April 4, 1922 - July 23, 2004
Donald Arthur French was the son of Charles McIntyre French and Gabriel Yvonne (nee Pauly) French. He was born in Duncan, BC, Canada. His siblings were: Charles, Robert, Clair, Yvonne, and Jeremy. He married Dorothy and they had three children: Cynthia, Lynette, and David.
Below are excerpts from Donald French's biography. For more information, see the links below.
Royal Canadian Air Force Active Service Certificate and the Daily News article: Nanaimo Daily News · 27 Jan 1941, Mon · Page 6 – “Mr. Don French, of the staff of Buckerfields Ltd., leaves today to join the R.C.A.F.”
See photos for more information.
D.A. French would have been part of the “Draft of 83 potential pilots” posted to No. 19 E.F.T.S. Virden, Manitoba.
A total of 10:30 hours and minutes of dual instruction on the Tiger Moth is recorded in D.A. French’s logbook prior to his 10-minute solo at No. 19 E.F.T.S. at Virden, Manitoba. This would be considered to be on the lower end of the scale for the amount of time required to reach a pupil pilot’s first solo.
D.A. French spent time training on the Link Trainer flight simulator at No. 2 I.T.S., No. 19 E.F.T.S. (11 hrs.), No. 12 S.F.T.S. (20 hrs.), No. 1 O.T.U. (15 hrs.) and No. 53 O.T.U. (14 hrs. 30 mins.). Based upon his pilot’s flying log book pages, he scored above average in his Link Trainer grading at both No. 19 E.F.T.S. and No. 12 S.F.T.S. locations. No grading was documented at the O.T.U.’s. Time duration for each session on the Link Trainer increased from 30 min. at E.F.T.S. to 1 hour at S.F.T.S.
D.A French’s Pilot’s Flying Log Book Page shows the summary of flying hours and assessments for Course No. 41 on December 17, 1941. For the ‘Ab Initio’ training D.A. French was assessed ‘Average’ as a Pilot and also ‘Average’ as a Pilot-Navigator / Navigator. There were no ‘points’ documented in either flying nor airmanship recorded that would need to be improved upon. At this stage of D.A. French’s pilot training, the pathway was open to advanced training at either a single-engine or multi-engine service flying training school.
A total of 5:15 hours and minutes of dual instruction on the Cessna Crane is recorded in D.A. French’s Pilot’s Flying Log Book prior to his 15-minute solo. Before D.A. French would be permitted to go solo, he was required to sign-off on the declaration: “CERTIFIED THAT I FULLY UNDERSTAND THE PETROL SYSTEM ENDURANCE DATA, ENGINE LIMITATIONS, THE FUNCTIONING OF ALL AIRCRAFT CONTROLS AND EMERGENCY EXITS OF THE CESSNA CRANE AIRCRAFT. Refer to the Jan. 8 Flying Log Book
D.A. French was assessed ‘Above Average’ as a Pilot and also ‘Above Average’ as a Pilot-Navigator / Navigator. There were no ‘points’ listed for either flying nor airmanship recorded that would need to be improved upon. At this point in D.A. French’s flying career the path is open to either the pilot or pilot-navigator/navigator stream of training.
Based upon the D.A. French RECORD OF SERVICE as documented in his Pilot’s Flying Log Book, D.A. French followed the navigational instructor stream. Upon graduation from No. 12 S.F.T.S. Brandon, Manitoba he was posted to the Advanced Navigational Training School at Pennfield Ridge, New Brunswick followed by a posting to the Navigational Instructor Training School at Rivers, Manitoba. Upon successful completion of the navigational instructor training, he was then posted as a navigational instructor to the No. 14 Service Flying Training School in Aylmer, Ontario. There he trained pupil pilots in navigational instruction for both multi-engine aircraft such as the Avro Anson and single-engine aircraft such as the North American Harvard and North American Yale.
D.A. French, along with his fellow pupil pilots on Short Navigational Course No. 16, continued their astronomical navigation training at Rivers, Manitoba commencing on 29-May 1942 and completing on the 25-Aug. 1942. A certification of completion for the Short ‘N’ Course and qualification in Astronomical Navigation is stapled to the D.A. French’s Pilot’s Flying Log Book page. The remaining time at No. 1 C.N.S. Rivers, Manitoba from mid-Aug. 1943 to mid-Sep. 1942 would be spent qualifying D.A. French as a Navigational Instructor.
