KINGSTON, ONTARIO - Retired Air Commodore Leonard Birchall, a decorated Second World War pilot dubbed the "Saviour of Ceylon" by Sir Winston Churchill, died in hospital Friday of lung cancer. He was 89.
"He was the finest person I knew, an inspiration to all of us," said retired Lt. Gen. Peter Dawe, who called Birchall a true hero.
His legendary heroism was first documented in April 1942 when the then-leader of the Royal Canadian Air Force 413 Squadron was piloting a twin-engine Catalina, a flying boat used for patrolling coastlines in Ceylon.
The aircraft was shot down by the Japanese, but not before the eight- member crew successfully alerted Allied Forces about an impending attack on Ceylon, now called Sri Lanka.
Churchill called it "the most dangerous moment" of the Second World War - the moment when the Japanese fleet was steaming toward Ceylon for a surprise attack on the British fleet.
The advance warning gave the British in Ceylon time to prepare. As a result, the losses were limited and the Japanese were stopped in their tracks.
It wasn’t until the war was over that Birchall learned the hastily dispatched warning had reached Allied Command. He and his men spent the next three-and-a-half years in a succession of Japanese prison camps, where they were starved, beaten and tortured.
"I believe honestly that we will not see his like again," retired Maj. Gen. Frank Norman said yesterday." Here was an individual who was condemned to death on three separate occasions by the Japanese. Obviously, they didn’t carry out the sentence, but the last time this happened, he turned to the individual and said, ‘You have just made a terrible mistake.
We will win this war and I will live to see you hanged. " Following the war, Birchall made good on his promise. He returned to Japan to testify at a war crimes tribunal and witness the execution of his captor.
"He will always be a hero to the people of Sri Lanka", retired RCyAF Squadron Leader Sam Samarasinghe said when Birchall visited Sri Lanka a few years ago.
He received numerous awards and honours during his lifetime, including the Distinguished Flying Cross, Order of Canada and Order of the British Empire. He was also inducted into Canada’s Aviation Hall of Fame and the US Legion of Merit.
Birchall, who was born in St. Catharines, also served as Commandant of Kingston’s Royal Military College.
Predeceased by two wives, Birchall is survived by his third wife Kathleen, a large extended family that includes two daughters and a son, a stepdaughter, stepson, four grandchildren and four great- grandchildren.
A funeral for Birchall was held in Kingston’s Chalmers United Church. His coffin was covered by the RCAF flag, on top of which lay his cap, his medals laid out on the Air Force tartan and a sword.
The church was packed and the speakers included Air Force veterans and the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Canada, Geetha De Silva, who said Birchall’s contribution to her country would not be forgotten.
A private family burial will take place shortly.
