The Battle of Britain: honouring the "few" - Colonel Beverly Evans Christmas

News Article / September 14, 2012

This Sunday, Sept. 16, members of the Royal Canadian Air Force will gather on parade squares and at other venues across Canada to remember the brave men and women who served, supported and lost their lives during the Battle of Britain. The battle was the definitive air campaign of the Second World War and ravaged the city of London, England, UK, between July to October 1940. In honour of the “few” who gave so much, we highlight one of the pilots who flew during this infamous battle.

Colonel Beverly Evans Christmas

Colonel Beverly Evans Christmas, the last peacetime member of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and the Canadian Forces (CF) to have served in the Battle of Britain, had a stellar military and diplomatic career following his outstanding contribution to the battle. The extensive leadership skills he developed while fighting in the skies over Britain served him well throughout the remainder of the Second World War and during his many years with the CF.

Col Christmas obtained his pilot training in RCAF Station Borden, Ont., as well as RCAF Station Trenton, Ont., where he qualified for his flying badge on Sept. 2, 1939. He was posted to No. 1 (Fighter) Squadron and was sent overseas in June of 1940 in time to participate in the Battle of Britain. His outstanding achievements during the battle, as well as his superior abilities, resulted in a rapid promotion in both rank and position.

In March of 1941, he was posted to 403 Squadron as a flight commander, carrying out operations in Tomahawks and Spitfires. He was then assigned to the North African campaign in November of the same year to command No. 4 Squadron in the South African Air Force. It was there that he was shot down during a dog fight over Libya but survived.

After the war, Col Christmas served in a number of senior leadership positions within the RCAF such as commanding officer of 133 Squadron in Vancouver, B.C., and commander, Fighter Wing at Patricia Bay, B.C., to help monitor the Japanese threat. He served in other command roles in the late 1940s and 1950s, and eventually served as deputy commander of operations in Spokane, Washington in 1960, and as Canadian national military representative for SHAPE (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe) in 1967. Col Christmas also played a role in expanding Canadian RCAF headquarters during the Cold War.

He served in many other positions at home and abroad, that required extensive knowledge of strategic and diplomatic issues. The Battle of Britain had provided him with unique life experiences and abilities, but his diplomacy skills were innate and were put to good use during his many international postings.

Colonel Christmas retired as deputy base commander at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt in1973. After 34 years of dedicated service, he received a limited edition poignard (dagger), inscribed with Winston Churchill’s famous quote: ‘’Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few’’.

For a list of Battle of Britain parades across the country, click here.