William Henry Atkinson
Encyclopedia
William Henry Isaac Atkinson DSC
, CD
(b. 22 April 1923) was the highest scoring fighter ace
of the Royal Canadian Navy
during the Second World War and the last pilot from The Commonwealth to become an ace during the war. Atkinson claimed five aircraft destroyed and two shared. During the war he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross
and was Mentioned in Despatches. Remaining in the navy after the war he was awarded the Canadian Forces Decoration and clasp.
After the war he remained in the Royal Canadian Navy and was eventually promoted to Commander and given command of the destroyer
HMCS Haida
and the officers training school HMCS Venture before retiring.
in Manitoba
, later moving to Winnipeg
. In January 1943, during the Second World War, the 19-year-old Atkinson volunteered to be an aviator with the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve
(RCNVR).
Atkinson was sent to the United Kingdom for his basic flying training at HMS St. Vincent
at Gosport
. He was sent back to Canada to undertake further flying training at RCAF Goderich
and RCAF Station Aylmer
. He was promoted to petty officer
in March 1944 and qualified as a pilot and received his wings in April and was commissioned Acting Sub-Lieutenant
. Atkinson was then sent back to the United Kingdom, posted to 761 Naval Air Squadron at the Royal Naval College Greenwich
. Promoted sub-lieutenant on 1 October 1944, he was posted to HMS Ravager for Deck Landing Training with the Supermarine Seafire
. Advanced flying training was carried out on the Grumman Hellcat at RNAS Puttalam in Ceylon.
, part of the British Pacific Fleet
in December 1944. In January 1945, Atkinson's ship was part of the force gathered for Operation Meridian
, air strikes on the Japanese held oil installations at Palembang
on Sumatra
. Their objectives were at Songei Gerong, which had been the East Indies refinery for the Standard Oil
Company. The other was at Pladjoe, the former Royal Dutch Shell
refinery. Together these plants produced 50 percent of Japan's oil and 75 percent of their aviation fuel. Atkinson took part in the operations on 24 and 29 January.
In April 1945, Atkinson also took part in Operation Iceberg in support of the American assault on Okinawa. The British Pacific Fleet had objectives on the Sakishima Islands
and Formosa
. During the first raid on Miyako
airfield, Atkinson claimed his first victory over a Mitsubishi G4M
Betty bomber, but he was only awarded a probable. He was more successful on 6 April, shooting down a Yokosuka D4Y
Judy dive-bomber. He followed this up with a confirmed Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter and a probable Kawasaki Ki-61
Tony fighter shot down on 12 April. His third confirmed victory was over another Betty bomber on 13 April and he shared in the destruction of a Nakajima C6N
carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft on 15 April. His total for April was three confirmed, two probables and one shared.
In a follow-up attack on the Sakishima Islands on 21 May, Atkinson's Hellcat was badly damaged by flak. In June Indomitable was withdrawn for a refit, and Atkinson and his squadron were transferred to another fleet carrier . On 25 July, while still aboard Formidable, Atkinson and three other pilots were on a night patrol. Two of the aircraft were forced to return to Formidable with mechanical problems. Atkinson and the other pilot, Sub-Lieutenant Mckie, were directed towards a radar
contact. The contact was a flight of Aichi B7A Grace torpedo bombers. Atkinson shot down three of them while Mckie got the fourth. Atkinson's success led to his being mentioned in despatches and awarded a Distinguished Service Cross
"For gallant services in the Pacific. For gallantry, skill and marked devotion to duty in the Far East."
(RCN). He became a Squadron Leader with the RCN his squadron being equipped with the McDonnell F2H Banshee. In 1958 he became the executive officer
on the destroyer
HMCS Nootka
. Promoted to commander
in 1962, he was given command of the destroyer HMCS Haida
from July 1962 to September 1963. He then commanded the Officer Training School HMCS Venture before retiring from the navy on 1 September 1973. After the navy he moved to Peachland, British Columbia
.
Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
, CD
Canadian Forces Decoration
The Canadian Forces Decoration is a Canadian award bestowed upon members of the Canadian Forces who have completed twelve years of military service, with certain conditions. By convention, it is also given to the Governor General of Canada upon his or her appointment as viceroy, which includes the...
(b. 22 April 1923) was the highest scoring fighter ace
Fighter Ace
Fighter Ace was a massively multiplayer online computer game in which one flies World War II fighter and bomber planes in combat against other players and virtual pilots...
of the Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
during the Second World War and the last pilot from The Commonwealth to become an ace during the war. Atkinson claimed five aircraft destroyed and two shared. During the war he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
and was Mentioned in Despatches. Remaining in the navy after the war he was awarded the Canadian Forces Decoration and clasp.
