Pilot Officer John G. Magee RCAF

[Artynut]

Further to my post in “Airforce” , below, I started thinking of what medals John Magee would have been entitled to. I have spent two hours unsuccessfully, to get that information. Has any member an idea how to obtain that? There is an absolutely stunning amount of information about him, a lot is repetitive, but nothing about medals. Regards, David J.

[Walt P]

Hello David,

Thank you for piquing my interest regarding the service & sacrifice of P/O Magee. After much research, I've discovered that he did not qualify for any medals, given his very short time with the RCAF. His active service was from Sept 1941 until his death due to a training accident on 11 Dec 1941.

The only government issued medal would have been the Memorial Cross given to his next of kin.

Cheers,

Walt

[Bill A]

If he was a volunteer he should have qualified for the CVSM. Death due to service allowed for the award. And the War Medal as well. He served for more than 28 days.

[Walt P]

Please provide proof Bill.

Thanks,

Walt

[Walt P]

Darell,

Thank you for the detailed info. You stated " Pilot Officer Magee most certainly qualified for medals." Please qualify your statement. Upon researching P/O Mcgee's entitlement to awards, he did not qualify for any, due to his length of service. Please correct me if I am mistaken. Cheers,

Walt

[Darrell]

Hi Walt

Ummm, OK....pretty simple and obvious to me but if medals aren't your thing then I guess you would not see it as being so obvious as I do.

While I cannot, at this time, provide you with proof that Magee's family were sent anything other than a Memorial Bar and Memorial Cross, the criteria for the various medals that I mentioned above certainly allow for the reasoning of him earning them by his service. Not awarded to him personally, of course, as SWW service and Campaign medals did not get issued until after the war. Certainly "earned".

Here is a brief qualification summary for the medals that I mentioned.

39/45 Star - 180 days operational service overseas between 3 September 1939 and either 8 May 1945 in Europe or 2 September 1945 in the Far East theatre. Special criteria- The award of a gallantry medal or Mention in Dispatches qualified the recipient for the award of the 1939–1945 Star, regardless of service duration. Personnel whose qualifying service period was terminated prematurely by their death or disability due to service were awarded this Star.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1939%E...%20this%20Star.

ACE Star -The Air Crew Europe Star was awarded for operational flying from bases in the United Kingdom over Europe from the outbreak of the Second World War on 3 September 1939 to 5 June 1944, the day before the D-Day Normandy Invasion, both dates inclusive.... Personnel whose required qualifying service period was terminated prematurely by their death, disability or wounding due to service, were awarded the Star regardless of service duration.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Crew_Europe_Star

CVSM - - the Medal may be awarded....posthumously, to the survivor of a person of any rank in the armed forces of Canada who voluntarily served on active service and was killed in action or died as a result of an injury or disease, or an aggravation thereof, that was attributable to or was incurred during such active service; para 5(1)(b) at:
https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/.../FullText.html

1939-1945 War Medal - ...for award to citizens of the British Commonwealth who had served full-time in the Armed Forces or the Merchant Navy for at least 28 days between 3 September 1939 and 2 September 1945....The medal was awarded to personnel whose required service period was terminated prematurely by death, disability due to service or capture as a prisoner-of-war and whose service qualified them for one of the Second World War Campaign Stars. Personnel who had received one of the Stars for service of less than 28 days were also awarded the War Medal 1939–1945...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_Me...9%E2%80%931945

Clear? Happy to help you with any Q's that you may have.

You did say "...After much research, I've discovered that he did not qualify for any medals, given his very short time with the RCAF..." and I fail to see how you came to that conclusion given the clear criteria for each medal. He joined 10/10/40 and was killed in the UK 11/12/41. That's 14 months. May I ask you why you think that he did not qualify medals?

regards
Darrell

[Darrell]

Hi David

I have read through his entire (fascinating) service file and other than the Memorial Cross to his Mother, a Memorial Bar was also sent. That is all that is recorded in the file WRT medals.

His file is online here: https://collectionscanada.ca/obj/001...spie-j5823.pdf

That said, Pilot Officer Magee most certainly qualified for medals. Although there is no mention in his file online, his 14 months of service in Canada and in the UK as an Operational Fighter Pilot in the RCAF would have earned him, at the very least, the fol medals:

1939-1945 Star,
Air Crew Europe Star,
Canadian Volunteer Service Medal w/ Overseas clasp, and
1939-1945 War Medal.

The criteria for each have length of service and location caveats but some of those are waived if killed on service.

A basic description for each can be found here: https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remem...ls-decorations

All were un-named as issued and were not even issued until after the war. It is possible that they were not sent but also that they were but his parents did not receive them as they had moved in 1945. Maybe returned to Ottawa as undelivered? Again, normally one should see that in the file but it is not there.

There is no Discharge certificate or medal entitlement card in the online file, as I would have expected, but that may or may not be unusual. I do not have lot of experience with RCAF casualty files.

His death was not a Training Accident except in the view that an Oxford Training aircraft and his Spitfire collided but he himself was Operational with 412 Sqn. A Flying Accident would be a better description as he had completed all training and was posted to an Operational Sqn.

Hope that helps.

regards
Darrell