Leonard Birchall
Encyclopedia
Air Commodore
Leonard Joseph Birchall, CM
, OBE
, DFC, O.Ont
, CD
(6 July 1915 - 10 September 2004 ), "The Saviour of Ceylon", was a Royal Canadian Air Force
(RCAF) officer who warned of a Japanese attack on the island of Ceylon during the Second World War.
and graduated from St. Catharines Collegiate. He was always interested in flying, and worked odd jobs around St. Catharines to pay for flying lessons. In 1933 Birchall graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada
in Kingston, Ontario
, (student #2364).
he joined the RCAF in 1937 to train as a pilot.
Leonard J. Birchall flew convoy and anti-submarine patrols from Nova Scotia
flying with No. 5 Squadron. In early 1942, he joined 413 Squadron
, then based in the Shetland Islands
and flew patrols over the North Sea
. After the Japanese successes in southeast Asia, the squadron was sent to Ceylon to provide a reconnaissance force.
On 4 April 1942, only two days after arrival, Squadron Leader
Birchall was flying a Catalina
flying boat
that was patrolling the ocean to the south of Ceylon. Eight hours into the mission, as the plane was about to return to base, ships were spotted on the horizon. Investigation revealed a large Japanese fleet, including five aircraft carrier
s, headed for Ceylon, which at that time was the base for the Royal Navy
's Eastern Fleet
. Birchall's crew managed to send out a radio message, but the Catalina was soon shot down. The attack went ahead despite Birchall’s signal, but because of him the British cleared the port of shipping and inflicted significant losses on the Japanese (five aircraft lost) who caused little damage on the port (sunk six ships). These losses later had repercussions both in the Battle of the Coral Sea
and again in the Battle of Midway
.
(POWs). For many captured soldiers, a trip to a Japanese camp meant death.
Birchall’s heroism did not end with that exploit. As the senior Allied officer in four successor Japanese prisoner of war camps, the resistance he led decreased the Allied death rate from an average of 30% to less than 2%. He saved many ill soldiers by taking their beatings. He was a prisoner for about four years. His diaries, written during his captivity and buried, formed the basis of a number of Allied wartime trials at which Birchall testified. His wife Dorothy didn't know whether he was dead or alive for two years.
During his time in the Japanese POW camps, Birchall repeatedly stood up to the Japanese and demanded fair treatment of the prisoners, in compliance with the Geneva Convention. In his first camp, he struck a Japanese soldier who was forcing a wounded Australian to work. This earned Birchall a severe beating and solitary confinement, but won him the respect of the other POWs. While in the camps, Birchall kept a set of diaries that detailed deaths and mistreatment by the guards. In 1944, Birchall encountered a situation in which sick men were being forced to work on the docks. He ordered all of the men to stop working until the sick were excused. Birchall was beaten and sent to a special discipline camp, where he again was beaten. He was liberated on 27 August 1945 by American troops.
Birchall was a witness for the prosecuting team at the Japanese war crime trials. His diaries were used in evidence.
, then was a member of the Canadian NATO delegation in Paris
. He later commanded a fighter base and was commandant of the Royal Military College of Canada from 1963 until his retirement from the Canadian Forces
in 1967. He retired from the RCAF rather than be associated with the unification of the Armed Forces. He later served as honorary colonel of 400 Tactical Helicopter and Training Squadron
and 413 Squadron in the Air Reserve.
From 1967 to 1982 Birchall was chief executive and administrative officer of the Faculty of Administrative Studies at York University
, which awarded him the degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa on the occasion of his retirement in 1982.
In the 1994 general election in Sri Lanka
, Birchall was an official observer.
