WIX Archives

Henry Botterell-Last of our First - OBIT

Posted by Lee Walsh on Tue Jan 07, 2003 11:15:39 PM

This today in Canada's National Post:

Toronto veteran last of Great War fighter pilots
Dies at 106: 'He flew at the very dawn of aerial warfare'
Tom Blackwell
National Post, with files from the Ottawa Citizen

Tuesday, January 07, 2003

Henry Botterell of Toronto, the world's last surviving First World War fighter pilot, has died, severing an extraordinary living link back to the pioneer days of combat in the skies. Mr. Botterell passed away at his Toronto nursing home on Friday, barely a month after his 106th birthday, revered as a living memorial to a conflict that claimed pilots' lives at a horrifying rate. Mr. Botterell was a bank employee when he joined the Royal Naval Air Service in 1916, a military choice that his family believed would keep him relatively safe. He crashed before his first mission, rejoined the service six months later, then went on to shoot down a huge observation balloon in spectacular fashion and suffer a close call in a vicious dog fight. "He flew at the very dawn of aerial warfare and he lived to see men land on the moon, and all these other wonderful developments," Ralph Fisher, a retired Canadian navy officer who has long admired Mr. Botterell and his exploits, said yesterday "He outlived scores of my friends who served in the Second World War and in the Cold War period afterward." Mr. Botterell recalled his days as a fighter pilot at a special air force celebration four years ago. "I had good hands," he said then. "I didn't have the fighting acumen of some, like Billy Bishop. I was just a bank clerk. I wasn't one of the very best, but I had my share of action." Allan Snowie, a retired naval aviator who is writing a book on Canadian pilots who served in the First World War, said yesterday he interviewed Mr. Botterell four years ago. The veteran, already over 100, began by offering his guest a rum and ginger, and having one himself. "I was in awe," Mr. Snowie, now an Air Canada pilot, said of their meeting and Mr. Botterell's clear-headed recollections of his wartime experience. Mr. Botterell joined the Royal Naval Air Service after his sister, a secretary to a Canadian admiral, pulled some strings to snag him what she thought would be a safe assignment in the war. His brother had earlier been shot and killed by a sniper while serving as an infantry officer in France. But his sister's choice was anything but prudent, with the average pilot assigned to the Western front dying within three weeks. Mr. Botterell almost did not make it that far. His plane crashed at Dunkirk, France, when the engine failed on one of his first flights. He suffered head injuries, a broken leg and broken teeth, and was to be sent back to Canada. But after leaving hospital in Scotland, he re-enlisted, went through training again, and was sent back to France for the last six months of the war. Flying the legendary Sopwith Camel biplane, he set his sights during one mission on a German observation balloon, positioned high above the trenches. Attacking the balloons took courage, since they were defended with extensive anti-aircraft batteries, Mr. Snowie said. Putting his Camel into a steep dive, he aimed at the balloon and released 400 rounds of machine-gun fire. The balloon was down to about 300 metres and the observer, with only seconds to make his escape, leaped from the basket and pulled on his parachute cord. The balloon burst into flame. Mr. Botterell banked hard to clear the parachutist, but was close enough to see his face, which was stricken with fear that he too would fall victim to the Camel's guns. In the spirit of gallantry, however, Mr. Botterell merely saluted the parachutist as he banked into the sky, then headed for home. In 1999, he also recalled how he was grazed by a bullet that ripped through his ear and smashed his goggles. "I went out like a light for a few minutes, and I recovered just before I crashed." On another mission, his fragile fighter plane was sprayed with bullets and he was forced to make a crash landing. After returning to Canada, he never flew again. His was a common reaction among First World War pilots, who were so glad to have survived, that they vowed not to step in a plane again, said Mr. Snowie.

? Copyright 2003 National Post

Follow Ups: