The
George Cross was
created in 1940 "for an act of the greatest heroism or of the most conspicuous
courage in circumstances of extreme danger." It was intended primarily
for civilians and award in the military services was confined to actions
for which purely military honours were not normally granted and awarded
for actions not in the face of the enemy. There have been 10 crosses
awarded to Canadians; 8 military, 1 Merchant Navy, and 1 woman. Of
equal rank to the Victoria Cross, four members of the Royal Canadian Air
Force (RCAF) received the award in the years up to the end of the Second
World War. The first was Leading Aircraftsman Karl
Mander Gravell; the third was Air Commodore Dwight Ross; the fourth
was Flying Officer Roderick Borden Gray.
The
second member of the RCAF to be awarded the George Cross was twenty-year-old
Leading Aircraftsman (LAC) Kenneth Gerald Spooner of Smiths Falls, On
Friday May 14, 1943, just six weeks before he was to graduate from his
course at No. 4 Air Observers' School in London Ontario, Ken Spooner was
on an instructional flight in an Avro Anson The Official Citation that accompanied the award of the George Cross described Ken Spooner's actions in the crisis.
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"This airman, a student Navigator with no pilot training, displayed great courage, resolution and unselfishness in the face of harassing circumstances when the pilot of the aircraft fainted at the controls. While other crew members were vainly trying to remove him from his seat he temporarily regained consciousness and froze on the controls, causing the aircraft to lose altitude rapidly. Immediately after the pilot became indisposed L.A.C. Spooner, with extreme coolness and courage assumed charge, ordered the remainder of the crew to bail out while he took over the controls and endeavoured to keep the aircraft at a safe height. Three members of the crew bailed out as instructed and shortly after the aircraft crashed carrying the unconscious pilot and L.A.C. Spooner to their death. The crash occurred approximately one hour after the pilot had lost control. This airman, with complete disregard for his personal safety and in conformity with the highest tradition of the Service sacrificed his life in order to save the lives of his comrades."
Canada Gazette, January 1, 1944
It
was some time before Ken Spooner's body was located in the waters of Lake
Erie. After it was recovered a funeral was held in Smiths Falls with
full Air Force honours being accorded. He is buried in Hillcrest
Cemetery in Smiths Falls. The George
Cross was posthumously awarded in December 1943. The Cross was purchased
by the Canadian
War Museum in Ottawa in February 1988 (Accession Number: 19880031-001).
It is now part of the museum's collection, but it is currently not on display.
In 1949, the local school board named a new elementary
school to honour his memory. In 2000, the regional school board
decided to close Spooner Elementary School. A committee decided to name
the Resource Centre at another local elementary school in honour of Ken
Spooner.
"He heard the call
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aircrew trainer as a student navigator when he performed his act of heroism.
Shortly after the bomber took off, the pilot, Sgt. Nelson of Mosherville
Nova Scotia, suddenly collapsed over the 
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This page last updated on January 31, 2001