Centre in Okotoks, Alberta, 3 Elma Street East, with a special auction planned to benefit both the BCMC and the Okotoks Museum.

“She Made Them Family” is based on the World War II scrapbook compiled by Mrs. Alice Spackman of Okotoks.

Mrs. Spackman carefully saved letters, clippings and notes from several local men and women who served in the Royal Canadian Air Force, Navy and Army during World War II. She also opened her home and became a second ‘mum’ to numerous pilots who were training at the British Commonwealth Elementary Flying Training School near DeWinton, making all of them feel like family.

Author Anne Gafiuk has brought Mrs. Spackman’s scrapbook to life. Hours of additional research and interviews have further enhanced the scrapbook and have resulted in a very unique and personal account of the war years.

Gafiuk will be in attendance at the launch. Several of the World War II veterans who are featured in the book have also been invited to attend. Special edition copies will be auctioned during the launch with proceeds benefitting the Bomber Command Museum of Canada in Nanton and the Okotoks Museum and Archives.

For further information, please contact author Anne Gafiuk, 403-241-2983, ann@whatsinastory.ca, or the Okotoks Museum and Archives, 403-938-8969.

The CAHS extends our condolences to the friends and family of CAHS member Gordon Elmer.

Gordon Elmer, of Moose Jaw, passed away on May 16, 2015. Gord was born in Yellow Grass, Saskatchewan on May 16, 1933. He was predeceased by his parents, brother Vincent (Phyllis) and sister June Elmer. He will be lovingly remembered by his sister Patricia Elmer. Gordon will be profoundly missed and forever in the hearts of his wife of 59 years Mary, sons Rick (Wendy), Barry (Brian Charron), and Dale, and his daughter Sharon (Lloyd) Eckmire; grandchildren Jason and David (Maureen) Elmer, Michael and Jennifer Seabrook, Beatrice and Colin Elmer; along with extended family members Dale Seabrook (Anita Bouvier), Teresa Jenkinson, and numerous nephews, nieces and friends. Gord was raised in Yellow Grass and Weyburn, Saskatchewan. He was a very accomplished, self-taught musician who made many contributions to his communities by sharing this gift. Although he had an extreme passion for music, he pursued a career in psychiatric nursing. Upon graduating from the Saskatchewan Training Centre in Weyburn, he accepted an appointment at Valley View Centre in Moose Jaw where he served for 36 years before retiring. In the evenings he enriched the lives of many students by sharing his passion. He taught private lessons and conducted band in the communities of Loreburn, Assiniboia and Mossbank. Gord also served twelve years as the band master with the Saskatchewan Dragoons, and five years with the Moose Jaw Lions Band organization. Gord had many interests and hobbies. He spent countless hours working on our family history and researching the Commonwealth Air Training Plan, a portion of the history of Saskatchewan aviation which will now become part of the Saskatchewan Archives. None of these compared to his love of the family cabin at White Bear Lake. He enjoyed sharing a coffee on the deck with friends and family, golfing, playing solitaire, watching storm fronts roll across the lake and of course viewing the beautiful sunsets. He instilled the dedication to family and the importance of a strong work ethic, balance and good morals in all of his children, his life lessons will live on in all of us. The family would like to express their deepest gratitude for the loving care provided to Gordon during his brief time at Guardian Grove. A private family memorial will be held at a later date. An online book of condolences can be viewed at www.parkviewfuneralchapel.ca. To view the full obituary, please click here.

Our youngest member is a celebrity!

Nadine Carter, a grade 7 student in Stouffville ON, has worked diligently to seek recognition for Capt. Roy Brown in Stouffville, the town near where he spent his last few years. The town now plans to erect a memorial plaque in Brown’s honour. As well, the Last Post Fund has purchased a plot for Roy in the Necropolis Cemetery in Toronto, where his unmarked remains are interred in Common Ground. The Fund plans to place a military headstone for Brown at the plot this fall.

In August, when Nadine visited the Roy Brown Museum in Carleton Place ON, she was surprised to find the press waiting for her! The Museum and the Roy Brown Society have been very supportive of her efforts on behalf of Roy Brown, and once again she appeared in a local area newspaper story. To see the story, click here.

Aviators Honoured at CAHF Inductions

By John Chalmers, CAHS Membership Secretary
Photos by Rick Radell, CAHF Official Photographer

At the annual induction ceremonies for Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame, held on June 4 at the Skyservice business aviation hangar at the Toronto Pearson International Airport, four individuals were installed as Members of the Hall for their contributions to Canadian aviation, and one organization was recognized for its unique accomplishments in flight.

Carol Nicholson, centre, a niece of First World War ace Capt Arthur Roy Brown, receives the certificate of membership for Roy from guest presenter Maryse Carmichael and Hall of Fame board chairman Tom Appleton. Roy Brown is known for his aerial battle involving the “Red Baron”, Manfred von Richthofen. Post-war, Brown established General Airways Limited, which operated from 1928 to 1940. Born in 1893, Brown died at the age of 50 in 1944 after taking up farming near Stouffville ON.