After the war he remained in the Royal Canadian Navy and was eventually promoted to Commander and given command of the destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
HMCS Haida
HMCS Haida (G63)
HMCS Haida is a Tribal-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1943-1963.Haida sank more enemy surface tonnage than any other Canadian warship...
and the officers training school HMCS Venture before retiring.
Career
William Henry Isaac Atkinson was born on 22 April 1923, and raised at MinnedosaMinnedosa, Manitoba
Minnedosa is a town in the southwestern part of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Situated 50 kilometres north of Brandon, Manitoba on the Little Saskatchewan River, the name means "flowing water" in Sioux. The population of Minnedosa reported in the 2006 Statistics Canada Census was 2,474...
in Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, later moving to Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
. In January 1943, during the Second World War, the 19-year-old Atkinson volunteered to be an aviator with the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve
Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve
The Royal Canadian Navy Volunteer Reserve was a naval reserve force of the Royal Canadian Navy, which replaced the Royal Navy Canadian Volunteer Reserve .-Foundation:...
(RCNVR).
Atkinson was sent to the United Kingdom for his basic flying training at HMS St. Vincent
HMS St Vincent (Gosport shore establishment)
HMS St Vincent was a shore establishment of the Royal Navy, located in Gosport, Portsmouth.The name was given to the barracks and training establishment in Portsmouth in 1927, after the one that been set up aboard the old first rate HMS St Vincent in 1862...
at Gosport
Gosport
Gosport is a town, district and borough situated on the south coast of England, within the county of Hampshire. It has approximately 80,000 permanent residents with a further 5,000-10,000 during the summer months...
. He was sent back to Canada to undertake further flying training at RCAF Goderich
Goderich Airport
Goderich Airport , also known as Goderich Municipal Airport, is a registered aerodrome located north of Goderich, Ontario, Canada. The aerodrome is best known as the home of Sky Harbour Aircraft, an aircraft paint shop....
and RCAF Station Aylmer
RCAF Station Aylmer
RCAF Station Aylmer was a Royal Canadian Air Force training base that was established on July 3, 1941 just north-east of Aylmer, Ontario, Canada. It was one of many built across Canada under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan during World War II....
. He was promoted to petty officer
Petty Officer
A petty officer is a non-commissioned officer in many navies and is given the NATO rank denotion OR-6. They are equal in rank to sergeant, British Army and Royal Air Force. A Petty Officer is superior in rank to Leading Rate and subordinate to Chief Petty Officer, in the case of the British Armed...
in March 1944 and qualified as a pilot and received his wings in April and was commissioned Acting Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-Lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant is a military rank. It is normally a junior officer rank.In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a lieutenant. In the Royal Navy the rank of sub-lieutenant is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the British Army and of...
. Atkinson was then sent back to the United Kingdom, posted to 761 Naval Air Squadron at the Royal Naval College Greenwich
Old Royal Naval College
The Old Royal Naval College is the architectural centrepiece of Maritime Greenwich, a World Heritage Site in Greenwich, London, described by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation as being of “outstanding universal value” and reckoned to be the “finest and most...
. Promoted sub-lieutenant on 1 October 1944, he was posted to HMS Ravager for Deck Landing Training with the Supermarine Seafire
Supermarine Seafire
The Supermarine Seafire was a naval version of the Supermarine Spitfire specially adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. The name Seafire was arrived at by collapsing the longer name Sea Spitfire.-Origins of the Seafire:...
. Advanced flying training was carried out on the Grumman Hellcat at RNAS Puttalam in Ceylon.
HMS Indomitable
Having completed his flying training, Atkinson was posted to the Grumman-Hellcat-equipped 1844 Naval Air Squadron aboard the fleet carrierFleet carrier
A fleet carrier is an aircraft carrier that is designed to operate with the main fleet of a nation's navy. The term was developed during the Second World War, to distinguish it from the escort carrier and other lesser types...
, part of the British Pacific Fleet
British Pacific Fleet
The British Pacific Fleet was a British Commonwealth naval force which saw action against Japan during World War II. The fleet was composed of British Commonwealth naval vessels. The BPF formally came into being on 22 November 1944...
in December 1944. In January 1945, Atkinson's ship was part of the force gathered for Operation Meridian
Operation Meridian
During World War II, Operation Meridian was a series of British air attacks conducted on 24 January and 29 January 1945 on Japanese-held oil refineries at Palembang, on Sumatra...
