Frederick Robert Gordon McCall was born on 4 December 1896 in
Vernon, British Columbia. The McCalls moved to Calgary in 1906
where Fred completed his education. In February 1916, he joined
the 175th Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force where
approximately ten months later, McCall held the rank of
sergeant.
Fred McCall expressed an interest in becoming a pilot after
his battalion transferred to England, and in March he was
commissioned as a lieutenant pilot trainee in the Royal Flying
Corps. He continued his flight training for most of 1917. In
December of that year, he started flying with Number 13 Squadron
carrying out flights over the Western Front. His first role was
piloting the large R.E.7 aircraft that were being used for
reconnaissance missions.
Although McCall was only carrying out reconnaissance missions
when flying the two-seat R.E.8, on 6 January 1918, he found
himself engaged with a German Albatros D.V that was determined
to shoot him out of the sky. He turned the table and
successfully brought the German aircraft down, scoring his first
victory. He was awarded a Military Cross when he noticed enemy
artillery fire, engaged and downed an enemy aircraft. A few
weeks later, he won a bar for his Military Cross for shooting
down a German scout while in the process of carrying out a
photography mission.
McCall was transferred to Number 41 Squadron and changed from
the R.E.8 aircraft he had been flying to an S.E.5a biplane,
which was able to fly higher than the
Sopwith Camel, and was
easier to handle. In May 1918, McCall achieved four additional
victories that earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross and a
promotion to captain.
On 27 June 1918, McCall demonstrated remarkable skill as he
claimed two German aircraft and four more the next day. Four
additional German aircraft fell victim to McCall on the morning
of 30 June, and another in the afternoon. This exceptional run
of victories won McCall the Distinguished Service Order.
He was flying with William Claxton on 17 August when they
suddenly faced a group of forty to sixty German aircraft.
Claxton was forced down onto the enemy side of the lines and
became a prisoner. McCall was able to escape.
He was sent to England and then home Canada to rest and
recover from an illness. He was there when he received the news
of the surrender of Germany and the armistice arrived. McCall
completed the war with 35 confirmed victories and two
unconfirmed.
Like so many other First World War aces who came back to
Canada after the war, McCall turned to civil aviation work that
ranged from performing stunts at summer fairs to building his
own company, McCall Aero Corporation limited. It was formed in
1920 and was based in Calgary, providing passenger and freight
services.
McCall then formed another company called Great Western
Airways in Calgary, and was among the first to provide air
service over the mountains between Calgary, Banff, Fernie, and
Golden. One of his best known achievements during this time was
when he transported 200 quarts of highly explosive nitro-glycerine
by aircraft from Shelby, Montana to Calgary for oil exploration.
Fred McCall was very active in Calgary promoting flight and
flying clubs. His efforts and contributions were honoured when
the Calgary airport was named after him in 1939.
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