Lt Gilmore C. Daniel (RCAF)

[Alex Smart]

hello and thank you Brian,

Has anyone any references as to any of 242 Sqn aircraft coming down SE of Norwich in the time frame ?
His DFC was Gazetted, presumably in the London Gazette?
Anyone found it ?
Alex

[Brian]

A further anomoly - if, as implied, Daniel was awarded a decoration for his involvement in a rescue whilst with 129 Squadron, I would think it more likely to have been a DFM than a DFC - he would have been a Sergeant Pilot at the time. I don't think he received either and that the whole story is 'confused.' The DFC mentioned was probably the US DFC awarded for a sortie in Korea in 1952, which he did receive.

As far as I am aware, none of his claims appear in the respective ORBs.

Cheers
Brian

[HAHalliday]

My book "242 Squadron: The Canadian Years", published in 1981 has a list of all pilots in the unit up to October 1941. Mr. Daniel is not mentioned. Nor is there anything about him being in combat with the squadron. Did I miss him in my research ? Or was he ever in the squadron ?

[Alexander]

Hello,

Check the link below for info:

http://collections.civilisations.ca/...esultsList.php

Alexander

[Alexander]

Hello,

Try this one. There's a problem with the other link.
2 Articles about Daniel Gilmore in "The Globe and Mail" of 1941.

http://collections.civilisations.ca/...esultsList.php

Alexander

[Alexander]

Hello,

It's me again...it seems not to work.
Use the search function, type his name and you'll find 2 articles about Daniel Gilmore.
http://www.warmuseum.ca/cwm/newspapers/intro_e.html

Alexander

[Amrit1]

I just received another response to this query over on rafcommands. Thanks Phil

Phil Listemann

Hello,I'd like to add the following details.So far I know, I did not find any trace of him in 242 Sqn ORB. What I can add is that he was posted to No.71 Sqn from No.133 Sqn on 28.09.41. There is no specific trace of him on 133 Sqn ORB, but I suspect him to belong to the batch of "7 officers posted from No.56 OTU for flying duty" on 02.09.41.

Now about his birth date, I recall that no one could enlist at the age of 15...unless telling lies on his own real birth date. It was not probably the first one to do so.

[HAHalliday]

"I was transferred to 401 Squadron. They were being equipped with P-39s. We were assigned to the Fighter Development Unit which had many different types of planes - Me109, FW190, Ju88, Ju87, He111 and Do217 as well as P-40 and P-36, and Whirlwinds, Typhoons, CR42. We strafed flak ships at Ostend and Calais trying out American planes."

No.401 Squadron was by then a Spitfire outfit - and the RAF as of that date had no captured FW.190s to test-fly. It also seems doubtful that the RAF (even the Fighter Development Unit) would be playing with P-36s - hardly a modern type of machine !

The RCAF List for 1 July 1945 shows J15016 G.C. Daniel as a Flight Lieutenant (seniority from 19 August 1943).

[HAHalliday]

I can now add a few details of his career. Born in November 1917, he enlisted in the RCAF, 20 July 1940 in Winnipeg. He was not immediately assigned to the training "pipeline" but went to a place I cannot decypher from a bad microfilm (though it may have been a Manning Depot). He was then posted to No.2 Initial Training School (Regina) on 31 August 1940. His promotion to Leading Aircraftman (22 October 1940) marked his graduation from ITS and he was posted on that date to No.1 EFTS. He was next sent to No.2 Service Flying Training School (Uplands, Ottawa) on 11 December 1940, qualifying as pilot on 21 February 1941 when he was promoted Sergeant. He is next shown as going to the Embarkation Depot on 4 March 1941 and to the RAF overseas on 25 March 1941 (this date may be either an embarkation date from Halifax or a disembarkation date in the United Kingdom). I cannot further follow his overseas posting, but can confirm that he was commissioned on 19 August 1941. He waa subsequently reported a POW (13 Otober 1941), promoted Flying Officer whilst in captivity (19 August 1942) and then Flight Lieutenant (19 August 1943). He was reported safe in the UK as of 10 May 1945 and repatriated to Canada on 1 June 1945. He was retained in various Canadian units including No.8 Repair Depot (12 June 1945), No.2 Flying Training School (5 December 1945), and No.6 OTU (22 January 1946). He was released from the RCAF on 6 June 1946.

[Brian]

Hi guys

Well, after all these revelations, I assume we can conclude that all written in The Eagle's War was journalist rubbish!

Shame!

Brian