When the Second World War broke out, Canada needed young men to fight. Among those who answered the call was William Thomas Johnstone, who was born in 1917 and educated in Calgary. He lived in the neighbourhood of Tuxedo Park with his Scottish parents, Archibald and Annie, and younger brother, Archie.
For 22-year-old Johnstone, who enjoyed gardening, racing his bicycle, playing hockey, baseball and badminton, the war effort was his opportunity to learn to fly. He became one of the more than 215,000 members of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). The RCAF was impressed with him, describing Johnstone as a “well-built, muscular type, very good appearance and manner, and good personality,” and with “above average intelligence.”
Though Johnstone applied to the RCAF in December 1939, he was not accepted for pilot training until October 1940, working with his father as a steamfitter’s helper until he was called up. His references included Reverend Dr. George William (G.W.) Kirby, principal of Mount Royal College, who noted that Johnstone was “a trustworthy, reliable young man with a promising future.”
Johnstone trained in Toronto and Mount Hope, Ont., before receiving instruction on single-engine aircraft. A diligent and able pilot, he underwent further training in Uplands, Ont., where he earned his wings in early August 1941. Graduating fourth out of his class of 58, Johnstone was recommended for a fighter squadron.
By November, 1941, he was overseas. After further parachute and flight training, Johnstone was stationed at Royal Air Force Montrose in Scotland with 416 Squadron. “Johnny,” as he was known, flew convoy patrols, escorts and scrambles. He also helped provide air cover as part of Operation Jubilee, the attempted capture of the port of Dieppe in August 1942. In November 1942, he was reassigned to 411 Squadron.
On April 14, 1943, Flight Lieutenant (F/L) William “Johnny” Johnstone led his group, called Blue Section, into the Bayeux-Carentan area of France. All was well until he was about to cross the coast, when an enemy gun post fired at him and his wingman. From the Squadron Leader’s report: “Strikes were seen forward of Blue 1’s leading edge. During this time, the aircraft was issuing black smoke … [he] kept down very low until he was about 12 miles off the coast … his oil pressure was going right down … about two or three minutes later, a stream of glycol came out and F/L Johnstone said his engine had packed up and said he was going to bail out.”
Johnny successfully bailed out as his Spitfire P8715 burst into flames. He was last spotted in his dinghy. The local papers reported he was presumed dead for official purposes in December 1943. His brother, Archie, also with the RCAF, moved from being an aero engine mechanic to pilot. “He feels he has something to do as a pilot on his brother’s account,” his parents were quoted as saying. Archie survived the war as an air-bomber.
William T. Johnstone’s name appears on the Runnymede Air Forces Memorial in Surrey, England, which commemorates the Commonwealth air force losses in WWII with no known graves, as well as on a stone near his parents’ marker in Calgary’s Union Cemetery.
