Calgary Alberta's Own Air Ace ( Canada's 1st WWII )

An Unnerving Message To The German Pilots On Both Sides Of Willie's Plane.

Calgary Alberta's Own Air Ace 

 ( Canada's 1st WWII )

Written By : Jeffrey R Hilton

Feb.12, 2012

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William, Lidstone, McKnight,  DFC,  ( Distinguished Flying Cross ) and  BAR

( a.k.a  Willie McKnight )

1918 - 1941

Willie was born in Edmonton Alberta,  in 1918.  He was relocated to Calgary soon after and grew up in Calgary.  He attended Crescent Heights High School and had a bit of a reputation for his bravado and rebelliousness.  He quarterbacked the football team and was once the talk of the neighborhood after he crashed his father's car through a fence while trying to impress a girlfriend.   He entered Medical School at the University Of Alberta and was on the verge of expulsion when England's RAF came calling to Calgary on a recruiting mission as WWII was breaking out.  The adventure and call of duty appealed to Willie who set sail for England soon after.  Willie entered fighter pilot school in Cheltenham,  along with other Western Canadian recruits.  These Canadians would eventually be formed into an all Canadian,  formidable,  flight squadron.   Later when the squadron had to be regrouped after losing 11 pilots,  The squadron obtained a new commander,  England's legless and legendary pilot,  Douglas Bader.


Willie happened upon a Limousine that brass had left abandoned and unattended.  The temptation was too much.  Willie commandeered the car and carried on a romantic liaison with a Parrisienne girl from Paris whom he eventually tried to smuggle back to England.  Also around this time, Willie was arrested and confined to his barracks twice for two weeks at a time,  once for inciting a riot.  These kind of hi-jinks soon came to an end as Germany invaded Poland,  pushing the seriousness of the situation.  William became an acting pilot officer first attached to the No. 615 Squadron,  based at Abbeville France.  Constant retreats led the squad to relocate 3 times in  6 days.

The 242, had many roles in the campaign,  sometimes escorting,  Blenheim Bombers,  Targeting raids of opportunity,  defending England from enemy raiders and other roles.
During another operation as part of a,  Big Wing Group,  of 3 squadrons flying together  Willie's aileron was shot right off as they attacked an enemy raiding party,  and he barely made it back to base.    

Willie's Plane With Jackboot Kicking Hitler's Ass.

  
It wasn't long before Willie's,  balls to the wall,  attitude earned him his first confirmed kill,   as he flew a smaller four man,  night  patrol over Cambrai on May 19, 1940.  The squadron was surprised by two groups of Messerschmitt Bf 109s.  Four of them against 19 fighters.  Willie who was flying tail end, alerted his other squad members and accelerated into a steep climbing turn that brought him nose to tail with one of the bombers and wasted no time bringing the bomber down.


In a letter William write to a friend in 1940, he mentions that there are only 5 Canadians left of his his original all Canadian Flight Squadron.  The squad had taken a beating in the Battle of Britain and in the later days,  the squadron was filled in with other British pilots.  Willie shot down 2  Messerscmitt 109's and a Henkel 111,  in his Hawker Hurricane early in his short career.  He narrowly escaped death a few times and limped back to base with a shot up oil and cooling system.  He was so keen to fly that it eventually landed him in the hospital,  diagnosed with a serious case of sleep deprivation and stomach troubles.  Willie lost 27 lbs during that ordeal.  This was short lived and Willie was taking the fight back to the German's in no time. 

Willie added two more kills on 18 Sept. 1940 when he shot down a Dornier DO 17 and helped bring down two Junkers.  Willie became Douglas Bader's wingman when Bader was made Commander of the squadron.  The Squadron was recalled to England for much needed rest and leave,  but this was cut short as the allied armies and the BEF,  ( British Expeditionary Force ) were being funneled into Dunkirk,  where they would be slaughtered by the 1000's by the Germans.   The eleven original Canadian pilots that were killed was during this evacuation of Brittany and the fiasco that was, The Evacuation Of Dunkirk.  Willie shot down 10 enemy planes during the evacuation sorties.


