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Name: |
CRAIG, Frederick Young "Fred", DFC |
Nationality: |
Canadian |
Regiment/Service: |
Royal Canadian Air Force |
Rank: |
Wing Commander |
Service No.: |
J/15694 |
Date of Birth: |
April 16, 1918 - Calgary, AB |
Date of Death: |
September 23, 2000 - Victoria, BC |
Place of Burial: |
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Name of Father: |
CRAIG, Owen Albert (January 31, 1888-August 22, 1971) |
Name of Mother: |
YOUNG, Mollie Claire (November 8, 1888-June 10, 1973) (m. February 14, 1912) |
CRAIG, S/L Frederick Young (J15694) - Distinguished Flying Cross - Station Tholthorpe (now No.420
Squadron) - Award effective 6 January 1945 as per London Gazette dated 16 January 1945 and AFRO 508/45 dated 23 March 1945. See War
Service Records 1939-1945 (Canadian Bank of Commerce, 1947). Details also from his logbook (loaned by his widow). Born in Calgary, 16
April 1918. Home in Vulcan, Alberta; enlisted in Edmonton, 18 December 1940. Trained at No.2 ITS, Regina (graduated 9 March 1941), No.4 AOS,
London (course lasted, 24 March to 2 June 1941); flew 56 hours 30 minutes by day and eight hours 50 minutes by night; graduated 9 June 1941)
and No.1 BGS, Jarvis (course lasted from 17 June to 17 July 1941); flew 33 hours 35 hours; graduated 19 July 1941). Then posted to No.2 ANS,
Pennfield Ridge (course from 4 August to 18 August 1941; flew 14 hours 55 minutes by day and 19 hours 35 minutes by night; graduated 19 August
1941. Most time in Ansons but six hours five minutes by day in Hudsons). Overseas in September 1941. Attended No.19 OTU, Kinloss (course from
9 November to 30 December 1941; flew 53 hours five minutes by day and 44 hours 30 minutes by night). Flew three sorties with No.51 Squadron
and 22 with No.405. From August 1942 to August 1944 he was non-operational (admin and instructing), but then went to No.420 Squadron (20
sorties). Sent to Canada to prepare "Tiger Force". Remained in postwar RCAF . From 1945 to June 1948 he was with RCAF Station
Greenwood.. Attended RCAF Staff College, Toronto, 1948-1949. DFC presented 22 June 1949. In August 1949 he was with Air Transport Command
Headquarters, Rockcliffe, and checking North Star navigators on very long runs (to Gibraltar, UK, Natal, Dakar). In 1950 much of his work was
checking Dakota navigators but late that year he was engaged on one trip to Japan (2-12 December 1950) and back (14-18 December 1950). In June
1951 with Lancasters on SHORAN photo operations. In 1951 he was appointed to command No.2 ANS, Winnipeg. Awarded Queen's Coronation Medal, 23
October 1953, when a Wing Commander at Station Winnipeg. Left Winnipeg in 1954 to serve in AFHQ. At Station Trenton, 1958-1962 (CADO). From
1962 to 1965 he was chief of the Alert Cell, SHAPE Headquarters, Paris, France. Commanded RCAF Station Lolo (Kamloops), 1965-1967; retired
