Description
Caterpillar Club Badge, gold, Flying Officer Leslie Rowland Scourfield, 419 Sqn Royal Canadian Air Force, survived a crash to earn this badge and was later Killed on 15th October 1942 by the lethal 55 Kills Night Fighter Ace Hans-Dieter Frank. (All at night)
A family who saw much misfortune during the World Wars.
His father had emigrated to Canada before WW1 and married a local Girl in Ontario.
Leslie was then born in November 1914, shortly after the declaration of war in July 1915, after a few short months raising his baby, his father volunteered to fight with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, the next year he would be killed in action at Zillibeke, on 5th June 1916.
He left behind his wife and child, never returning home.
His wife Nellie saw further heartbreak came when her 27 year old only son, was shot down over Germany by Night Fighter Ace Hans-Dieter Frank, both her Husband and Son had been killed by the Germans serving in the Canadian Armed Forces in 2 separate wars.
Less than a year later, the highly decorated 55 kill Night Fighter Ace was finally killed in a mid air collision with a fellow German Night Fighter during July 1943.
An original issue of the badge in Gold, with “Ruby” glass eyes, reverse engraved: “P/O L R Scourfield”
Pinned onto a piece of Aircrew Europe Ribbon for display.
The Caterpillar Club Badge is only awarded to those who successfully deployed their Parachute whilst baling out from a disabled plane, and as the company states, each application is carefully scrutinised, cross checking accident reports etc to make sure the claim is legitimate. If it is, the company will send a Gold Badge at no cost, a gift of the company whose life the Irvin-GQ parachute had saved.
It would have been awarded for a close escape by a then Pilot Officer Scourfield on 10th August 1942, when his Wellington P1505 was part of an accident near Cranwell, Lincolnshire whilst serving with 22 Operational Training Unit.
Scourfield was luckily uninjured, but Flight Sergeant S Toronczuk RCAF was killed in the crash.
The incident log courtesy of BCAR.org.uk reads:
“Airborne from Wellesbourne Mountford for a night cross-country sortie. The aircraft lost its starboard propeller around 0500hrs whilst in flight. The pilot headed for Waddington but the crew was unable to make contact by radio or see the flarepath. At this point, just north-east of Cranwell airfield, the port engine began to fail. Pilot F/Sgt JP Jolley (Canadian) and all bar 1 of the crew bailed out successfully. F/Sgt S. Toronczuk
