BOOK ALERT ! BOOK ALERT !

My latest book is now being printed - NOT IN THE FACE OF THE ENEMY: CANADIANS AWARDED THE AIR FORCE CROSS AND AIR FORCE MEDAL, 1918-1966. The Air Force Cross and Air Force Medal were instituted in 1918; some 600 Canadians received these awards until Canada adopted its own distinctive system of honours. The book explores the deeds for which these awards were made, procedures, and even politics. It delves into test flying, transport, meteorological flying, training, search and rescue, etc. First World War researchers may be interested in sections dealing with aces Godfrey and Shook; British readers may be surprised to discover how strict were Canadian award standards (compared to those of the British) in the period 1946-1966. Researchers in general will find the Endnotes to be a rich guide to documentary sources.

NOT IN THE FACE OF THE ENEMY (ISBN 1-896941-19-2)is published by Robin Brass Studio 10 Blantyre Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M1N 2R4 (telephone 416-698-5848, fax 416-698-2110). The cost is $ 25.95 (Canadian) or $ 30 (Australian) or $ 16.00 (U.S.)

[Barrett]

Hugh: thanks for the tipoff. Your book will make an interesting comparison with the noncombat awards of the US Medal of Honor. In 1918 the US Navy established the Tiffany Cross as a "separate but equal" noncombat award on a par with the MOH. It was awarded about 25 times between 1920 and 1942 but the whole medal program of the US armed forces was/is badly mismanaged. Lindbergh got the MOH for an extremely courageous but decidedly noncombat event, while 4 naval aviators (including Polar explorers Byrd & Bennett) received MOHs for flights that DEFINITELY should have received the Tiffany.
Anybody with info on Tiffany recipients, I'd appreciate details. The navy doesn't seem to have much info.

Barrett, I was unfamiliar with the Tiffany. Of possible interest to you would be a message I posted on another website and the reply I received. My query was thus:

The British magazine "Aeroplane" (issue of 27 November 1935) reported that on 3 November 1935 seven U.S. Air Mail Pilots had been decorated by the President with the Air Mail Flyer's Medal of Honour. The seven recipients mentioned in the article were Edward A. Bellande, James H. Carmichael Jr., Gordon H. Darnell, Wellington P. MacFail, Lewis S. Turner, Grover Tyler, and Roy H. Warner. The article gave brief accounts of each man's exploits; that for Darnell, for example, stated that he was employed by Braniff Airways and was decorated "for putting his passengers down unhurt after the machine went on fire between Kansas City and Denver in 1933. He rescued most of his mail before the crashed remains exploded." I was unaware of this award, and wish to know more of its origins, continued history, and standing in American honours systems.

To this, one Jeff Floyd replied:

The Air Mail Flyer's Medal of Honor is a relatively unknown US decoration. It was awarded only 10 times. The query listed 7 recipients, but the others were: Mal B. Freeburg, a pilot for Northwest Air Lines, who, on 12 April 1932, landed his plane without injury to his passengers after the loss of one engine; Ted N. Kincannon, pilot for American Airlines, who, on 29 January 1936, landed his plane after an engine failure in such a manner that 5 passengers escapred injury and the mail was not damaged, although he lost his life in the effort; John David Hissong, pilot for Eastern Air Lines, who, 18 Oct 1938, evacuated 11 passengers from his burning airplane before it was completed consumed by flames. Hissong's award was presented in 1948, the last award to be made.

The medal was created in Public Law 661 of the 71st Congress (1931) to be retroactive to May 1918 for any pilot in the airmail service who distinguished himself. After the award to Hissong, the medal fell into dis-use and was essentially dis-established with the 1970 reorganization of the Post Office. As a civil award, it never really received a position in the order of precedence of military awards, but was clearly meant to be a high decoration, but not on a par with the Army and Navy Medals of Honor.

There is a short article by C.P. McDowell in the March 1990 "Medal Collector", from which this info was extracted.

Barrett, I would hate to flog my book to you under false pretenses. Awards of the Commonwealth Air Force Cross and Air Force Medal will NOT be comparable to peace-time awards of the American Congressional Medal of Honour. They WILL be comparable to peace-time and non-combat awards of the American Distinguished Flying Cross. Hope it still interests you.