Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command of The Royal Canadian Legion www.ns.legion.ca 35 Nova Scotia Pilots H. Terry Creighton Terry was a member of the influential Creighton family from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. His sister Helen became well-known for collecting traditional East Coast folk music. Following the war, Terry had a successful career working in the life insurance business. At 18 years old, Terry enlisted with his best friend Jack Carson in the 4th University Company, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. During the attack on Courcelette in September 1916 (Battle of the Somme), Jack received fatal injuries. Although Terry carried him to safety, Jack was buried in France. In 1917, Creighton transferred to the Royal Flying Corps. During training, he accumulated 89 hours of flying time in six different aircraft. He graduated just five days before the war’s end. Terry’s brave actions on the Western Front were acknowledged in reports sent to higher command and he was awarded a ‘Mention in Dispatches.’ In 1919, a unique decoration of a bronze oak leaf was created to honour soldiers who had received this distinction. Captain Joseph Leonard Maries “John” White John White was born in Halifax on 6th Jan 1897. On the 22 August 1915 he joined the Canadian Machine Gun Corps and was serving in France where he was wounded in April 1916. In September 1917 he was seconded to the Royal Flying Corps where he underwent Flight School training prior to returning to the Western Front as a Sopwith Camel pilot in March of 1918. A skilled pilot with a love of flying, White was noted for his effective and daring capability with an aircraft, leading to his being awarded the Medal for Military Valour, Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar, and the Croix de Guerre (bronze star). Credited with 22 victories, Capt. White is listed as a ‘Flying Ace’. On returning to Halifax in the summer of 1919 John entered into the study of Law at Dalhousie University but couldn’t resist the desire to fly. In April 1924 he joined the fledgling Royal Canadian Air Force. Tragically, on 24 February 1925, Flight/Lt. White, while instructing Flying Officer Cross in an Avro 504K over Camp Borden Ontario, collided with another aircraft. Both men were killed, becoming the first flying casualties of the RCAF. Returned to Halifax with full Military Honours, F/LWhite was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery, South Park Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, age 28. continued ...
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM0NTk1OA==