Willie's final victory came while patrolling the Thames Estuary,  as he attacked and disabled a BF 109.  Willie knew the enemy pilots plane was disabled and he pulled alongside and motioned the pilot to drop his landing gear to signify defeat,  but the young German pilot bailed instead.  Willie's unfortunate demise came when he and another squadron member,  began strafing an E- Boat in the Channel,  An anti aircraft gun began firing at them and his partner broke off and made it back to base.  William McKnight sadly, never returned.  He died a hero,  fighting for the most worthy and noble of causes. 


By the time he was shot down and killed in action over Dunkirk by coastal guns,  he had tallied up, 17 victories,  2, shared victories,  and 3 unconfirmed kills.  His body was never found and his memorial can be found at,  Runnymede,  War Memorial,  in  Englefield Green,  Egham,  Surrey.  Below is the famous 242 badge complete with Canadian Moose and the Squadrons motto in French,   " Always Ready "

Always Ready

RAF

McKnight's  Hatrick  Painted  By  Michael  Martchenko

The above painting depicts McKnight's 3 victory Hatrick in one day.

Evacuation From Dunkirk

McKnight's Plane

Willie became the 5th highest scoring Canadian in WWII.   Canadian ace,  John Blatta 

with 5 victories was killed on the same day as William McKnight.  A lot of young, Canadian and Americans were attracted to the romance of being an aviator.  So many of them never lived long enough to see the final victory over the enemy.  Willie once said that when he flew,  It all seemed so scary and surreal,  but when any sort of action presented itself,  any fears were soon banished as you were so busy and concentrated,  there was no time to worry.

William Lidstone McKnight would score one more victory after his death.  A main road in Northwest Calgary running,  East to West,  called 48 Ave. North,  was shot down and renamed,   McKnight, Boulevard,  in his honor.

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Do Have A Good Day And Remember The Costs Of Freedom.

Jeffrey R Hilton 

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Weaselhead And Glenmore Park Showcased ( Calgary Alberta )

Weaselhead And Glenmore Park  ( Calgary Alberta )

Showcased

Written By : Jeffrey R Hilton

Feb. 13, 2012

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Area History

Weaselhead,  Got it's name from the,  Sarcee Indian Chief,  that presided in the area.  The natural park was originally part  of the land the Sarcee's settled on,  after breaking off from the rest of the tribe known as the,  Danezaa,  Beaver,  Indians,  and migrating south in the 1700s.  The reserve that backs onto the area from the west is now known as T'suu, T'ina Nation Reserve.  The Elbow River that flows through it was originally called,  The Swift River by the local natives.  While Calgary has two major rivers flowing through it,  the Elbow River,  provides the only river delta in Calgary.  Weaselhead spans across 237 hectares of wetland's,  varied forest,  river bank,  flats,  and some of the reservoirs shoreline and is accessible from the West end of Glenmore Park,  in Calgary.  The mouth of the Elbow River is here,  and forms the Glenmore Reservoir that quenches the thirst of half of Calgary's population.  The reservoir itself was created when Glenmore Dam was completed in 1933.

Weaselhead Pedestrian Bridge

  


The pedestrian bridge that crosses the Elbow River and allows passage into Weaselhead from south Glenmore Park,  has been replaced more than a few times after being washed away by winter ice and flooding over the years. Glenmore Park itself wasn't created until the early 1980's and the entire area was used for military training purposes.  Foxholes are still to be seen in some parts of Weaselhead.  This area is extremely important to the survival of many animals and birds that make their home there or include the area on their migratory paths.

This park is one of Calgary's finest gems and part of a 3 park system that surrounds the reservoir,  and is interspersed with paved trails and unpaved paths.  The park is well kept and well used by many people pursuing many different activities from,  simple picnics and sitting under a tree relaxing with a book,  to dog walking,  horseback riding,  fishing,  sailing,  canoeing,  hiking,  biking,  jogging and bird watching.  Canoes can be launched from the Glenmore Rowing Club,  at the other end of the park.  Motorized water transport is strictly forbidden on the reservoir. Calgary's,  Heritage Park is located on the shores of the reservoir not far away from Weaselhead.  The parks provide an excellent place to x-country ski in winter without leaving the city.   Dragon Boat races are held yearly in the reservoir.