At the time of his departure from No. 14 S.F.T.S. at Aylmer, Ontario, D.A. French recorded his total flying time on Harvards as the 1st pilot being 884:20 hours and minutes and on the Yale as the 1st pilot being 374:45 hours and minutes. That was a significant number of flying hours accumulated on both types of single engine training aircraft for the time duration he spent as a navigational instructor at Aylmer. Total flying time for all types was listed at the bottom of the page as 1735 hrs. and 40 mins. which represents the GRAND TOTAL for all of D.A. French’s flying time up to March 10, 1944. Aircraft types flown by D.A. French at No. 14 S.F.T.S. Aylmer, Ontario include the Yale, Harvard II, Lysander, and Anson.
Course No. 77 at No. 14 S.F.T.S. Aylmer, Ontario which ran from 22-Mar-1943 to 7-Jul-1943. After LAC Roach graduated from No. 14 S.F.T.S. Aylmer, Ontario as a Sergeant Pilot, he was subsequently posted to Course No. 15 at No. 1 O.T.U. Bagotville, Quebec on 18-Jul-1943. However, on 22-Aug-1943 which was prior to the completion of the course at Bagotville, Sgt. Roach was then transferred to No. 9 Bombing & Gunnery School Mont Joli, Quebec as a Staff Pilot. On 27-Mar-1944 Sgt. Roach was back at No. 1 O.T.U. Bagotville, QC. on Course No. 25 which was also the same course that F/O D.A. French attended.
Based upon D.A. French’s Record of Service in his Pilot’s Flying Log Book, he was assigned to Course 25B – which started first with the C.A.C.T.E. at Camp Borden, Ontario for two weeks and then switched to the No. 1 A.T.T.D. at Greenwood, Nova Scotia for two weeks prior to his posting to No. 1 “Y” Depot, Lachine, Quebec.
F/O D.A. French for Course 25B is assessed ‘Good Average’ as a Fighter Pilot with a total flying time on Hurricanes at Greenwood, Nova Scotia of 14 hours and 50 minutes. After completion of the Advanced Tactical Training Program at both Greenwood, Nova Scotia and Camp Borden, Ontario, F/O D.A. French was granted a 2-week leave and then was posted to No. 1 “Y” Depot. Lachine, Quebec to await his orders for posting overseas.
D.A. French and several of his colleagues who were on Course No. 25 at No. 1 (F) O.T.U. Bagotville, Quebec, were despatched to No. 45 (Atlantic Transport) group at Dorval, Quebec. As former R.C.A.F. instructors they were referred to as ‘One Trippers’ with Ferry Command. On 8-Sep. 1944 D.A. French traveled overseas via a Trans-Atlantic Flight on Liberator AL-614 with the first leg from Doval, Quebec to Gander, Newfoundland followed by the second leg to Prestwick, Ayrshire Scotland rather than via troopship which was the conventional overseas travel.
While stationed at No. 3 P.R.C. at Bournemouth, U.K., D.A. French awaited an opening at a Spitfire conversion O.T.U. which was largely driven by the availability of the Typhoon fighter-bomber conversion O.T.U. slots for prospective fighter-bomber pilots. On October 2nd, 1944 D.A. French was posted from No. 3 P.R.C. to No. 53 Operational Training Unit located at Kirton-in-Lindsay, England for Spitfire conversion.
Based upon D.A. French’s Record of Service from his Pilot’s Flying Log Book he attended No. 53 O.T.U. based in Kirton-on-Lindsey and Hibaldstow, England.
D.A. French’s flying training at No. 53 O.T.U. began with a dual instruction flight in a Miles Master III with F/O Burke. The Miles Master aircraft was similar to the North American Harvard that D.A. French had flown in Canada as a trainer aircraft. Prior to D.A. French’s solo flight on the Supermarine Spitfire Mk. V aircraft, he would have been ‘checked out’ on the cockpit drill and technical aspects of the aircraft. The Spitfire Mk. V had the same powerplant, (Rolls-Royce Merlin), as the Hawker Hurricane Mk. XIIA that D.A. French flew at No. 1 (F) O.T.U. Bagotville, Quebec. However, the Spitfire was considered to be more agile and maneuverable due to its aerodynamically advanced design. The Hurricane had a relatively thick, rectangular wing, while the Spitfire had a thin, elliptical wing. However, the Spitfire was more challenging to land on difficult terrain due to its narrower landing gear.
