Flight Lieutenant Charles Coburn Elliott Cleland

Charles Coburn Elliott Cleland was born at Ormstown, Quebec, on 1 August 1914. After training in electrical work, he joined the Royal Air Force in July 1938 and became a wireless operator and air gunner. With No. 59 Squadron he flew operational sorties from France and England, including reconnaissance, bombing, convoy escort, anti-submarine and shipping patrol missions. His records state that he completed about 55 operational sorties over two RAF tours, and he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal. Cleland was commissioned Pilot Officer in November 1942, promoted Flying Officer in May 1943 and appointed Acting Flight Lieutenant in June 1944. He transferred to the Royal Canadian Air Force in September 1944 and served as a gunnery officer and instructor in Canada. He was honourably released as a Flight Lieutenant on 23 March 1946. Cleland married Margaret Augusta Tufts in 1943. He died in Ottawa, Ontario, on 30 September 1988 at the age of 74.

1914-08-01 — Born at Ormstown, Quebec — Ormstown, Quebec.
1938-07-12 — Enlisted in the Royal Air Force as 615352, Aircraftman 2nd Class/Aircraftman/Wireless Operator Group 5 — Royal Air Force / United Kingdom.
1939-01-03 to 1939-01-10 — Hospitalized for acute follicular tonsillitis and discharged to duty — RAF Hospital, Cranwell, England.
1939-01-11 to 1939-01-19 — Hospitalized for post-influenzal debility and discharged to duty — RAF Hospital, Cranwell, England.
1939-03-14 — Special RAF medical examination while AC2 615352; assessed fit for air-gunner training — No. 1 Wing, Electrical & Wireless School, Cranwell, England.
1939-05-16 — Remustered as Aircraftman under training, Wireless Operator Group 2 — Royal Air Force / United Kingdom.
1939-06-10 — Remustered under training as Aircrew — Royal Air Force / United Kingdom.
1939-09-03 — Remustered Wireless Operator Air Gunner — Royal Air Force / United Kingdom.
1939-09-10 — War Service Gratuity record begins qualifying RAF service on 10 September 1939 — Royal Air Force.
1940-05 to 1940-06 — Approximately seven operational sorties before 10 May 1940 were omitted because his logbook was lost during the retreat in France; DFM was received during this first tour — No. 59 Squadron RAF / France.
1940-05-12 — Operational reconnaissance sortie in Blenheim aircraft over Holland — No. 59 Squadron RAF / Holland.
1940-05-17 — Operational reconnaissance sortie in Blenheim aircraft over France — No. 59 Squadron RAF / France.
1940-05-22 — Operational reconnaissance sortie in Blenheim aircraft over Belgium — No. 59 Squadron RAF / Belgium.
1940-05-26 — Operational tactical reconnaissance sortie — No. 59 Squadron RAF / Western Europe.
1940-05-29 — Operational tactical reconnaissance sortie — No. 59 Squadron RAF / Western Europe.
1940-06-01 — Promoted Aircraftman 1st Class — Royal Air Force / United Kingdom.
1940-07-25 — Promoted Temporary Sergeant — Royal Air Force / United Kingdom.
1940-08-06 — Distinguished Flying Medal award was published in the London Gazette — No. 59 Squadron RAF / United Kingdom.
1941-04-01 — Promoted Temporary Flight Sergeant — Royal Air Force / United Kingdom.
1941-04-28 — Blenheim operational convoy-escort sortie over the English Channel — No. 59 Squadron RAF / English Channel.
1941-05-01 — Blenheim operational shipping-patrol sortie off the French coast — No. 59 Squadron RAF / French coast.
1941-05-27 — Blenheim operational bombing sortie over France; target noted as Caen Aerodrome — No. 59 Squadron RAF / Caen, France.
1941-05-29 — Blenheim operational convoy-escort sortie over the English Channel — No. 59 Squadron RAF / English Channel.
1941-06-02 — Blenheim operational convoy-escort sortie over the English Channel — No. 59 Squadron RAF / English Channel.
1942-02-01 — Overseas service terminated for gratuity purposes — Royal Air Force / Canada.
