William Barker
Canada’s most decorated serviceman was a daring fighter ace during WWI and even became a character in an Ernest Hemingway story
This Canadian was once heralded as “the deadliest air fighter that ever lived”
The Royal Air Force was formed on 1 April 1918 as an amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS). It was a direct response to the rapid development of aircraft during World War I as a new, effective weapon in warfare. Pilots of the RFC and RNAS had become, through very hard lessons, extremely effective fighters in the sky against formidable enemy opposition. One of these airmen who epitomised the new fighting spirit of the RAF was William George ‘Billy’ Barker VC. He would become the most decorated serviceman in Canadian history.
Barker was awarded the Victoria Cross towards the end of World War I, but he was officially recognised a dozen times for his bravery while flying with the RFC and RAF. His VC was a fitting conclusion to a remarkable war career that he miraculously survived.
An observer turned pilot
William Barker was born on 3 November 1894 in Dauphin, Manitoba in Canada in a log house. The eldest of nine children, he displayed several qualities as a teenager that would later make him an exceptional pilot. Barker was known to be analytical, independent, an excellent shot, had perfect eyesight and was attracted to risk. By 1913 his equestrian skills saw him serving as a militiaman in the 32nd (Manitoba) Horse, but Barker developed a love for flying after witnessing demonstration flights at industrial exhibitions in Winnipeg between 1910-14.
When Canada entered the war on 4 August 1914, Barker was in his final year at high school but decided to enlist as a trooper in the First Canadian Mounted Rifles Regiment on 1 December that year. After training as a machine gunner, Barker arrived in Britain in June 1915 before being posted with his regiment to the Ypres salient in Belgium. He remained in the trenches until late February 1916, when he volunteered to use his machine gun skills in the Royal Flying Corps.
After only four weeks of field training with Nine Squadron, Barker was commissioned as a temporary second lieutenant on 2 April 1916 before joining Four Squadron as an aerial observer. This task involved photographic and visual reconnaissance as well as coordinating operations with ground artillery. Although he was not a pilot, Barker still managed to achieve his first airborne ‘kill’ from the rear of the B.E.2D aircraft he flew in.
By the time of the Battle of the Somme in July 1916, Barker had transferred to 15 Squadron, where he earned his first decoration four months later. During the Battle of Beaumont Hamel, Barker and his pilot were awarded the Military Cross for their work in supporting an assault.
Following his decoration, Barker undertook pilot training in England for only four weeks and was able to fly solo after just 55 minutes of air instruction. He became a flying officer on 14 February 1917. From this period, Barker’s military career ‘took off’ in every sense as he became a prolific, daredevil pilot. By the end of May 1917 Barker had been promoted to captain, been given command of ‘C’ Flight in 15 Squadron and received a bar to his Military Cross. He was wounded by artillery fire in August, which forced him to work as an instructor in England for a time, but Barker was a restless soul. He often flouted regulations and even performed a low-level aerobatic display over Piccadilly Circus, and he was swiftly transferred to 28 Squadron in September 1917.
Italian exploits
It was during this period that Barker began to fly a Sopwith Camel with the designation ‘B6313’. This aircraft was the making of him
“NOTWITHSTANDING THAT HE WAS NOW SEVERELY WOUNDED IN BOTH LEGS AND HIS LEFT ARM SHATTERED, [BARKER] DIVED ON THE NEAREST MACHINE AND SHOT IT DOWN IN FLAMES” William Barker’s VC citation
and Barker flew in B6313 for over a year with great success. In late October 1917 Barker was posted near Milan in northern Italy and further increased his daring reputation.
On Christmas Day 1917 Barker and his wingman, Lieutenant Harold Hudson, attacked a German airfield without orders. They set fire to one hangar and damaged four aircraft. After they finished the attack, Barker reportedly threw a painted sign out of B6313 that ironically declared “Merry Christmas”. According to legend, Barker’s Yuletide escapade caught the imagination of Ernest Hemingway. The writer served in Italy himself during World War I, and in his short story The Snows Of Kilimanjaro a character called ‘Barker’ returns from a Christmas Day attack on an Austrian officer’s train. Another character refers to him as a “bloody murderous bastard”, which may have been a personal attack by Hemingway, who knew and apparently did not like Barker.
Barker’s colleagues, who revered him, did not share Hemingway’s opinion. Many of them referred to him years after as a “god-like, larger than life warrior” as well as a “hero and an idol”. Although many fighter aces, like Albert
Ball VC, developed reputations as talented loners, Barker had willing accomplices in his
“HE WAS A GOD-LIKE, LARGER THAN LIFE WARRIOR” A reminiscence from one of William Barker VC’S RAF colleagues
intrepid attacks. Harold Hudson even repeated his impromptu teamwork with Barker in January 1918 when they launched successful sorties against enemy kite balloons. Like the Christmas Day attack, this assault was unauthorised, and both pilots were reprimanded by their commanding officer. Nevertheless, Barker was soon awarded the Distinguished Service Order, and his citation said that “his splendid example of fearlessness and magnificent leadership have been of inestimable value to the squadron.” Shortly afterwards, in March 1918, he was awarded a second bar to his Military Cross “for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty”.
