Veteran Profile

A special tribute to help mark Canada’s 150th anniversary

Matthew James Tully, DFC

Born in 1918 in East Battersea, England, “Jimmy” immigrated to Canada in 1923. Raised in Fernie, B.C., he joined the RCAF in 1942 as a navigator assigned to 6 Group Bomber Command.

Flight Lieut. Tully was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in January 1945 for his “utmost fortitude, courage and devotion to duty.”

He logged 492 hours as a navigator aboard Halifax and Lancaster bombers, flying most often with Wing Cmdr. R.A. Mclernon. After the war, he oversaw much of the planning and implementation of the Vancouver International Airport as we know it today.