Clifford MacKay McEwen

Originally from Griswold, Manitoba, Clifford was born on 2 July 1896 (or 1898; records vary) to Murdoch Gillis and Mary Helen McEwen. The family moved to Moose Jaw in 1902 and young Clifford was educated at Radisson high school, Moose Jaw College, and Saskatoon Collegiate. Outside of school he helped with the family hardware store.

A year and a half after the outbreak of the Great War, and five months from his 20th birthday, Clifford enlisted in “B” Company (Saskatchewan University) of the 196th Western University Battalion. The unit trained at Sarcee Camp, on Signal Hill, near Calgary, until the fall, during which time Clifford was promoted Corporal. It sailed for Seaforth, England in November 1916.

Once safely across the Atlantic, Clifford transferred to Britain’s Royal Flying Corps. He began training in the summer of 1917 and soloed after 3hr 45min of dual time. With a total solo time of three hours under his belt (all in a Maurice Farman shorthorn), he commenced more advanced instruction on a variety of early war types, including the BE2 and Avro 504. Having completed nearly 29 hours of total flying, Clifford was transferred to 80 Squadron and introduced to the Sopwith Camel.

Clifford was next posted to a unit in France at the end of October 1917: 28 Squadron, then based at Droglandt aerodrome, near Cassels. He joined William G. Barker’s “C” flight and within days the unit decamped for the Italian front. As a result, although he spent the rest of the war with this squadron, Clifford did not fly his first offensive patrol until 29 November. It was an eye-opening flight: while escorting RE8s conducting photographic reconnaissance, the patrol was bounced by enemy aircraft, their leader soon finding his way to Clifford’s tail. With quick thinking, Clifford put his machine into a side slip and managed to escape, making his way back to friendly lines.

For the next four months, until going on leave, he gained valuable experience while escorting observation planes, flying contact patrols, attacking enemy balloons, and bombing enemy targets. By the end of April 1918, Clifford was back in Italian skies until the Armistice of 11 November. In the tumult of air-to-air combat Clifford emerged victorious 27 times. His wartime career saw him promoted to Captain and awarded the Military Cross, the Distinguished Flying Cross and bar, and the Italian Medal Volori and Croce de Guerra.

After the Armistice, Clifford remained in Italy, taking charge of the British Mission in Rome’s aerial detachment. As the RAF prepared to withdraw, he sold its supplies to the Italian government; he was also involved with the despatch of diplomatic documents, work with the secret service, and the dissemination of propaganda. He then headed back to England as part of the nascent Canadian Air Force. Both postings gave him the opportunity to fly a series of German and Austrian aircraft – often the same types he had faced during the war.

In September 1919, Clifford returned to Canada and briefly took Arts at university before joining the Air Board of Canada as a pilot. For the next few years he flew civil operations on behalf of the Canadian government. His files describe experimental forest survey work, which involved photographing and sketching, as well as fire protection. He was also test pilot for new types of aircraft and equipment – both civil and military. These duties often included travel between the east coast and as far west as Manitoba.

During the summer of 1920, McEwen headed even further west: to the Pacific, to scout a trans-Canada flying route. He navigated a path through the Rockies, largely following the railway, selecting spots every 100 miles or so, where trees should be cleared to allow for emergency landings. Though he wanted to make the flight himself, it was not to be. Instead, he returned to Ontario, where he flew an HS2L on a series of forestry and photography patrols near Muskoka, mainly between North Bay and Haileybury. Clifford was posted further north the following spring, to the Air Board’s Northern Ontario mobile unit, which operated out of Sioux Lookout. Once again flying HS2Ls, McEwen and other Air Board pilots proceeded to photograph and sketch the Kenora District surround.

Based at Rockcliffe aerodrome the following year, Clifford helped direct survey work in the Parry Sound area. A year later he was seriously injured while running a motorboat. The machine exploded, throwing him some 20 feet in the air and leaving him badly burned and clinging to debris in the Ottawa River. Having recovered from his injuries, Clifford joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1924. His duties included flying instruction at Camp Borden, then the main training station for the air force. He also conducted extensive testing of aircraft and engines for winter operations. Soon, Clifford was the Chief Flying Instructor at Borden, and he also gave courses in seaplane instruction on the west coast. It was during his time at Borden that he earned the moniker “Black Mike” for his ability to tan easily.

The late 1920s and early 1930s were a busy time for Clifford. He married Helen Claire Bertha Low in 1928, and together they would welcome three daughters. He attended the RAF Staff College and School of Army Co-operation in England, and, after his return to Canada, he served as an instructor of air subjects at the Royal Military College. Between 1932 and 1935, Clifford returned to Borden, where he was the Commanding Officer of the School of Army Co-operation. For the next three years he then served as Director of Staff Duties at RCAF Headquarters before being made Commanding Officer at Trenton, now the main RCAF training station, where he readied the base for war.

After the outbreak of hostilities in 1939, Clifford headed Nos. 1 and 3 Training Commands in Toronto and Montreal, respectively, and was involved with construction and training for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. In Halifax, Clifford headed Eastern Air Command, organizing and planning air operations for ferry service to Europe. Then, between 1941 and 1942, he was appointed Air Officer Commanding No. 1 (Coastal) Group in Newfoundland and Labrador, where he oversaw the construction of all types of flying infrastructure from aerodromes and boat bases to roads, telephone lines, and storage facilities. He also worked closely with U.S. authorities to coordinate combined operations against German U-boats.

From the east coast, Clifford was transferred to England as a base commander, and then selected to head 6 Group RCAF Bomber Command in February 1944. Known as a stickler for discipline and training, Clifford led 6 Group to become one of the premier units in Bomber Command. Between April 1943 and March 1944 he joined his crews on at least seven operations, including missions over Kiel, Essen, and Hamburg. When the war in Europe ended, Clifford was named head of the RCAF’s contribution to the Pacific air war: Tiger Force, but the war ended before the unit deployed. For his service during the Second World War, Air Vice Marshal McEwen was mentioned in despatches, made a Companion of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, and awarded the French Legion of Honour and the American Legion of Merit.

Clifford retired from the RCAF in 1946, having flown over 100 different types of aircraft. In retirement he worked with veterans’ groups, notably the Last Post Fund, and served, among other positions, as a director on the board of Trans-Canada Air Lines. Clifford died in 1967. The airfield at CFB Moose Jaw was named in his honour in 2003.