Honouring war hero’s sacrifices

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This article was published 15/05/2017 (3293 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The heroic actions of a Victoria Cross recipient and Canadian war hero were honoured at the unveiling of a headstone and commemorative plaque at the Old Kildonan Presbyterian Cemetery.

Members of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the Royal Air Force and the Royal Canadian Air Cadets joined the community for the headstone dedication ceremony for Lt. Alan McLeod VC on May 9.

“May this commemoration to the enormous personal sacrifice of Lt. McLeod leave us with a poignant physical reminder of the war and to be remembered by the generations that will follow,” Rich Cooke, RAF squadron leader, said.

McLeod, who was born in Stonewall and became an outstanding RAF pilot, died in 1918 when he was just 19 years old after he returned to Winnipeg to recover from wounds acquired after eight German fighter aircraft attacked the RAF bomber he was piloting.

Royal Canadian Air Force Lt.-Col. Chris Morrison said keeping the history of war heroes reminds people of how Canada became a nation. He said the bravery of these soldiers have allowed Canadians to enjoy democracy nowadays.

“Great Canadians have done great things, made sacrifices for our nation. Lt. McLeod is an astounding example of that,” he said. “It’s critically important that we always remember as a nation where we’ve been, where we came to be and where we are today. The sacrifices, the bravery of people like Lt. McLeod.”

In March of 1918, while flying over enemy lines in France on a bombing mission, McLeod and his observer Lt. Arthur Hammond survived air attacks after shooting down three German aircraft. Thanks to McLeod’s outstanding flying skills, after being attacked and wounded, McLeod stood on one wing of the plane while it was still flying and was able to side-slip the Armstrong-Whitworth FK8 bomber to control the flames, while Hammond fired against the enemy. 

McLeod controlled the fuel tank fire while flying, landed the airplane and risked his own life to save Hammond, despite having five wounds and his machine being on fire. He dragged his observer away from the fire and was injured again by a bomb. Both survived the attacks and later were awarded the Victoria Cross.

McLeod is the only Commonwealth VC recipient buried in the Americas who died during the war. 

“I’m quite proud. The fact that he’s buried here in Winnipeg with the rest of the family is important. It’s different and distinctive,” Bruce MacLeod, president of the Clan MacLeod Society of Manitoba, said.

A relative of McLeod also attended the event. Alan Arnett McLeod Adams, McLeod’s nephew, said he was glad to be part of such a historical event for his family.

“I grew up listening to the stories of him and his time during the war,” he said. “It was part of growing up, part of me. It’s an honour to see this here.”

McLeod’s heroic act of saving his observer complies with the principles of the Armed Forces, Morrison said.

“One of the core principles of the armed forces is not being selfish. It is putting others before yourself. That’s why we find ourselves in UN peacekeeping missions. In this case, it was simply a camaraderie of brothers.”

Morrison said during the ceremony that although young, McLeod had an excellent knowledge of the aircraft he piloted. He enrolled in the Royal Flying Corps in Winnipeg as soon as he turned 18. He flew solo on his fifth day of in-flight instruction with only three hours of experience in aircraft and graduated with fewer than 50 hours of flying.