A heavy frost had accumulated on its
wings overnight but, with no proper
de-icing capabilities and rudimentary
facilities overall, Butts still attempted
the flight.
After reaching about 75ft (22.8m)
the Digby stalled over the end of the
runway, crashing into a cushion of fir
trees. Again, there were no injuries to
the crew, but damage to the bomber
was such that it was off the squadron
for almost a year for repairs.
Despite having written off two
aircraft, because of the shortage of
trained aircrew Butts remained on
duty, and on October 11 flew 754 on
a 10-hour patrol.
On return to Gander, he did
not account for a change in wind
direction and tried to land downwind
on a wet and slippery runway. The
Digby careered down the runway,
overshooting the threshold and, once
again, ended up in the drainage ditch.
It was out of commission for more
than eight months.
Most chronicles of 10 Squadron’s
Digbys leave out the history of Fg Off
Butts at this point. He is derisively
labelled “as the pilot who single-
handedly reduced 10 (BR)’s strength
20% in one month” by crashing three
aircraft.
The official RCAF accident record
card for Digby 754 indicates that
while the rest of the crew escaped
any injury, Butts was in shock and
traumatised by the accident, and was
removed from operations.
NEGLIGENCE
At some point he had been promoted
to flight lieutenant, as RCAF
Routine Order 882 indicates: “Flt Lt
Robert Anthony Butts, an officer of
the Royal Canadian Air Force serving
at Gander, Newfoundland, was tried
by a general court martial on January
8, 1942, and was found guilty on a
charge of negligently damaging an
aircraft belonging to His Majesty.”
The ensuing punishment was
relatively lenient, with Butts simply
sentenced to a reduction in seniority
to “take precedence in rank as if his
name had appeared 58 places lower
in the current Royal Canadian Air
Force List”.
Reading between the lines, it seems
Butts was still highly regarded.
Moreover, a review of the pertinent
Directorate of History files reveals
letters indicating that in August 1942
he was recommended for an Air
Force Cross for his services with 10
(BR) Squadron, having completed
115 sorties and 851 operational
hours. Not surprisingly, Eastern Air
Command Headquarters queried
the recommendation and perhaps
quashed it because of the court
martial findings.
After being posted to 1 Air
Navigation School in Rivers,
Manitoba, on March 5, 1942, Butts
moved to 16 Service Flying Training
School at Hagersville, Ontario, on
August 31.
A year of instructing made him a
very experienced multi-engine pilot
and, with the constant demand for
bomber crews, in October 1943
Butts arrived in England to resume
operations.PATHFINDER
Part of the elite Pathfinder Force,
582 Squadron, equipped with
Lancasters, formed at Little
Staughton, Huntingdonshire, onApril 1, 1944, mainly with personnel
drawn from 7 and 156 Squadrons.
After conversion training, Butts
joined 582 and flew his first ‘op’,
against Duisburg, Germany, on
October 14.
Over the next seven months, he flew
34 operations, his final sortie coming
on April 25, 1945 against a target on
the German island of Wangerooge in
the Frisian Islands.
This last flight of his tour drew the
attention of his RAF superiors who
recommended a non-immediate
award of a Distinguished Flying
Cross (DFC), with the words: “Flt Lt
Butts is a very keen and able captain
of a blind marker [Pathfinder]
crew. His skill and determination
throughout his tour have been
worthy of the highest praise.”
With the end of hostilities in
Europe, Butts returned to Canada on
June 18, 1945 and the following day
joined 8 Operational Training Unit
at Greenwood, Nova Scotia, which
was working up for the planned
‘Tiger Force’ to conduct operations
in the Pacific. With Japan’s surrender,
Butts quietly retired from the RCAF
on October 14.
That DFC recommendation was
eventually accepted, redeeming Butt’s
days on Digbys and recognising
his valiant war record with the
Pathfinders. The decoration
was presented by the Canadian
Governor General at Government
House in Ottawa on June 12, 1953,
the citation declaring that Butts
undertook “numerous operations
against the enemy in which [he has]
invariably displayed the utmost
fortitude, courage and devotion to
duty”.Above
A formal portrait of
the personnel of 582
Squadron at Little
Staughton, August 1945.
There are no known
photos of Flt Lt Butts but
he may be somewhere in
this line-up. VIA AUTHORJune 2018 FLYPAST 121