1967. Photo PL-128212 is a portrait taken at Trenton, 1959. 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."
Sorties listed in logbook as follows:
| 21 January 1942 - No.51 Squadron - P/O Abercassis - Whitley Z9315, "G" - Emden (6.20,
"Good trip, heavy flak. Two kites of 20 lost. Target dead in sight. One fighter seen and two searchlights." 11 February 1942 - No.51 Squadron - Sergeant Macdonald - Whitley Z9314, "L" - Emden (6.05, "Good trip; heavy light flak, 20 searchlights, one fighter. Excellent photo.) 15 February 1942 - No.51 Squadron - P/O Hogg - Whitley Z9201 "Z" - Leaflets (5.00, "Bruges-Ghent - France, 10/10 S.C. Good D.R.") 3 March 1942 - No.405 Squadron - P/O McKay - Wellington Z8439 "R" - Ops (6.30, "Bombed Renault Works at Paris, 4,000-lb bomb. Huge explosion on island. Photograph fair - BFX East Wretham." 7 March 1942 - No.405 Squadron - P/O Allison - Wellington 8530 "A" - Ops (5.20, "Bombed St. Nazaire. Good trip. Wizard photo of bombs across docks." 9 March 1942 - No.405 Squadron - P/O Allison - Wellington 8530 "A" - Ops (5.30, "Ops to Essen. Fair navigation. Hundreds of searchlights. Heavy flak. Very faint photos." 25 March 1942 - No.405 Squadron - Flight Sergeant Moriss - Wellington 5495 "W" - Ops (5.20, "Bombing Essen. No searchlights. One fighter. Fair photo. Not my flash." 1 April 1942 - No.405 Squadron - S/L Fraser - Wellington 8358 "B" - Ops (4.30, "Bombed docks at Le Havre. Stick directly on passenger docks seen to burst. No photos. Flares chute unserviceable. Excellent trip." 6 April 1942 - No.405 Squadron - P/O Allison - Wellington Z8521 "E"- Ops (6.50, "Essen. Shaky do. W/T unserviceable. 10/10 LOS." 8 April 1942 - No.405 Squadron - P/O Allison - Wellington Z8521 "E" - Ops (5.30, "Hamburg. 9/10 cloud. Good navigation." 30 May 1942 - No.405 Squadron - Flight Sergeant Hill - Halifax W1112 "E" - Cologne (5.15, "Wonderful show. Port outer hit by flak." 1 June 1942 - No.405 Squadron - Flight Sergeant Hill - Halifax "H" - Essen (5.20, "Good show. No trouble. Astro used. 4 DR only." 2 June 1942 - No.405 Squadron - Flight Sergeant Hill - Halifax "B" - Bremen (5.00, "Easy trip. No trouble." June 1942 - No.405 Squadron - Flight Sergeant Hill - Halifax W1112 "E"- Emden (4.45, "Good show. Over Borkum. Light flak. Large fire." 8 June 1942 - No.405 Squadron - Flight Sergeant Hill - Halifax W1112 "E" - Essen (5.45, "A. Not seen. Terrific opposition." 10 June 1942 - No.405 Squadron - Flight Sergeant Hill - Halifax W1112 "E" - Essen (2.45, "Two degrees East. Returned. Icing badly." 19 June 1942 - No.405 Squadron - Flight Sergeant Hill - Halifax W1112 "E" - Emden (4.30, "10/10 S.C.. Bombed D.R." 20 June 1942 - No.405 Squadron -Flight Sergeant Hill - Halifax "C" - Emden (4.30, "Large cloud patch. Photo." 22 June 1942 - No.405 Squadron - Flight Sergeant Hill - Halifax W1112, "E" - Emden (4.30, "Wizard show. Good photo." 25 June 1942 - No.405 Squadron - Flight Sergeant Hill - Halifax W1112 "E" - Bremen (5.05, "10/10, bombed blind." 28 June 1942 - No.405 Squadron - Flight Sergeant Hill - Halifax W1112 "E" - Sea search (3.00 by day, "No luck.") 29 June 1942 - No.405 Squadron - Flight Sergeant Hill - Halifax "T" - Bremen (3.30, "Rear turret unserviceable. Bombs jettisoned." 2 July 1942 - No.405 Squadron - Flight Sergeant Hill - Halifax W1112 "E" - Bremen (5.10 "Black smoke. Hugh and many dummy fires. Much opposition. Four photos." 8 July 1942 - No.405 Squadron - Flight Sergeant Hill - Halifax W1112 "E" - Wilhelmshaven (4.37, "Piece of cake. Circled round and round over A." 13 July 1942 - No.405 Squadron - Flight Sergeant Hill - Halifax W1112, "E" - Lyon (7.18, "Leaflets. Bang on. Used two beautiful astro fixes." 31 July 1942 - No.405 Squadron - P/O Hill - Halifax W1112 "E" - Dusseldorf (4.51, "Best show ever. Scores of concentrated fires." 17 September 1944 - No.420 Squadron - F/L Buchanan - Halifax "U" - Boulogne Army Co-op (4.10, daylight "Uneventful, easy trip. 9 x 1,000, 4 x 500. F/A Atro AA - Picture OK"). 