Frederick McCall

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For the basketball coach, see Fred McCall.

Frederick McCall
No. XIII Squadron RAF
No. 41 Squadron RAF
Battles/warsWorld War I
World War II
AwardsDistinguished Service Order
Military Cross & Bar
Distinguished Flying Cross
Other workAviation pioneer

Frederick Robert Gordon McCall

air ace during World War I, with 35 confirmed and two unconfirmed victories.[1] After a career in civil aviation, he returned to service in World War II
.

Early life

Born in

175th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF). Eight months later, he was in France with this battalion as a sergeant.[2]

McCall expressed interest in transferring from the army to the

No. XIII Squadron on the Western Front, flying the two seater Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8 reconnaissance aircraft with F.C. Farrington.[4]

Aerial service in World War I

McCall's first aerial victory occurred while flying the

R.E.8, shooting down a German aircraft. McCall was awarded the Military Cross
"for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty", and two weeks later the accompanying Bar for downing an enemy scout aircraft while on a mission to take photographs.

After his third victory while flying the R.E.8, McCall was next transferred to

Distinguished Flying Cross after scoring four 'kills' in May 1918. On 28 June 1918, McCall downed four enemy aircraft, including one shared with Eric John Stephens. On 30 June 1918, now Captain McCall downed five more Germans, four in the morning and the fifth that evening. For this McCall was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.[5]

On 17 August, he was accompanying William Gordon Claxton when the pair of them ran into Jagstaffel 20, which consisted of at least 40 aircraft. In the ensuing fight, which saw Claxton shot down, McCall scored a victory.

McCall was ordered to England, and eventually to Canada, on convalescent leave. The

armistice
ending World War I was signed while McCall was in Canada recuperating from illness.

Life between the wars

plane on top of a merry go round
McCall landing atop a merry-go-round at the Calgary Stampede
plane on top of a merry go round
McCall landing atop a merry-go-round at the Calgary Stampede

Following the armistice, McCall embarked upon a variety of civil aviation ventures, beginning with stunt flying. On 5 July 1919, while barnstorming, he crash-landed when his engine failed while he was taking off. His landing site was the top of the merry-go-round at the

Calgary Exhibition and Stampede. He and his two passengers were not injured.[6]

He founded his own company, McCall Aero Corporation Limited, in 1920. With this company, McCall flew commercial freight and passengers across Canada, pioneering air travel to Banff.

In 1928, he founded, with Emil Sick, another aviation company Great Western Airways.[7] One of his more spectacular achievements was the flying of 200 quarts of nitroglycerin from Shelby, Montana to Calgary in 1928.

The following year, he ignored bad weather to fly a doctor to the Skiff oil fields to treat two seriously injured workers.

McCall also worked to encourage the formation of Canadian flying clubs in the inter-war years.

World War II and beyond

With the arrival of the

Second World War, McCall was recalled to service with the Royal Canadian Air Force
as a Squadron Leader, based at numerous western Canadian bases.

McCall died in Calgary Alberta on 22 January 1949 at the age of 52.

Replica of McCall's aircraft at the Glenbow Museum in Calgary

In the city of

Calgary-McCall
, which was established in 1971. A book entitled Mavericks History of Alberta contains some information on McCall as well.

References

  1. ^ The Aerodrome 2019.
  2. ^ Shores 2001, p. 74.
  3. ^ Alberta Online Encyclopedia 2019.
  4. ^ Mapplebeck 2019.
  5. ^ Franks 2007.
  6. ^ Logan 2019.
  7. ^ "Great Western Airways". AirlineHistory.co.uk. Airline History. Retrieved 7 February 2020.
Additional sources
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