 260 species of birds have been identified at Weaselhead.  This number includes,  3 species of Hummingbirds,  The Rufous,  The Calliope,  and the Ruby Throated Hummingbird.  To see all 3 sharing the same habitat is a rare treat for bird watchers.  A fourth species,  The Black Chinned Hummingbird may have disappeared from the area.  Some of the other birds found here periodically are,  Loons,  Tundra Swans, 9 different species of Owls, 10 species of Woodpeckers,  Turkey Vultures,  The American Avocet,  Lesser Yellow Legs,  and Red And White Winged Crossbills.  Two of my favorite birds have been known to frequent the area often,  The Great Blue Heron,  and the Falcon.   Once in awhile  Black Bears are spotted in the park,  but these instances are sporadic and rare and the bears rarely cause trouble as they move through this wildlife corridor that runs through Calgary.  The park also provides habitat for Mink,  Coyotes,  Deer,  Moose and many other smaller animals.  The flats themselves,  were created after the dam was built.     

Trembling Aspen

Weaselhead has a diverse collection of both flora and fauna.  While White Spruce dominates a lot of Weaselhead,  Balsam Poplar,  Trembling,  Aspen,  Sandbar Willows  and Water Birch also thrive here.  The entire reservoir can be circumnavigated by bicycle or on foot.  If you come to the park for a hike in spring,  make sure you bring sufficient footwear as the trails are often muddy and partially ice covered.  If you plan on fishing,  Brown Trout could be on the menu as well as Yellow Perch, and Mountain Whitefish.  Just make sure you have a valid fishing license.  If you go to this park once,  you will be back many times and it's diversity lends itself to being one of Calgary's top parks.

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Do Have A Good Day And A Pleasant Week.  

Jeffrey Robert Hilton

Worst Canadian Winters

Canada is a vast land of extremes. Winters here are something that we as Canadians have adapted to and have been conditioned to survive the harshest of what winter can throw at us. Human beings are essentially tropical animals that are not equipped for even mild cold winters. It's only because of our behavioral adaptions,  appropriate winter clothing and shelter that we manage to survive and even thrive through our tough winters.

THIS IS NEVER A GOOD SIGN

The most frigid major city in Canada in winter wins  mitts down,  the honor going to the city of Winnipeg,  Manitoba,   where the average daily temperature in winter is  -15.3 c.  that is of course without the wind chill factored in and -40 for weeks on end is as common in Manitoba.  The myth surrounding whether Portage and Main in downtown Winnipeg is the coldest corner in Canada, and immortalized in song by The Guess Who as 50 below,  has been ruled out as just that,  a myth. While it is bloody bone chilling cold in winter alright, it is downtown and with the protection of lots of buildings for wind breaks, it can't help to be a little warmer than it will be out at the airport per say where it's always colder.  The prairies are colder anyway from lack of windbreaks,  natural and otherwise,  so when the winter winds blow up a blizzard, it's usually of significant proportions and comes with a huge downward spike in temperature.

In 1947,  Northern and Western Canada experienced one of the worst winters ever as cold arctic air moved into Canada from eastern Siberia  stalled over the Yukon for over a week setting a record low of -63 c. in Snag Yukon as 38cm of snow laid on the ground.  It went onto set other record lows as recorded in Fort Nelson B.C,  Jan.30/1947,  -51.7 and -50 in Fort McMurray Alberta, Feb.1/1947.  -58.9,  Smith River B.C,  1947.  A temperature was recorded in Calgary Alberta as,  -45 in 1893.  Calgary is lucky as it is situated in what is called a prairie steppe climate. The city is in a valley and subject to warm Chinook winds that can blow down from the mountains and raise the temperature up to 30 degrees in an hour and leaving Calgarians basking in the warm reprieve from winter for a day or up to a week or more.

NO SCHOOL TODAY !