Barker’s service in Italy went from strength to strength and his statistics were impressive. Upon joining 66 Squadron on 10 April, Barker already had 22 victories, and he received the French Croix de Guerre in May. He was promoted to temporary major two months later to command 139 Squadron, which flew twoseater Bristol fighters. Barker was reluctant to give up B6313 and kept it while he commanded the squadron. B6313 became the most successful fighter aircraft of World War I with Barker achieving 46 victories while flying it. The aircraft was retired in October 1918. However, Barker’s remarkable record while flying B6313 was largely forgotten because his successes were achieved in Italy, which received far less publicity than the Western Front.
By the summer of 1918 Barker was not just flying as a fighter pilot but also taking part in espionage operations. On the night of 9-10 August, Barker and his wingman, Captain William Wedgwood Benn, successfully parachuted an Italian army agent behind enemy lines – an act the Italians recognised with the awarding of a substantial decoration: the Silver Medal for Military Valour.
Barker returned to England in October 1918 to command a flight training school at Hounslow, but he was determined to spend some time flying over the Western Front again. It was during this closing month of the war that Barker reached the traumatic pinnacle of his career.
Flames over French skies
Having retired B6313, Barker chose to fly in a Sopwith Snipe and attached himself to 201 Squadron RAF when he was given permission to fly anywhere in France. On 27 October 1918 Barker found himself flying alone at around 6,400 metres (21,000 feet) over the Forêt de Mormal on the Franco-belgian border when he saw a German two-seater aircraft. Barker
“attacked this machine, and after a short burst it broke up in the air.” A Fokker D.VII then attacked Barker, who was “wounded in the right thigh, but managed, despite this, to shoot down the enemy aeroplane in flames.”
Around 15 Fokker D.VIIS now attacked Barker and a fierce and improbable dogfight ensued. The odds were heavily against Barker, not just because he was heavily outnumbered but also because the D.VII was a feared German aircraft with the ability to ‘hang on its propeller’ and fire into the underside of opposing aeroplanes. His Sopwith Snipe was an improvement on the Camel, with a more powerful engine and higher altitude rate, but these upgrades were
“THE DEADLIEST AIR FIGHTER THAT EVER LIVED” Canadian WWI fighter ace Billy Bishop VC on William Barker
insignificant in the face of an attack by over a dozen enemy fighters.
Nevertheless, Barker’s experienced fighter instincts came into play as “a large formation of Fokkers… attacked him from all directions; and [he] was again severely wounded in the left thigh; but succeeded in driving two of the enemy into a spin.” With two wounds, Barker lost consciousness and his Snipe span out of control. When he came to, Barker discovered he was again being attacked by a large formation. Barker singled out one machine and “deliberately charged and drove it down in flames.”
During this second fight, Barker’s left elbow was broken and he fell unconscious again before reawakening in the midst of another attack. Despite being “severely wounded in both legs and his left arm shattered, he dived on the nearest machine and shot it down in flames.”
Barker was now extremely exhausted and in great pain, and his priority became landing behind Allied lines. As he tried to reach safety, “another formation… attacked and endeavoured to cut him off, but after a hard fight he succeeded in breaking up this formation.” The heavily wounded Barker finally reached the Allied lines, where he crash-landed while heavily bleeding and barely conscious.
Canada’s most decorated serviceman
This astonishing aerial battle had resulted in four German aircraft being shot down by Barker, but the most remarkable fact was that he survived. The dogfight on 27 October was his last action of World War I and Barker was awarded the Victoria Cross for the remarkable bravery he had shown in taking on so many German fighters single-handed. His VC citation concluded that Barker’s actions were “a notable example of the exceptional bravery and disregard which this very gallant officer has always displayed throughout his career”.
Barker’s war record was indeed astonishing. He had 50 victories to his credit, had never had a wingman killed in action and no aircraft he escorted had been shot down. The VC was the highest decoration he was awarded, but he also received the Distinguished Service Order and Bar, the Military Cross and two Bars, two Italian Silver Medals for Military Valour, the Croix de Guerre and three mentions in dispatches.
It was little wonder that Barker became the most decorated serviceman in Canadian history, but his bravery came at a price. Although he finished his military career as a wing commander, Barker never recovered from his wounds and he was in constant pain for the rest of his life. Although he was given key roles in the newly formed Royal Canadian Air Force, Barker took part in several unsuccessful aviation business ventures and became increasingly dependent on alcohol.
On 12 March 1930 Barker was demonstrating a new biplane, the Fairchild KR-21, when he lost control on a steep climb and was instantly killed when his aircraft struck the frozen Ottawa River. He was only 35 years old. He was given a state funeral in Toronto that was attended by political and military leaders, six VC recipients and an honour guard of 2,000 men. Just over a year later, Barker’s friend and fellow Canadian ace Billy Bishop VC would laud him as “the deadliest air fighter that ever lived”.