Air Ace Mourned

Air Ace Mourned
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FATHER OF AVIATION IN WEST, FREDDY McCALL, DIES AT 54

   CALGARY, Jan. 24.—Western Canada today is mourning the loss of one of the Dominion's greatest air aces in the First World War and the "father" of aviation in the west. Squadron Leader Fred Robert Gordon McCall, D.S.O., M.C. and bar, D.F.C., died suddenly at his home here Saturday while listening to a radio broadcast. He was 54.

FOURTH RANKING ACE
   Credited with 37 enemy planes shot down during the First World War, Freddy McCall was Canada's fourth-ranking ace.
   After his discharge from the Royal Flying Corps in 1919, Mr. McCall helped pioneer commercial aviation in western Canada. His keen interest in promoting aviation earned for him recognition as "father" of the west's growing aviation industry. He won wide fame in 1928 when he flew 200 quarts of nitro-glycerine from Montana to Calgary. The flight with the highly explosive cargo was made without incident. He also was believed to be the first man to bring a cabin aircraft into western Canada.
   Mr. McCall was one of the founders of civilian flying clubs in Canada and the originator and first president of the Calgary Flying Club.
   During the Second World War he joined the R.C.A.F. and served as squadron leader at several training stations across Canada. He received his discharge in 1945 and had been engaged in the oil business immediately prior to his death.

NATIVE OF VERNON
   Native of Vernon, B.C., he enlisted as a private in the 175th Battalion in 1917. The following year he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps and quickly gained fame as a fighter pilot. One of his most spectacular feats was performed on June 30, 1818, when he shot down five aircraft in one day, to equal a record set by Canada's Air Marshal W. (Billy) Bishop, V.C.
   Survivors include his widow and a son and a daughter, all residing in Calgary; and two sisters, Mrs. A. P. Thompson, Wynyard, Sask., and Mrs. Robert Scott, Edmonton.
   He will be accorded full military honors at a funeral Wednesday.

The Lethbridge Herald (Lethbridge, Alberta) - Monday, January 24, 1949