  


To demonstrate the effect of prairie blizzards,  in Saskatchewan a train was halted in a blizzard that raged from, Jan.31 to Feb.9, 1947.  The train was then buried completely by a snowdrift 1 km long and 36.7 ft deep.  It was called the worst recorded winter conditions in the railroads recorded history.  All roads into Regina were also blocked in with snow as was all of Saskatchewan,  and the rest of the prairies didn't fare much better either. Many people were trapped in their homes for over a week.


With temperatures at -60, when you exhale, it makes a hissing sound as the moisture in your breath freezes in the air and vapor trails are created that drift upward up to 500m.
The lowest temperature ever recorded on the planet was -89.2,  July,21/1983,  in Vostok Antarctica.  Apparently, even the sled dogs wouldn't start and went on strike.  Canada is considered the coldest country in the world next to Mongolia and Russia.  The dangers of winter are mainly Hypothermia, driving,  loss of power and heat as strong winds and or ice rain knock out power lines.  Ice rain is restricted mostly to eastern and central Canada. 

TREES IN SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO COVERED IN ICE AFTER AN ICE RAIN

THE LAST THING A CANADIAN WANTS TO SEE OUT THE WINDOW IN THE MORNING BEFORE WORK

OOPS, AT LEAST HE'S NOT BLOCKING THE ROAD

I KNOW OUR HOUSE IS AROUND HERE SOMEWHERE

Scholastic.ca

FROSTBITE AND FROST NIP EXPLAINED

Women are less prone to getting frostbite than as are men because they have a higher gradient temperature from skin surface to body core. However that makes women more susceptible to surface damage of the skin,  rather than the deeper damage occurred by men exposed to freezing temperatures.  When temperatures drop well below freezing,  exposed skin can freeze in less that 3 minutes.  When windchill is factored in, it can mean a matter of seconds instead if the winds are strong enough and the temperature low enough.  Elder's are at risk of heart attack from shoveling snow in winter and many Canadians get back injuries from shoveling snow.


Before you get frostbite, you get frost-nip.  Your extremities begin to get sluggish as blood leaves the skin surface to try and warm the core.  This is why your fingertips and your ears get cold first and lose sensation,  making it hard to even do up a button or feel your ears.  Even nerve cells transmit more slowly as blood flow is diverted away from the extremities. Frost-nip is when the surface layers of your skin freeze.  Frost bitten skin has fallen below freezing and ice crystals form in living cells,  killing them. Surface blood vessels dilate,  muscular contractions begin and shivering actually produces 5 times more heat production for the body to try and warm up with.  Skin turns pasty white and loses all sensation. 


Deep frostbite turns the skin blue,  black and purple and means extensive tissue damage and even muscle and bone damage  causing the need for amputation.  If frostbitten skin is rewarmed to quickly,  it can cause serious damage to the skin causing it to swell and blister.  When frostbitten skin hardens to a black carapace,  if it's not too severe dead layers of skin slough off and it's a painful experience.  To survive extreme cold,  you have to raise your body temperature by generating enough energy.  The only way to do this is to first have the right kinds of food in your body that provide good fuel and secondly preventing heat loss by what ever manner we can manage. If fire and shelter isn't an option, choices are limited.  


When we get cold we  have to pee more often and this is just your body's defense against the cold as it tries to eliminate as much water out of your urine as it can.  Both children and animals are at high risk from frostbite and must be protected from extreme cold weather.  Do not leave dogs outside for too long or for extended walks without foot protection.  All to often,  a common sight in winter in Alberta is young children of immigrant families going from their house and jumping into cars barefoot and even babies  carried or in a stroller outside in bare feet.  That is extremely irresponsible on the parents part and this practice should be stopped.  

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*WARNING THE FOLLOWING PICTURES ARE GRAPHIC IN NATURE * 

        

Canadians have a love hate relationship with winter and you either like it or you don't.  We ski,  skate,  toboggan,  snowmobile,  race motorcycles on ice,  play hockey,  ice climb,  ice fish,  and even take annual polar dips. Ya,  we're a little crazy.  We're Canadians, Eh?     A large and growing number of Canadians opt for warmer climates in winter and the sooner I am among their numbers,  the happier I will be,  as winter is my least favorite season in Canada.

Thank You for your continued support of this blog.