Birchall died in Kingston, Ontario
at the age of 89.
called Birchall the "Saviour of Ceylon" and said that if the British fleet had been defeated at Ceylon, then North Africa would have been lost to the Germans. Birchall was made an officer of the Order of the British Empire
(OBE) in 1946, after his return to Canada for his work at prisoner of war camps. The citation, in part, read: "he continually displayed the utmost concern for the welfare of fellow prisoners with complete disregard for his own safety. His consistent gallantry and glowing devotion to his men were in keeping with the finest traditions of the service". Leonard Birchall was also awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for his part in detecting the attack on Ceylon and for alerting the Allies during that 1942 flight. The presentation was made on 29 April 1946 at the Embassy of Ceylon in Washington DC, USA. Mr. Hume Wrong, the Canadian Ambassador to the United States presented the OBE and the DFC to Leonard Birchall, in the presence of the Ambassador of Ceylon, Sir Claude Corea
.
In 1950, US President Harry Truman appointed Birchall an officer of the Legion of Merit
, saying: "His exploits became legendary throughout Japan and brought renewed faith and strength to many hundreds of ill and disheartened prisoners."
In 2000, Birchall received the Order of Canada
. In 2001, he was inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame. He was honorary colonel at the Royal Military College of Canada. Birchall was the only member of the Canadian military to have earned five clasps for his Canadian Forces Decoration
(CD), representing 62 years of service with the air force. The only other person with five clasps was Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
.
As a recipient of the 2001 Vimy Award
, Birchall was recognized as a Canadian who made a significant and outstanding contribution to the defence and security of Canada and the preservation of Canada's democratic values. He was also honoured for his years of service to the community, including building a facility in 1993 at a Kingston Girl Guide camp at his own cost.
Birchall was honoured in 2009 as one of the 100 most influential Canadians in aviation and had his name emblazoned directly behind the starboard roundel on the fuselage with the others on the 2009 CF-18 Centennial of Flight demonstration Hornet.
In 2011, Air Commodore Birchall was added to the wall of honour at the Royal Military College of Canada.
, in the area of the Navy Bay sports fields, was constructed in his honour, from December 2008 to September 2009. The road leading to the terminal and hangars at Kingston's Norman Rogers Airport is named Len Birchall Way.
His widow Kathleen Birchall also donated money to the Air Cadet League of Canada to set up a scholarship in his name. In September 2011, an Air Cadet Squadron based in Markham Ontario is named after him.
Air Commodore
Air commodore is an air-officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force...
Leonard Joseph Birchall, CM
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
, OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, DFC, O.Ont
Order of Ontario
The Order of Ontario is the most prestigious official honour in the Canadian province of Ontario. Instituted in 1986 by Lieutenant Governor Lincoln Alexander, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier David Peterson, the civilian order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to...
, CD
Canadian Forces Decoration
The Canadian Forces Decoration is a Canadian award bestowed upon members of the Canadian Forces who have completed twelve years of military service, with certain conditions. By convention, it is also given to the Governor General of Canada upon his or her appointment as viceroy, which includes the...
(6 July 1915 - 10 September 2004 ), "The Saviour of Ceylon", was a Royal Canadian Air Force
Royal Canadian Air Force
The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...
(RCAF) officer who warned of a Japanese attack on the island of Ceylon during the Second World War.
Early life
Birchall was born in St. Catharines, OntarioSt. Catharines, Ontario
St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in Ontario, Canada, with 97.11 square kilometres of land...
and graduated from St. Catharines Collegiate. He was always interested in flying, and worked odd jobs around St. Catharines to pay for flying lessons. In 1933 Birchall graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada
Royal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
in Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
, (student #2364).
Military service
After serving in the Royal Canadian Corps of SignalsRoyal Canadian Corps of Signals
The Royal Canadian Corps of Signals was a corps of the Canadian Army. Major Wallace Bruce Matthews Carruthers established the corps in 1903, making it the first independent Signal Corps in the British Empire...
he joined the RCAF in 1937 to train as a pilot.
Second World War
At the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, Flying OfficerFlying Officer
Flying officer is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence...
Leonard J. Birchall flew convoy and anti-submarine patrols from Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
flying with No. 5 Squadron. In early 1942, he joined 413 Squadron
No. 413 Squadron RCAF
413 Transport and Rescue Squadron is an air force squadron of the Canadian Forces. It was originally a flying boat squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War...
