Robert Hampton Gray "Hammy"

The Canadian Naval Pilot Who Flew Into History

Six days before the Second World War ended, a Canadian naval pilot flew a burning Corsair into one of the most heavily defended attacks of his life.

His name was Lieutenant Robert Hampton “Hammy” Gray, VC, DSC, RCNVR.

On 9 August 1945, over Onagawa Bay on the Japanese island of Honshu, Gray led an attack against enemy shipping. Anti-aircraft fire struck his aircraft almost immediately. One of the two 500-pound bombs carried by his Corsair was knocked away and the aircraft caught fire. Gray nevertheless maintained his attack, flew in at extremely low altitude, and released his remaining bomb against the Japanese escort vessel Amakusa. The bomb struck the ship, and Amakusa sank. Seconds later, Gray’s burning aircraft rolled over and crashed into the bay. He was 27 years old.

For that final attack, Robert Hampton Gray was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award for valour available to him under the wartime British and Commonwealth honours system. His official London Gazette citation recorded that, despite his aircraft being hit and in flames, he “pressed home his attack” and obtained at least one direct hit. The citation concluded that Gray had shown a “brilliant fighting spirit and most inspiring leadership.” The award was gazetted on 13 November 1945.

Gray’s road to Onagawa Bay had begun thousands of kilometres away in Trail, British Columbia, where he was born on 2 November 1917. He later studied at the University of Alberta and the University of British Columbia and had considered a career in medicine. The war changed that path. In July 1940, he joined the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve, beginning the military career that would eventually take him from Canada to Britain, East Africa, northern Europe, and the Pacific.

Gray trained as a naval aviator and served with the Royal Navy’s Fleet Air Arm. His early operational career included service in East Africa, particularly in Kenya, as well as a period aboard HMS Illustrious. By August 1944 he had joined HMS Formidable, where he flew Corsair fighters and took part in operations against German forces in Norway. Official Canadian naval history records that his wartime service included Britain, East Africa, and ultimately the British Pacific Fleet.

One of Gray’s first formally recognized acts of combat service came during attacks connected with the German battleship Tirpitz. In August 1944, aircraft from HMS Formidable struck heavily defended positions around Altenfjord in Norway. Gray participated in these operations, and during one mission his Corsair returned with severe damage to its rudder. His conduct was recognized with a Mention in Despatches. The London Gazette of 16 January 1945 placed Gray among those cited “for undaunted courage, skill and determination” during the attacks on Tirpitz.

The war then carried Gray to the Pacific.

In April 1945, HMS Formidable joined the British Pacific Fleet, and Gray served with 1841 Naval Air Squadron during operations connected with the Okinawa campaign and subsequent strikes against the Japanese home islands. His experience now placed him among the Canadian naval aviators flying some of the final carrier operations of the Second World War.

During July 1945, Gray flew and led attacks against targets in Japan. His performance brought another major distinction, the Distinguished Service Cross. The award was officially published in the London Gazette on 21 August 1945, twelve days after Gray's death. The Gazette identified Temporary Lieutenant Robert Hampton Gray, RCNVR, under the Distinguished Service Cross and gave the collective citation: “For determination and address in air attacks on targets in Japan.”

Gray never learned that the DSC had been formally announced.

On the morning of 9 August 1945, flying from HMS Formidable, he led eight Corsairs toward targets in northern Japan. When the original objective was no longer suitable, the force turned toward Japanese shipping in Onagawa Bay. Gray committed his aircraft to an attack against the vessels below.

The approach placed him in concentrated fire from ships and shore batteries. His Corsair was struck almost immediately. One of its two bombs was torn away, and the aircraft caught fire. Gray continued toward the target with the single bomb still attached beneath his aircraft.

Flying very low, he released that remaining bomb against Amakusa. The Department of National Defence records that it struck the escort vessel below the after gun turret, setting off an explosion that tore open the ship. Amakusa rolled over and sank. Gray’s damaged Corsair continued only briefly before rolling over and striking the water at high speed. His body was never recovered.

The official Victoria Cross citation did not need speculation about what Gray thought in those final seconds. The documented facts were powerful enough. His aircraft had been hit. It was on fire. One bomb had already been lost. Heavy fire continued around him. Yet he maintained the attack long enough to deliver his remaining weapon against the target. The London Gazette recognized those actions as “great valour” and approved the Victoria Cross for the late Temporary Lieutenant Robert Hampton Gray.

His death came only days before Japan announced its surrender. Gray therefore became one of the last Canadians killed in combat during the Second World War and the final Canadian to be awarded the Victoria Cross for actions during that conflict. The Department of National Defence identifies him as the last Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross of the Second World War.

His legacy did not end in Onagawa Bay.

Robert Hampton Gray is remembered not only for his final mission, but for a wartime career that stretched across several theatres and produced three significant official distinctions: a Mention in Despatches for operations against Tirpitz, the Distinguished Service Cross for air attacks against targets in Japan, and the Victoria Cross for his final attack at Onagawa Bay. Each was formally documented in the London Gazette.

More than eighty years later, his name remains part of the Royal Canadian Navy. The sixth Harry DeWolf-class Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel was named HMCS Robert Hampton Gray in his honour, preserving the name of the Canadian naval aviator whose final combat mission became one of the most famous acts of Canadian gallantry in the Pacific War.

Robert Hampton “Hammy” Gray entered the war as a young Canadian volunteer with ambitions far removed from the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. He emerged from it as a decorated Fleet Air Arm pilot whose service had taken him from East Africa and the Norwegian coast to the skies over Japan.

His final mission lasted only minutes.

His name has lasted generations.