Based upon D.A. French’s Pilot’s Flying Log Book entries, he accumulated 19 hours and 15 minutes of flying time on the Supermarine Spitfire Mk V and 45 minutes of flying time on the Miles Master II & III aircraft. He was certified as ‘proficient’ as a pilot on the types of aircraft he flew. After successfully completing Course No. 51 at No. 53 O.T.U., D.A. French was posted to No. 3 T.E.U. at Aston Down, Gloucestershire where conversion training on the Hawker Typhoon aircraft was conducted prior to posting to a front-line combat squadron.
Based upon D.A. French’s Record of Service from his Pilot’s Flying Log Book after his departure from No. 53 O.T.U., he was posted first to No. 3 T.E.U. at R.A.F. Aston Down, followed by a posting to No. 56 O.T.U. at R.A.F. Milfield. He was then posted to No. 83 G.S.U. at Westhampnett where his training on the Hawker Typhoon actually occurred.
During his time with No. 83 G.S.U. at Westhampnett and Dunsfold, D.A. French ‘ferried’ Typhoon aircraft, took a leave of absence to visit his ailing brother Robert Gordon French in hospital at St. Athans and completed his conversion training on the Typhoon in preparation for a posting to an operational squadron. Based upon D.A. French’s Pilot’s Flying Log Book RECORD OR SERVICE page he was posted to No. 83 G.S.U. on January 8th, 1945. Two days later on January 10th, 1945 he was ‘checked out’ on both the cockpit and technical drill for a solo flight in Typhoon IB RB325 for which his Log Book records as ‘Ferrying & Experience.’ The Daily Diary for No. 83 G.S.U. at Westhampnett records poor weather conditions for flying as of mid-January timeframe – “weather total u/s for flying” & “snowing hard: snow plan put in operation” – which could explain why there wasn’t more Typhoon familiarization flights recorded in D.A. French’s Pilot’s Flying Log Book. On February 1st, 1945 D.A. French travelled to St. Athans ‘TO VISIT “GORDIE”’ in hospital. He would remain with his brother for the majority of February returning most likely via rail to Westhampnett where he would continue flying on February 27th, 1945 with the ‘FLYING TRAINING WING – DUNSFOLD’. D.A. French spent the first half of March, 1945 on Typhoon conversion training. He was posted to No. 440 Squadron (R.C.A.F.) stationed at Eindhoven, Holland on March 18th, 1945.
F/O Don French flew 35 combat ops from 20-Mar-1945 (first ops) to 20-Apr-1945 (last ops) with 440 Sqn. Deceased on 23 July 2004 in Leatherhead, Surrey, England.
After the war, Don French graduated with a degree in mining engineering from University of British Columbia. He went to work for the Tungsten Mining Corporation in Yellowknife in the 1950s where he met Dorothy whom he married in January 1955. They relocated to Dawson Creek where Don worked for Imperial Oil, training on the job as a geophysicist, before moving to Edmonton, then Calgary and finally to London England in 1973 where he worked for Aramco ending his career with Texaco. Dorothy passed away in 1988 and Don in 2004, leaving 3 adult children, all still living in the UK. A cousin of Don’s by marriage – Nancy Mattson, an established Canadian author living in London – wrote a poem for Don (known as D.A.) which was read at his funeral honouring all those who volunteered as service men. The poem is titled “Song for Canadian Dads” and is reproduced below with Nancy Mattson’s permission.
Song for Canadian Dads by Nancy Mattson, 2004 (In memory of D.A. French d. 2004 in Bookham, near Leatherhead, Surrey England)
Once upon the Rockies' padded knees we circled fires against the wolves, sang road songs with refrains, sang shanties, lullabies and 'This old home's ten thousand miles down Leatherhead Road.' Once upon a folk song with throats raspy from smoke and dew, thirsty for tart red wine in a gallon jug, we reminisced, told jokes, say hurting songs and yodel-oodle-ayes on cattle drives all the way down the Calgary Trail to to the Leatherhead Road. Our fathers rode the rails and hitched rides to logging camps and mines, harbours, orchards, farm: anywhere for work, anywhere for oil or gold, wheat or lumber, built up appetites for lemon pies on the Leatherhead Road. Our fathers crossed the ocean, fought in wars they never started, never spoke of courage. Coming back, they cut a dash - who wouldn't fall in love with them? They married our moms and raised us in trailers, cabins, musical homes on city and country roads. Once upon a time must end. Now the Typhoon cruises home on Autopilot, D.A. soaring high above the Leatherhead Road.
For more details about Donald French's training and postings, please visit the link below.
A huge thank you to Frank Dutil, Chris Wolfe, and Donald French's son, David, for the information to update this page. If you are looking to read the full 133 page document including logbook pages, please contact me through the website.
LINKS: