Alan Arnett McLeod

Second Lieutenant Alan Arnett McLeod VC (20 April 1899 – 6 November 1918) was a Canadian airman whose extraordinary courage at only eighteen years of age made him the youngest Canadian airman to receive the Victoria Cross during the First World War. He served first with the Royal Flying Corps and, following its creation on 1 April 1918, with the Royal Air Force.

McLeod was born in Stonewall, Manitoba, on 20 April 1899. Fascinated by military life from an early age, he joined the 34th Fort Garry Horse in 1913 when he was only fourteen. He was too young to remain in military service when the First World War began, and later attempts to join the Royal Flying Corps were also rejected because of his age. After turning eighteen in April 1917, he was accepted for pilot training with the Royal Flying Corps Canada.

His aviation training began in Toronto with ground instruction in subjects including wireless, map reading and aero engines. In early June 1917 he began flying training at Long Branch, making his first flight on 4 June and soloing only five days later. About ten days after his first flight, he was sent to Camp Borden for advanced training. By July he had qualified as a pilot and was retained for a time at Borden as an instructor before attending further specialist training, including aerial gunnery.

On 20 August 1917, Second Lieutenant McLeod sailed from Montreal aboard the SS Metagama for Britain. After further training in England, he was posted on 14 September to No. 82 Squadron at Waddington, which operated the Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8. When the squadron was preparing to move to France, McLeod was still below the normal minimum age of nineteen for combat service and was transferred instead to No. 51 Squadron at Marham, Norfolk. There he flew F.E.2b aircraft on home-defence duties, including night patrols against German bombers.

McLeod eventually obtained the operational posting he wanted. On 29 November 1917 he joined No. 2 Squadron at Hesdigneul-lès-Béthune in France. The squadron flew Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8 two-seat aircraft on army-cooperation duties including artillery observation, photographic reconnaissance and bombing. Although primarily operating a general-purpose aircraft, McLeod repeatedly engaged enemy aircraft during his missions and was Mentioned in Despatches for his actions.

On 14 January 1918, while flying with Lieutenant Reginald Key as his observer, McLeod attacked a German observation balloon near Bauvin and destroyed it. During the ensuing action the pair also engaged an enemy fighter. McLeod's aggressive flying during this period contributed to the reputation he was rapidly building despite his youth.

His defining action came on 27 March 1918 during the German Spring Offensive. McLeod was flying an Armstrong Whitworth F.K.8 with Lieutenant Arthur William Hammond MC as his observer on a bombing operation when they encountered enemy fighters. After an initial enemy aircraft was engaged, eight further enemy aircraft attacked them from different directions. The official Victoria Cross citation recorded that McLeod manoeuvred his aircraft so that Hammond could bring his Lewis gun to bear, with three attacking aircraft being driven down out of control.

McLeod was wounded five times during the fight. A bullet then penetrated the F.K.8's petrol tank and set the aircraft on fire. With flames spreading through the machine, he climbed out onto the left lower wing and continued controlling the aircraft from the side of the fuselage. By holding the aircraft in a steep sideslip, he kept the flames away from Hammond and allowed his observer to continue firing as they descended.

The burning aircraft crashed in No Man's Land. Hammond had been wounded six times and was unable to escape unaided. Despite his own wounds and burns, McLeod dragged Hammond away from the wreckage while exposed to heavy enemy machine-gun fire. McLeod was wounded again during the rescue, but continued until he had brought Hammond into comparative safety before collapsing from exhaustion and loss of blood. Hammond survived and was subsequently awarded a Bar to his Military Cross for his part in the action.

For this action McLeod was awarded the Victoria Cross. His citation appeared in the Third Supplement to The London Gazette of 30 April 1918, dated 1 May 1918, Issue 30663, pages 5287–5288. Significantly, the published citation itself refers to him as "2nd Lt McLeod" during its description of the rescue.

King George V presented McLeod with the Victoria Cross at Buckingham Palace on 4 September 1918. His father had travelled from Canada to attend the investiture. McLeod subsequently returned to Canada with his father and was formally welcomed at Winnipeg railway station on 30 September, followed by a public reception in Stonewall. Despite the severity of his injuries, he told those welcoming him that he hoped to return to active service.

That recovery was never completed. McLeod remained weakened by the wounds and burns he had suffered in France and contracted influenza during the 1918 pandemic. He died at Winnipeg General Hospital on 6 November 1918, aged nineteen. He was buried in Winnipeg's Old Kildonan Presbyterian Cemetery.

McLeod's military career had lasted barely eighteen months, yet it included operational service on the Western Front, a Mention in Despatches and the Victoria Cross. RCAF History and Heritage identifies him as Second Lieutenant, noting specifically that although he is frequently described in later sources as a Lieutenant, he died before promotion to that rank.