After beginning his career in aviation as an aero engineer for six years with the RCAF, Jim McBride started Midwest Aviation Ltd. in Winnipeg with a single Piper Super Cub. He went on to build the airline that eventually operated 80 fixed wing aircraft and helicopters and employed over 700 people. Later he established Turbowest Helicopters Ltd. in Calgary, operated an 800-acre ranch south of the city, and enjoyed international success as rancher breeding prize beef cattle.

George Miller, O.M.M., CD served 35 years with the RCAF in Canada and overseas, including team leader for Canada’s famed aerobatic team, 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, better known as the Snowbirds, and as base commander of CFB Moose Jaw. Retiring as a Colonel, George then managed the Langley Regional Airport. He continues to fly his own aircraft with the Fraser Blues, and aviation formation team flying Navion aircraft.

Kim Philp accepted her late father’s membership  in the Hall of Fame on his behalf. Col Owen Bartley “O.B” Philp, C.M., DFC, CD served nearly 32 years with the RCAF. He flew as a bomber and transport pilot in the Second World War, served in Canada and overseas, and as Base Commander of CFB Moose Jaw. He formed the Golden Centennaires aerobatic team for Canada’s Centennial in 1967 and, while at Moose Jaw, developed the Snowbirds and became known as the “Father of the Snowbirds.”

Todd Reichert, left, and Cameron Robertson founded AeroVelo Inc. and received the Belt of Orion Award for Excellence. With teams of fellow engineers, volunteers, and students at the University of Toronto, AeroVelo developed, and in 2010 flew a human powered ornithopter, an airplane that flies by flapping its wings. In 2013 they won the $250,000 “Sikorsky Prize” for their internationally-recognized success in building and flying a human-powered helicopter.

Retired RCAF LCol Maryse Carmichael CD, served as guest presenter and speaker at the awards ceremonies. She was the first woman to fly as a pilot with the Snowbirds and later the first woman commander of the aerobatic team. In her address to 375 guests in attendance from across Canada, Maryse paid tribute to those who were honoured. She continues in aviation as a simulator instructor for pilot training at 15 Wing Moose Jaw. The shawl she is wearing is the Snowbirds tartan.

Information on any Member of Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame or any recipient of the Belt of Orion Award for Excellence can be found at the Hall's web site, www.cahf.ca. Under "Members" at the top of the home page, click on "Member Profiles" or "Belt of Orion". Then select the name you want. If a video has been produced, the link appears at the end of the information posted.

I have enjoyed reading your latest newsletter, but am disappointed in that you refer to TCA as Trans Canada Airlines when, in actual fact, the correct title was Trans-Canada Air Lines.

Regards

Terry Baker

Editor's Note: Thanks for pointing this out Terry. It has been corrected in the Recalling Era of Airline Freebies article on the online version of the CAHS National August Newsletter.

We hope you enjoyed answering the Canadian Aviation Moments in August. We encourage readers to send in their responses to the Canadian Aviation Moments questions at: info@cahs.ca. Your responses will be included in the following month's newsletter. Here are the correct answers:

Question: What British troop and vehicle transport was designed and test flown in less than ten months? It was on strength with the RCAF from 1948 until 1959.

Answer: “The Horsa was a Second World War troop and vehicle carrying glider used by the British and their allies during many of the airborne assault actions in the war. Designed and test flown in less than ten months, the glider was put into quantity production starting in 1940. Built virtually entirely of wood, the aircraft featured fairly complete cockpit instrumentation for flying at night or in cloud. The fuselage was built in three pieces and the main fuselage and tail sections featured quick-disconnect bolts to allow the aft section to be removed for rapid unloading of the pay-load. The main gear of the tricycle undercarriage could also be jettisoned, and a nosewheel, in combination with a central shock absorbing skid, could be used for rough ground landings. The RCAF acquired a small number of Horsas for use in post-war evaluations.”

Source: Canadian Combat and Support Aircraft – Page 51

Question: How many appearances did the Red Knight make and in how many seasons? How many pilots flew the Red Knight and what type(s) of airplane was it?

Answer: ”So, who (or what) was was the Red Knight? The cadet indicated that it was actually a team. Well, eventually it was, but not in the beginning. The visitors may have been interested to know that the Red Knight programme actually originated in Trenton. Had a script been provided to the young cadet, he might have told his tour group that the Red Knight was the solo aerobatic performer of the RCAF's Training Command from 1958 through 1969. Although originally authorized to perform only three shows, the Red Knight went on to make over 600 appearances, throughout North America. The role of the Red Knight was actually shared by 17 different pilots over the 12 seasons. The Red Knight was commonly sent to venues considered too small for the established aerobatics teams of the day. The Red Knight pilots brought an extremely impressive and professional aerobatics show to communities that might not otherwise get the chance to see such an event.”

Source: Canadian Aviation Historical Society Journal – Vol. 46 No. 3 – Fall 2008 – THE RED KNIGHT – John Corrigan – Page 105

Question: What influenced the British bombing policy during the Second World War?