, then based in the Shetland Islands
Shetland Islands
Shetland is a subarctic archipelago of Scotland that lies north and east of mainland Great Britain. The islands lie some to the northeast of Orkney and southeast of the Faroe Islands and form part of the division between the Atlantic Ocean to the west and the North Sea to the east. The total...
and flew patrols over the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
. After the Japanese successes in southeast Asia, the squadron was sent to Ceylon to provide a reconnaissance force.
On 4 April 1942, only two days after arrival, Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader
Squadron Leader is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank in countries which have a non-English air force-specific rank structure. In these...
Birchall was flying a Catalina
PBY Catalina
The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...
flying boat
Flying boat
A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
that was patrolling the ocean to the south of Ceylon. Eight hours into the mission, as the plane was about to return to base, ships were spotted on the horizon. Investigation revealed a large Japanese fleet, including five aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s, headed for Ceylon, which at that time was the base for the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
's Eastern Fleet
British Eastern Fleet
The British Eastern Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy which existed from 1941 to 1971...
. Birchall's crew managed to send out a radio message, but the Catalina was soon shot down. The attack went ahead despite Birchall’s signal, but because of him the British cleared the port of shipping and inflicted significant losses on the Japanese (five aircraft lost) who caused little damage on the port (sunk six ships). These losses later had repercussions both in the Battle of the Coral Sea
Battle of the Coral Sea
The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought from 4–8 May 1942, was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval and air forces from the United States and Australia. The battle was the first fleet action in which aircraft carriers engaged...
and again in the Battle of Midway
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
.
Prisoner of War
Three of his crewmen were killed in the action and the others, including Birchall, spent the rest of the war as prisoners of warPrisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
(POWs). For many captured soldiers, a trip to a Japanese camp meant death.
Birchall’s heroism did not end with that exploit. As the senior Allied officer in four successor Japanese prisoner of war camps, the resistance he led decreased the Allied death rate from an average of 30% to less than 2%. He saved many ill soldiers by taking their beatings. He was a prisoner for about four years. His diaries, written during his captivity and buried, formed the basis of a number of Allied wartime trials at which Birchall testified. His wife Dorothy didn't know whether he was dead or alive for two years.
During his time in the Japanese POW camps, Birchall repeatedly stood up to the Japanese and demanded fair treatment of the prisoners, in compliance with the Geneva Convention. In his first camp, he struck a Japanese soldier who was forcing a wounded Australian to work. This earned Birchall a severe beating and solitary confinement, but won him the respect of the other POWs. While in the camps, Birchall kept a set of diaries that detailed deaths and mistreatment by the guards. In 1944, Birchall encountered a situation in which sick men were being forced to work on the docks. He ordered all of the men to stop working until the sick were excused. Birchall was beaten and sent to a special discipline camp, where he again was beaten. He was liberated on 27 August 1945 by American troops.
Birchall was a witness for the prosecuting team at the Japanese war crime trials. His diaries were used in evidence.
Postwar
In the immediate postwar years, Birchall served on the Canadian attaché staff in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, then was a member of the Canadian NATO delegation in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. He later commanded a fighter base and was commandant of the Royal Military College of Canada from 1963 until his retirement from the Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
in 1967. He retired from the RCAF rather than be associated with the unification of the Armed Forces. He later served as honorary colonel of 400 Tactical Helicopter and Training Squadron
No. 400 Squadron RCAF
400 "City of Toronto" Tactical Helicopter and Training Squadron is part of 1 Wing, and as such a lodger unit of Canadian Forces Base Borden. The squadron operates the CH-146 Griffon.-History:...
and 413 Squadron in the Air Reserve.
From 1967 to 1982 Birchall was chief executive and administrative officer of the Faculty of Administrative Studies at York University
York University
York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
, which awarded him the degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa on the occasion of his retirement in 1982.
In the 1994 general election in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, Birchall was an official observer.
Birchall died in Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
at the age of 89.
