Leonard Birchall - Citizendia

Air Commodore Leonard Joseph Birchall, CM, OBE, DFC, O.Ont, CD (July 6, 1915 - September 10, 2004 ), "The Saviour of Ceylon", was born on July 6, 1915, in St. Catharines, Ontario. Air Commodore ( Air Cdre in the RAF, AIRCDRE in the RNZAF and RAAF, A/C in the former RCAF) is a rank in The Order of Canada is the highest civilian honour within the Canadian system of honours, with membership awarded to those who exemplify the order's Latin The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom 's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly This article is about the Canadian order Oont is Urdu for " Camel " and was adopted as an Anglo-Indian term for the animal during British The Canadian Forces Decoration is a Canadian Award bestowed upon members of the Canadian Forces who have completed twelve years of military service Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 506 - The Bishops of Visigothic Gaul meet in the Council of Agde. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Events 1044 - The Battle of Ménfő takes place 1189 - Richard the Lionheart is crowned King of England Year 1915 ( MCMXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year He graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, student #2364 in 1933. The Royal Military College of Canada (RMC is the Military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting University. Kingston Ontario is a Canadian city located at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, where the lake runs into the St

After serving in the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1937 to train as a pilot. The Royal Canadian Corps of Signals (RCCS RC Sigs was a corps of the Canadian Army. At the outbreak of the Second World War he flew convoy and anti-submarine patrols from Nova Scotia. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Nova Scotia (ˌnəʊvəˈskəʊʃə ( Latin for New Scotland; Alba Nuadh Nouvelle-Écosse is a Canadian province located on Canada 's In early 1942, he joined 413 Squadron, then based in the Shetland Islands and flew patrols over the North Sea. History Created as the third RCAF squadron attached to the RAF Coastal Command. Shetland (formerly spelled Zetland, from etland; Old Norse non Hjaltland; Sealtainn is an Archipelago off the northeast coast of The North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf. After the Japanese successes in South-East Asia, the squadron was sent to Ceylon to provide a reconnaissance force. Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island

On April 4, 1942, only two days after arrival, Squadron Leader Birchall was flying a Royal Canadian Air Force Catalina flying boat that was patrolling the ocean to the south of Ceylon. Events 1581 - Francis Drake completes a circumnavigation of the world and is knighted by Elizabeth I. Year 1942 ( MCMXLII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout A flying boat is a specialised form of Aircraft that is designed to take off from and land on water using its Fuselage as a floating hull. Eight hours into the mission, as the plane was about to return to base, the lookouts spotted ships on the horizon. Investigation revealed a large Japanese fleet, including five aircraft carriers, headed for Ceylon, which at that time was the base for the Royal Navy's Eastern Fleet. An aircraft carrier is a Warship designed with The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore known as the Senior Service) The British Eastern Fleet (also known as the East Indies Fleet and the Far East Fleet) was a fleet of the Royal Navy during World War II Birchall's crew managed to send out a radio message, but the Catalina was soon shot down. Three crewmen were killed and the others, including Birchall, spent the rest of the war as prisoners. The attack went ahead despite Birchall’s signal, but because of him the British cleared the port of shipping and inflicted significant losses on the Japanese(5 planes lost) who caused little damage on the port (sunk 6 ships). ^[1] These losses later had repercussions both in the battle of the Coral Sea and again in the battle of Midway. The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought from May 4 – May 8, 1942, with most of the action occurring on May 7 and May 8, was The Battle of Midway was a major Naval battle, widely regarded as the most important one of the Pacific Campaign of World War II.

Birchall’s heroism did not end with that exploit. As the senior Allied officer in four successor Japanese POW camps the resistance he led decreased the Allied death rate from an average of 30% to less than 2%. His diaries, written during his captivity and buried, formed the basis of a number of Allied wartime trials at which Birchall testified.

Writing after the war, Winston Churchill called Birchall the "Saviour of Ceylon" and said that if the British fleet had been defeated at Ceylon, then North Africa would have been lost to the Germans. Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874

During his time in the Japanese prisoner of war (POW) camps, Birchall repeatedly stood up to the Japanese and demanded fair treatment of the prisoners, in compliance with the Geneva Convention. In his first camp, he struck a Japanese soldier who was forcing a wounded Australian to work. This earned Birchall a severe beating and solitary confinement, but won him the respect of the other POWs. While in the camps, Birchall kept a set of diaries that detailed deaths and mistreatment by the guards. In 1944, Birchall encountered a situation in which sick men were being forced to work on the docks. Year 1944 ( MCMXLIV) was a Leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. He ordered all of the men to stop working until the sick were excused. Birchall was beaten and sent to a special discipline camp, where he again was beaten. He was liberated on August 27, 1945 by American troops. Events 479 BC - Greco-Persian Wars: Persian forces led by Mardonius are routed by Pausanias, the Spartan Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar

Birchall was made an officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1946, after his return to Canada. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British Order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The citation, in part, read: "he continually displayed the utmost concern for the welfare of fellow prisoners with complete disregard for his own safety. His consistent gallantry and glowing devotion to his men were in keeping with the finest traditions of the service". He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his part in detecting the attack on Ceylon. The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom 's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly

In 1950, US President Harry Truman appointed Birchall an officer of the Legion of Merit, saying: "His exploits became legendary throughout Japan and brought renewed faith and strength to many hundreds of ill and disheartened prisoners. The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding "

Birchall was a member of the prosecuting team at the Japanese war crime trials. His diaries were used in evidence. He served on the Canadian attaché staff in Washington, D.C., then was a member of the Canadian NATO delegation in Paris. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D The North Atlantic Treaty Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city He commanded a fighter base and later was commandant of the Royal Military College of Canada. The Royal Military College of Canada (RMC is the Military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting University. He retired from the RCAF in 1967, rather than be associated with the unification of the Armed Forces. He later served as honorary colonel of 413 Squadron in the Air Reserve.

He was an official observer during Sri Lanka's general election of 1994. Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island Birchall was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 1999. The Order of Canada is the highest civilian honour within the Canadian system of honours, with membership awarded to those who exemplify the order's Latin

He was the only member of the Canadian military to have earned five clasps for his Canadian Forces Decoration (CD), representing 62 years of service with the air force. The Canadian Forces Decoration is a Canadian Award bestowed upon members of the Canadian Forces who have completed twelve years of military service The only other person with five clasps was Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother. Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (Elizabeth Angela Marguerite 4 August 1900 &ndash 30 March 2002 was the Queen Consort of King George

Birchall died in Kingston, Ontario at the age of 89. Kingston Ontario is a Canadian city located at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, where the lake runs into the St

References

^ Brereton Greenhous et al. The Crucible of War 1939-1945: The Official History of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Vol. III. p. 386. ISBN 978-0802005748

External links

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