On March 27, 1918, while flying over Albert, France, Lt. Alan McLeod and his observer, Lt. Arthur Hammond, destroyed an enemy triplane. They were immediately attacked by eight more and managed to shoot down three of them. However, during the engagement they were both wounded by machine gun fire which also set their aircraft on fire.
The flames were scorching Lt. McLeod, so, despite having been shot 3 times, he jumped out of the plane and crouched low on the wing. With his right hand securing the joystick, he smashed a hole in the fuselage to reach the rudder wire with his left hand. In doing so, he guided the plane towards friendly lines and kept the flames away from his injured observer, who continued firing at the enemy.
The aircraft eventually crashed in “No Man’s Land”, but McLeod managed to drag Hammond from the burning wreckage, while still under heavy fire from machine-guns and bombs, to safety before collapsing from exhaustion and loss of blood.
For his bravery, Lt. McLeod was awarded the Victoria Cross. At the time, he was the youngest Canadian to receive such a high honor. He returned to Canada to recuperate but died from the Spanish Flu five months short of this twentieth birthday.
We all know what the cane was for.
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