Answer: “Without doubt, British bombing policy during the Second World War was influenced by the strategic aerial bombardment experiences of the First World War. Over one hundred German Zeppelin and giant fixed-wing bomber raids on Britain produced nearly 3500 casualties. Moreover, they generated widespread shock, a sense of vulnerability, and a significant disruption of wartime production out of proportion to the actual damage inflicted. This widespread disruption included lost time due to the suspension of manufacturing, the upheaval of transportation systems, worker consternation and anxiety, and the diversion of limited human and materiel resources to directly combat these threats. However, General Sir Hugh Trenchard, the Independent Force's first commander and later the RAF's Chief of the Air Staff from 1919 to 1929, staunchly maintained, throughout the 1920s, that the psychological impact of the bombing significantly overshadowed the material damage, in his view, by a factor of twenty to one.”

Source: No Prouder Place – Canadians and the Bomber Command Experience, 1939 to 1945 – David L. Bashow – ISBN 1-55125-098-5 – Page 15

The Canadian Aviation Moments were submitted by Dennis Casper from the Roland Groome (Regina) Chapter of the CAHS.

The Canadian Aviation Moments questions for September are:

Question: Who in the RAF in 1936 was a key proponent of a heavy versus a medium bomber force and would eventually win the argument for a longer-range offensive capability?

Source: No Prouder Place – Canadians and The Bomber Command Experience 1939 – 1945 – David L. Bashow – ISBN 1-55125-098-5 – Page 18

Question: What type and mark of aircraft was used by the 664 and 665 Squadrons? When was the aircraft taken on strength and struck off strength and how many were taken on strength?

Source: Canadian Combat and Support Aircraft – A Military Compendium – T.F. J. Leversedge – ISBN 978-1-55125-116-5 – Page 55

Question: What Canadian Squadron was credited with the last 2nd Tactical Air Force Mustang kill of the war, on April 16, 1945?

Source: Canadian Aviation Historical Society Journal – Vol.47 No. 2 – Summer 2009 – Page 42

Journal Report: Onward and Upward

Pre-production work on Journal 53-1 (Spring 2015) and Journal 53-2 (Summer 2015) are nearly complete. This has been interleaved with backburner work on articles for the other two editions of this year, as well as the ongoing intake and resource collection (i.e. additional, usually photographic, materials) activity towards future CAHS Journals.

Depending on how our printer’s scheduling works out for the printing, binding, and mailing parts of the process, both may end up being mailed together as did the previous two editions. If not, they will not be too far apart as separate mailings.

Journal 53-1 resumes the Great War aviation theme started in 2014 with Michael Deal’s “Newfoundlanders and the Allied Air Forces of the First World War”. I found it surprising that nearly three dozen young men with roots (some less permanent than others) in the tiny island dominion served in either the Royal Flying Corps, the Royal Naval Air Service, or that late-war amalgamation of the two, the Royal Air Force. Each is afforded his own concise biography in this account. They were an eclectic bunch: two the sons of a Swedish baron(!), many the sons of merchants, and some of undocumented heredity; many became aeroplane pilots, some observers, one an airship pilot, and another a physician; some did not survive the war, many left the service after the war, while a small number went on to notable careers in either civilian or military aviation.

“Eclectic” also comes to mind after reading “Domina Jalbert: Inventor of Legendary Status”. The range of projects Jalbert worked on during his career ranged from kites and barrage balloons, to parafoils large enough to sail NASA’s X-38 test vehicle back to gentle desert landings. As is often the case with author Pierre Thiffault’s contributions to our Journal, this biographical account may be seen to float on the fringes of “hard core aviation history” – but it is undoubtedly a good fit. While he did fly actual aeroplanes for only a few years, Jalbert and his inventions are very much the stuff of a pioneer-to-patron aviation industry kind of story.

Gord McNulty is another long-time CAHS Member, and occasional contributor, returning to our pages with “Classic Dart Model G Being Restored to Fly Again”. This brief but interesting piece has fellow CAHS Member Russ Norman’s restoration of a rare 1930s-era sports aircraft at its core, with a good measure of the type’s history woven in.

Finally, this edition picks the Canadair Tutor chronicle back up, at part 4, on the Air Force’s CL-41A / CT-114 programme. This installment features the abundance of rarely seen, richly captioned photos we’ve come to expect of the series. This is well matched with the level of detail presented in the text. Production refinements (compared to the development prototypes covered previously) on the way to RCAF service, improvements over the span of its service life, and the service itself through to eventual retirement from its primary role are all covered here. The lengthy career of our nation’s homegrown little trainer. It is hard to imagine that there is more to follow, but author Bill Upton is not quite done yet. Other installments are in layout as you read this.

Meanwhile, here’s an interesting find of Manfred von Richthofen footage forwarded to me recently by CAHS Journal author (and new member!) Atholl Sutherland Brown, in connection with his two-part article on First World War aces that we published in 2014. To view the video, click here.

With thanks!
Terry