, air strikes on the Japanese held oil installations at Palembang
Palembang
Palembang is the capital city of the South Sumatra province in Indonesia. Palembang is one of the oldest cities in Indonesia, and has a history of being a capital of a maritime empire. Located on the Musi River banks on the east coast of southern Sumatra island, it has an area of 400.61 square...
on Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
. Their objectives were at Songei Gerong, which had been the East Indies refinery for the Standard Oil
Standard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
Company. The other was at Pladjoe, the former Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
refinery. Together these plants produced 50 percent of Japan's oil and 75 percent of their aviation fuel. Atkinson took part in the operations on 24 and 29 January.
In April 1945, Atkinson also took part in Operation Iceberg in support of the American assault on Okinawa. The British Pacific Fleet had objectives on the Sakishima Islands
Sakishima Islands
The are an island chain located at the southernmost end of the Japanese Archipelago. They are part of the Nansei Islands and include the Miyako Islands and the Yaeyama Islands...
and Formosa
Formosa
Formosa or Ilha Formosa is a Portuguese historical name for Taiwan , literally meaning, "Beautiful Island". The term may also refer to:-Places:* Formosa Strait, another name for the Taiwan Strait...
. During the first raid on Miyako
Miyako
-Places in Japan:*Miyako, Iwate, a city in Iwate Prefecture*The Miyako Islands, including Miyako Island itself**Miyakojima, Okinawa, a city of the Miyako Islands**Miyako language, the Ryukyuan dialect spoken on Miyako Island and other nearby islands...
airfield, Atkinson claimed his first victory over a Mitsubishi G4M
Mitsubishi G4M
The Mitsubishi G4M 一式陸上攻撃機, 一式陸攻 Isshiki rikujō kōgeki ki, Isshikirikkō was the main twin-engine, land-based bomber used by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service in World War II. The Allies gave the G4M the reporting name Betty...
Betty bomber, but he was only awarded a probable. He was more successful on 6 April, shooting down a Yokosuka D4Y
Yokosuka D4Y
The D4Y Navy Type 2 Carrier Dive bomber was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. Its Allied reporting name was "Judy". The D4Y was one of the fastest dive-bombers of the war, and only the delays in its development hindered its service, while its predecessor, the slower fixed gear Aichi D3A...
Judy dive-bomber. He followed this up with a confirmed Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter and a probable Kawasaki Ki-61
Kawasaki Ki-61
The Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien was a Japanese World War II fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force...
Tony fighter shot down on 12 April. His third confirmed victory was over another Betty bomber on 13 April and he shared in the destruction of a Nakajima C6N
Nakajima C6N
-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Francillon, Ph.D., René J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1970. ISBN 0-370-00033-1 ....
carrier-based reconnaissance aircraft on 15 April. His total for April was three confirmed, two probables and one shared.
In a follow-up attack on the Sakishima Islands on 21 May, Atkinson's Hellcat was badly damaged by flak. In June Indomitable was withdrawn for a refit, and Atkinson and his squadron were transferred to another fleet carrier . On 25 July, while still aboard Formidable, Atkinson and three other pilots were on a night patrol. Two of the aircraft were forced to return to Formidable with mechanical problems. Atkinson and the other pilot, Sub-Lieutenant Mckie, were directed towards a radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
contact. The contact was a flight of Aichi B7A Grace torpedo bombers. Atkinson shot down three of them while Mckie got the fourth. Atkinson's success led to his being mentioned in despatches and awarded a Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Service Cross is the third level military decoration awarded to officers, and other ranks, of the British Armed Forces, Royal Fleet Auxiliary and British Merchant Navy and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries.The DSC, which may be awarded posthumously, is...
"For gallant services in the Pacific. For gallantry, skill and marked devotion to duty in the Far East."
Later career
After the Second World War Atkinson transferred from the RCNVR to the Royal Canadian NavyRoyal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
(RCN). He became a Squadron Leader with the RCN his squadron being equipped with the McDonnell F2H Banshee. In 1958 he became the executive officer
Executive officer
An executive officer is generally a person responsible for running an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization.-Administrative law:...
on the destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
HMCS Nootka
HMCS Nootka (R96)
HMCS Nootka was a Tribal-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1946-1964.She received the unit name Nootka while still under construction in Halifax after the RCN renamed the Fundy-class minesweeper to in 1943....
. Promoted to commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
in 1962, he was given command of the destroyer HMCS Haida
HMCS Haida (G63)
HMCS Haida is a Tribal-class destroyer that served in the Royal Canadian Navy from 1943-1963.Haida sank more enemy surface tonnage than any other Canadian warship...
from July 1962 to September 1963. He then commanded the Officer Training School HMCS Venture before retiring from the navy on 1 September 1973. After the navy he moved to Peachland, British Columbia
Peachland, British Columbia
Peachland is a district municipality of approximately 5000 residents in the Okanagan Valley, on the west side of Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada. It was founded in 1899 by John Moore Robinson, although the region had long been home to the Okanagan people...
.