McElroy, Shelly Dunkirk and Battle of Britain Top Gun

WW2 Ace Pilot Officer William McKnight

In February 1939, 21-year-old medical student William Lidstone McKnight interrupted his studies at the University of Alberta to join the RAF on a Short Service Commission. Leaving his home in Calgary, he traveled to Great Britain and joined No. 242 Squadron, which was composed largely of Canadian pilots. From February 1940, he flew the Hawker Hurricane. On May 19, 1940, while the squadron was engaged in aerial combat over France, Pilot Officer McKnight scored his first kill: a Messerschmitt 109E. By June 1, he had destroyed nine enemy aircraft; three additional kills remained unconfirmed. On June 14the day he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)he added two more Me 109s to his tally. This achievement made him the most successful Canadian fighter pilot (ace) of the time, a title he held until his death. When the legendary, double-amputee Squadron Leader Douglas Bader took command on June 23, 1940, McKnight continued to distinguish himself: he claimed another six and a half kills and received a Bar to his DFCbecoming the first Canadian airman ever to do so. On November 5, 1940, he participated in the destruction of another Me 109. McKnight himself claimed twenty-three killsa figure confirmed in this book through his logbook and combat reports. In early 1941, Fighter Command shifted to offensive operations. On January 12, during one of the first low-level strike missions (known as "Rhubarb" sorties) over the Pas-de-Calais, McKnights pair attacked German troops under heavy fire before encountering Me 109s. His wingman returned safely, but McKnight was never seen again. Whether he was shot down by enemy fighters or anti-aircraft fire remains unresolved. In this bookthe first biography of "Bill"we encounter two William Lidstone McKnights: there is "Willie," as he was universally known in the militarythe expert marksman and leading Canadian fighter pilot of the early war; and there is "Bill," as he called himselfa complex young man who came of age during a violent and turbulent period of world history.