18 September 1944 - No.420 Squadron F/L Buchanan - Halifax "P" - Calais (4.20, daylight, "Easy army co-op. Picture OK. 9 x 1,000, 4 x 500") 26 September 1944 - No.420 Squadron - F/L Buchanan - Halifax "P" - Calais (4.10, daylight, remarks as above). 28 September 1944 - No.420 Squadron - F/L Buchanan - Halifax "Z" - Cap Griz Nez (4.50, daylight, "Ordered abandon trip by Master over target). 12 October 1944 - No.420 Squadron - F/L Buchanan - Halifax "P" - Wanne Eickel (5.50, daylight, "One of three crews on s quadron and one of 15 crews in Group to bomb primary. Near Gelsenkirchen. Flak moderate. Overshot camera run one minute, by ourselves. Predicted flak. Home API. OK.") 14 October 1944 - No.420 Squadron - F/L Buchanan - Halifax "P" - Duisberg (5.35, daylight, "2.5 minutes early. Heaviest raid of war. East. 6 x 500, 7 x 7,000"). 14 October 1944 - No.420 Squadron - F/L Buchanan - Halifax "P" - Duisburg (6.05, "two in a day. 13 x 420 clusters. Uneventful. Off track after target." 21 October 1944 - No.420 Squadron - F/L Buchanan - Halifax "P" - Hanover (4.00, recalled at French coast.") 23 October 1944 - No.420 Squadron - F/L Buchanan - Halifax "P" - Essen (6.05, 7 x 1,000, 4 x 500. API homing poor. Good flak. BGS easy. OK." 28 October 1944 - No.420 Squadron - F/L Buchanan - Halifax "P" - Cologne (6.45, "1 x 2,000, 4 x 1,000, 4 x 500. Wonderful prang. No.1 priority T-Power plant. Bombed freehand. OK. Ruhr chain homing." 16 November 1944 - No.420 Squadron - F/L Buchanan - Halifax "T" - Julich (5.15, daylight, "Army support. Easy. Homing Reims Chain. O/T - scattered concentration after target. Army moved in 5 days." 27 November 1944 - No.420 Squadron - F/L Buchanan - Halifax "R" - Neuss (5.35, "Near Dusseldorf, 11,000 lbs - moderate fak - diverted seening USAAF Libs. Late 12 minutes as was everybody else." 2 Decmeber 1944 - No.420 Squadron - F/L Buchanan - Halifax "P" - Hagen (7.20, "10/10. Bombed on Gee. Successful. Light flak. Icing. Uneventful." 16 January 1945 - No.420 Squadron - F/L Buchanan - Halifax "R" - Magdeburg (6.40, ("Ropey weather. Tactics bad. 400 feet for 400 aircraft. Three collisions. Four aircraft lost. Good crews too. Wizard prang." 4 February 1945 - No.420 Squadron - F/L Buchanan - Halifax "R" - Osterfeld (6.25, "6,000 feet H.E. - 10/10 Gee Bombing - fires seen. Hit slightly by flak. Two fighters seen. OK." 13 February 1945 - No.420 Squadron - F/L Buchanan - Halifax "R" - Bohlen (8.40, "ETA, W/V constant. Bombing scattered. Over target. 5,000-ln, long stooge, orbitted." 14 February 1945 - No.420 Squadron - F/L Buchanan - Halifax "R" - Mendelsham (1.05, daylight, returned from diversion. USAAF. Good food, poor accommodation. They were getting up as we were going to bed." 14 February 1945 - No.420 Squadron - F/L Buchanan - Halifax "R" - Chemnitz (time not stated. "Four minutes late ETA but two minutes late bombing. Cut corner. Tired out. Helping Joe." 24 February 1945 - No.420 Squadron - F/L Buchanan - Halifax "R" - Kamen (6.30, daylight, "Led gaggle. 10/10. Bombed on Gee. Cross lattice missed. Best gaggle yet but still not good." 11 March 1945 - No.420 Squadron - F/L Buchanan - Halifax "R" - Essen (6.35, daylight, "Over target, 10/10 on sky puffs. Second 1,000 raid on this target. Very good." 13 March 1945 - No.420 Squadron - F/L Buchanan - Halifax - Wuppertal (6.25, daylight, "22,000 lb bombs were dropped by Lancs. 10/10 again. Smoke puffs. Good navigation." 21 February 1945 - No.420 Squadron - F/L Buchanan - Halifax "R" - Worms near Mannheim (7.25, "1 x 2,000 and 8 x No.15 clusters. Very good raid." |
On 10 August 1953 he summarized his flying as follows: Anson (147.20), Battle (33.35), Hudson (6.05), Whitley IV (76.45), Wellington (45.05), Halifax II (85.30), Halifax III (165.15), Dakota (123.45), North Star (216.20), Expeditor (275.10) and Lancaster (4.15) of which 113.05 had been logged 1 January to 30 June 1953.
SOURCE: Air Force Association of Canada website & Hugh Halliday (July 30, 2010).
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