Hurricane Pilot: The Wartime Letters of W.O. Harry L. Gill, D.F.M., 1940-1943

by J. Brent Wilson (Editor)

Harry L. Gill, of Fredericton, New Brunswick, enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1940 at the age of 18. During his short but adventure-filled career, he flew a Hurricane fighter bomber over France, England, and India and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal. In 1943 his airplane was shot down over Burma, and he died in the crash. Hurricane Pilot captures the perspective of a young man in the middle of a war in Europe and Asia. Drawing extensively on Gill's correspondence with his parents and his siblings, this very personal account of war shows how Gill was transformed from a small-town boy to a mature fighter pilot serving in a global war on another continent. His letters depict the enthusiasm of youth, a strong sense of humour, his plans for the future, and this continuing attachment to home. Hurricane Pilot is volume 10 in the New Brunswick Military Heritage Series.

146 pages, Paperback

First published November 30, 2007

Reviews

[Michael Koch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book of letters was published in 2007, collected by Barbara J. Gill and edited by Brent Wilson, as part of the New Brunswick Military Heritage Project. Gill joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1940 (RCAF) at age 18 following his high school graduation and trained in Canada as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP). In 1941 he was posted to England and Scotland for operational and tactical training and then to 607 Squadron RAF where he flew a Hurricane fighter-bomber against enemy targets in France and Belgium. His steady increase in rank gives Gill great pride, reaching Warrant Officer before he died. Of note, he was one of very few pilots to score a hit on an enemy ship, during the infamous battle to prevent German battleships, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau, from moving north through the English Channel. For this action, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal (DSM). Shortly after this in 1942, he moved with his squadron, to India near the Burmese border. In early 1943, barely 20 years old, he was shot down and killed during a dogfight with four Japanese Zeros just over into Burma.

Most of Gill’s letters were written to his mother. The rest were sent to his father, siblings and other relatives. These letters are clearly written by a teenager, he is no elegant correspondent. He speaks like a teenager, expresses teenager aspirations, spends money like a teenager and party’s and sleeps like a teenager. His correspondence recreates the heady days of his early flights and membership in the tight knit cadre of pilots. As Gill ages, he writes more often to his father and for his siblings, taking on the role of mentor for his brother and providing feed back to his father’s aspirations. We do not see any correspondence to his girlfriend however he often tells his mother that she gets many more letters than the entire family. In addition to the comings and goings of friends and family, Gill often asks for news of his town, Devon, N.B, and expresses considerable homesickness despite his positive tone.

This collection is probably representative of the culture and social norms of the times. Gill writes about other cultures, races and sexes in a way that is very different to today. The terms “rationed” or “rationing” are never used, but he often mentions things that he is “not allowed” to purchase. The entire slang lexicon is very different from the 21st century and it is used a lot. This book would be of interest for readers interested in the BCATP, the air crew training process, and the concerns and attitudes of young men for whom the pay of a newly recruited Private soldier exceeds what he has ever seen before. This collection gives a very intimate picture of the author and his family during this period. Four stars.

I was very pleased to see the involvement of Brent Wilson and the New Brunswick Military Heritage Project. This ensures that all the history and documentation is correct. MK