Honours
Writing after the war, Winston ChurchillWinston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
called Birchall the "Saviour of Ceylon" and said that if the British fleet had been defeated at Ceylon, then North Africa would have been lost to the Germans. Birchall was made an officer of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(OBE) in 1946, after his return to Canada for his work at prisoner of war camps. The citation, in part, read: "he continually displayed the utmost concern for the welfare of fellow prisoners with complete disregard for his own safety. His consistent gallantry and glowing devotion to his men were in keeping with the finest traditions of the service". Leonard Birchall was also awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for his part in detecting the attack on Ceylon and for alerting the Allies during that 1942 flight. The presentation was made on 29 April 1946 at the Embassy of Ceylon in Washington DC, USA. Mr. Hume Wrong, the Canadian Ambassador to the United States presented the OBE and the DFC to Leonard Birchall, in the presence of the Ambassador of Ceylon, Sir Claude Corea
Claude Corea
Sir George Claude Stanley Corea was a Sri Lankan politician and diplomat.-Family background:He was born on 29 January 1894 to a well known Ceylonese political family hailing from the Western seaboard town of Chilaw. His father was Alfred Winzer Corea who was an officer in government police and his...
.
In 1950, US President Harry Truman appointed Birchall an officer of the Legion of Merit
Legion of Merit
The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces that is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements...
, saying: "His exploits became legendary throughout Japan and brought renewed faith and strength to many hundreds of ill and disheartened prisoners."
In 2000, Birchall received the Order of Canada
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
. In 2001, he was inducted into Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame. He was honorary colonel at the Royal Military College of Canada. Birchall was the only member of the Canadian military to have earned five clasps for his Canadian Forces Decoration
Canadian Forces Decoration
The Canadian Forces Decoration is a Canadian award bestowed upon members of the Canadian Forces who have completed twelve years of military service, with certain conditions. By convention, it is also given to the Governor General of Canada upon his or her appointment as viceroy, which includes the...
(CD), representing 62 years of service with the air force. The only other person with five clasps was Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother
Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon
Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
.
As a recipient of the 2001 Vimy Award
Vimy Award
The Vimy Award is an award presented by the Conference of Defence Associations Institute to the “Canadian who has made a significant and outstanding contribution to the defence and security of and the preservation of democratic values". The award has been presented annually since 1991...
, Birchall was recognized as a Canadian who made a significant and outstanding contribution to the defence and security of Canada and the preservation of Canada's democratic values. He was also honoured for his years of service to the community, including building a facility in 1993 at a Kingston Girl Guide camp at his own cost.
Birchall was honoured in 2009 as one of the 100 most influential Canadians in aviation and had his name emblazoned directly behind the starboard roundel on the fuselage with the others on the 2009 CF-18 Centennial of Flight demonstration Hornet.
In 2011, Air Commodore Birchall was added to the wall of honour at the Royal Military College of Canada.
Legacy
When citizens of his hometown, St. Catharines, Ontario heard Len Birchall was missing in action, students of Connaught school planted a memorial tree. The Len Birchall Memorial Circle is also in St. Catharines, Ontario. The Leonard Birchall Sports pavilion at the Royal Military College of CanadaRoyal Military College of Canada
The Royal Military College of Canada, RMC, or RMCC , is the military academy of the Canadian Forces, and is a degree-granting university. RMC was established in 1876. RMC is the only federal institution in Canada with degree granting powers...
, in the area of the Navy Bay sports fields, was constructed in his honour, from December 2008 to September 2009. The road leading to the terminal and hangars at Kingston's Norman Rogers Airport is named Len Birchall Way.
His widow Kathleen Birchall also donated money to the Air Cadet League of Canada to set up a scholarship in his name. In September 2011, an Air Cadet Squadron based in Markham Ontario is named after him.
External links
- The Battle of Ceylon - 1942
- Order of Canada citation
- National Defence and the Canadian Forces - Leonard Birchall and the Japanese Raid on Colombo.
- A/C Leonard Birchall Memorial Cairn
- Canadian Veterans of Valour - Air Commodore Leonard Birchall
- Former York University administrator dies at 89, 30 September 2004
- Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame: Leonard Joseph Birchall