Bill’s return home

City Pilot Chalks Up Brilliant Record

Lieutenant-Commander W. W. H. "Bill" Martyn, Calgary fighter pilot in the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, has returned to the city with a record array of decorations and campaign ribbons for his first Canadian leave since 1938.

He is staying with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. C. M. Martyn, 1608 13th Ave. W.

Lieutenant-Commander Martyn who is now 30-years-old, left Calgary in 1936 to join the Royal Air Force, transferring two years later to the Fleet Air Arm. In 9½ years flying, including 4½ years as a first-line fighter pilot, he has flown 1,800 hours without an accident.

Not counted as accidents were such occasions as the photo-reconnaissance raid on gun emplacements near Calais in 1940 which found him staggering back across the Channel to England with his observer seriously wounded, in a Skua aircraft with flaps shot away, a big hole in the port wing and the petrol tank holed.

SAFE LANDING

He made it safely that time, which he regards as his "closest shave," and again in the Mediterranean in 1942 when his plane, one of four which had joined in unequal battle against 30 JU 88's, had its motor knocked out. On the latter occasion he made a safe landing on his carrier, H.M.S. "Indomitable," only to face a bombing attack by a force of JU 87's that sent the ship limping to Gibraltar, hit by bombs in four places.

He was back with H.M.S. "Indomitable" again for the Sicily landings, after which the ship had undergone extensive repairs. During the operation, the carrier was torpedoed and he flew from the stricken ship to the "Formidable," transferring to the escort carrier "Stalker" for Salerno.

Throughout the war Lieutenant-Commander Martyn always seemed to find himself where the fighting was heaviest, and served "in every section of the world except South America." During the battle of Britain he shot down three of "about eight" enemy aircraft with which he is credited.

IN INDIAN OCEAN

He was in the Indian Ocean at the time of the fall of Singapore, serving on "Indomitable" which had ferried 50 Hurricanes from Egypt to the doomed base.

The first period of service over the Norwegian coast brought the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross, to which a bar was added in 1944. A Mention in Dispatches resulted from an attack on oil tanks in Norway in 1940, and two other Mentions in Dispatches were awarded for the flier's work in the battle of Britain and in convoy work to Malta.

Lieut. - Commander Martyn's campaign ribbons are the 1939-45 star with battle of Britain clasp; the North Africa Star with rosette, for covering American landings in North Africa; the Air Crew Europe Star, with Atlantic rosette; the Italy Star; the Burma Star with Pacific rosette; and the Defence of Britain ribbon.

Lieutenant-Commander Martyn was granted 122 days' leave on his return to Canada. He intends to accept his discharge from the Naval service in the middle of June and will live in Calgary. His plans for a job are indefinite. "Maybe I'll get a job flying," he says. "For a while I'm not going to do anything."

Photo caption printed beside the article: "LT. CMDR. MARTYN ... he made it safely." The subheads SAFE LANDING and IN INDIAN OCEAN are included as their own short paragraphs. Two unrelated neighbouring articles in the right-hand column ("Firemen Know Spring Is Here" and "All-Metal Plane At Airport Here") are omitted.