Do Have A Good Day And A Warm Night

Jeffrey R Hilton

   

Calgary Alberta Canada

Calgary Alberta Canada

Calgary Alberta Canada.  My City.  Having spent 25 years of my life in Calgary,  It's a city that rarely ever let me down in any way and has provided some of the greatest adventures and experiences I have ever had.  I was only 18 when I first laid eyes on Calgary and that was after hitchhiking over 3000 miles from Ontario to get here in the dead of winter. It took me 3 days to arrive and I had no idea what to expect. Would it be like a Wild West Town ?  I didn't know.  After travelling across the prairies and experiencing  minus 70 degree weather with the added chill factor in Manitoba, I was taken aback when I got here as people were outside in T-Shirts washing their cars in double digit weather surrounded by fast melting snow banks from the last storm they had. While it was hardly like the wild west I thought it might be and cowboy hats are not that popular until Stampede Week and the sidewalks seemed to roll up by 10 PM each night and nightlife was either non existent or in it's infancy. It's alive and well and ever expanding today.    


Calgary has had a huge growth spurt in recent years, swelling to over a million residents. Most of the new influx are immigrants from every corner of the world. Calgary is spread out over an expansive wide area and still has a feel of wide open spaces. New communities and the major shopping centers that go with them have sprung up everywhere spreading outwards and swallowing up a lot of the farmland formerly within city limits.  Anyone that's ever heard of Calgary outside of Canada, no doubt associates our city with the Calgary Stampede, billed as the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth and the population swells even more every year at Stampede with visitors from around the world.  There is a plethora of other things to do and see here, both inside and outside the city. The Bow River originating from Bow Glacier provides drinking water for Calgary along with the Elbow River pictured below which empties into the Bow in Calgary. Both rivers provide whitewater opportunities along with great camping and fishing.  The rivers are developed with paved and unpaved pathways throughout the city making it appealing for cyclists and joggers alike. There really is something for everyone here.

Elbow River upstream from Elbow Falls

Bow River at Carburn Park Calgary

Some Of  Downtown's East End

Calgary hosts an amazing amount of cultural events.  Chinooks that raise winter temperatures from minus to double digits within a few hours and last anywhere from a few hours to a  days or even a week.  There is a thriving Art community, major Outlet Stores  and . The City is one of contrasts and extremes. The lowest recorded temperature was - 45 c or - 49 f   in 1893 and the highest was + 36 c or 97 f.  A Dry Humid Continental Climate with short summer and long winters are typical. 

The City still doesn't have that overcrowded feel as other large cities like Montreal and Toronto have. What's not to like. Through boom and bust the city has always provided a good living for those that want to work. Real Estate is still reasonably obtainable, price wise. The infrastructure is struggling to catch up with the populace so construction here is non stop.  Skilled Labor is always in demand.  Even today, traffic jams here are mild compared to other major centers.

Oil was discovered here in 1902 and today Calgary is a world leader in gas and oil exploration. Our economy runs mostly on the Petroleum industry as well as Agriculture and Tourism. We are listed on the USDA's plant hardiness scale as Zone 3a making gardening somewhat challenging and short but very doable.


Calgary hosted the first ever Olympic Winter games in 1988.  It was a huge success. Our cities close proximity to Banff National Park offers unmatched wonders and includes The Banff Springs Hotel built in 1887 by the CPR railroad in Scottish Baronial style and replaced in 1911. It wasn't until 1968 that the hotel was fully winterized allowing guests all year round accommodation. The Banff Hot Springs are a major attraction there along with nearby Lake Louise and some of the finest Skiing anywhere.

Banff Springs Hotel

If you have never been to Calgary, put it on your bucket list of places to see. It's well worth it. I have even witnessed the Northern Lights at least once from inside the city. There city are 40 city parks. Many are along the two rivers. Calgary is a very hospitable city full of friendly people.

Princes Island Park in Calgary

Princes Island Park

Bow River at Inglewood Bird Sanctuary

I've only scratched the surface on the variety of sights and reasons that make Calgary such a great city. Come see for yourself.

Do Have A Good Day and see you in Calgary.

                                 J. R Hilton