1942-11-17 — Discharged as an RAF airman on appointment to a commission — Royal Air Force / Canada.
1942-11-18 — Granted Emergency Commission as Pilot Officer on probation, General Duties Branch — Royal Air Force / Canada.
1942-12-03 — Treated as an outpatient for a small shell-casing fragment in the right cheek; fragment removed and he returned to his unit — Station Hospital, Mountain View, Ontario.
1943-04-08 to 1943-04-12 — Hospitalized with influenza for four days, then discharged to duty — RCAF Station Mountain View, Ontario.
1943-05-18 — Became War Substantive Flying Officer on probation — Royal Air Force / Canada.
1943-07-06 — Eye specialist examination for myopia/astigmatism; glasses prescribed — RCAF Station Mountain View, Ontario.
1943-11-03 — Mountain View requested policy guidance on transfer of Canadian RAF officers to the RCAF; Cleland was identified as Flying Officer C.C.E. Cleland, DFM, RAF 51212 — RCAF Station Mountain View, Ontario.
1944-05-15 — No. 1 Training Command forwarded Cleland's confidential assessment and recommendation for appointment to acting rank — No. 1 Training Command / RCAF Station Mountain View, Ontario.
1944-06-01 — Appointed Acting Flight Lieutenant with pay while still an RAF officer attached in Canada — RCAF Station Mountain View, Ontario.
1944-07-19 — Routine chest X-ray was negative — RCAF Station Trenton, Ontario.
1944-08-22 — Confidential assessment records him as Acting Flight Lieutenant, Gunnery Leader, filling a Flight Lieutenant establishment position; strongly recommended to retain acting rank on transfer to RCAF — RCAF Station Mountain View, Ontario.
1944-09-01 — Transferred from RAF to RCAF (Reserve), Special Section, General List; appointed Pilot Officer and promoted Temporary Flying Officer effective the same date, with seniority from 18 May 1943 — RCAF Station Mountain View, Ontario.
1944-09-18 — Certified operational record states he was repatriated as an instructor after completion of two operational tours — RCAF Station Mountain View, Ontario.
1944-11-10 — Certified operational record again states repatriation as an instructor after two operational tours — RCAF Station Mountain View, Ontario.
1944-11-18 — Promoted/appointed Temporary Flight Lieutenant in the RCAF — RCAF / Canada.
1945-01-12 to 1945-03-08 — Attended an officers' administrative course — RCAF training establishment, Canada.
1945-05-16 — Posted to RCAF Station Trenton during wartime service — RCAF Station Trenton, Ontario.
1945-06-03 to 1945-06-09 — Granted seven days leave; leave address was Belleville, Ontario — RCAF Station Mountain View / Belleville, Ontario.
1945-08-18 — Posted to No. 5 Radio School, Clinton — No. 5 Radio School, Clinton, Ontario.
1946-01-03 — Medical examination recorded prior RAF service of 61 months, RCAF service from 1 September 1944, married status, and approximately 600 passenger flying hours — RCAF Recruiting Centre, Montreal, Quebec.
1946-03-23 — Released from the RCAF on completion of a term of voluntary service during an emergency and transferred to RCAF Reserve, General Section, Class E — RCAF / Canada.
1953-07-17 — Enrolled in the postwar RCAF Primary Reserve; reserve record gives service number 204812 and Deep River address — RCAF Primary Reserve / Ontario.
1954 — Summer employment/training under the RCAF Mobilization Assignment Training Plan — JABC School, Camp Borden, Ontario.
1954-07-27 — Taken on strength for MATP summer duty — RCAF Station Camp Borden, Ontario.
1954-08-05 — RCAF reserve medical examination; birthplace recorded as Ormstown, Quebec — Camp Borden, Ontario.
1954-08-09 — Struck off strength after MATP summer duty — RCAF Station Camp Borden, Ontario.
1955-07-27 — Taken on strength for another MATP summer duty period — RCAF Station Camp Borden, Ontario.
1955-08-01 to 1955-08-15 — Scheduled for 15-day MATP summer employment/training — JABC School, Camp Borden, Ontario.
1955-08-15 — Struck off strength after MATP summer duty — RCAF Station Camp Borden, Ontario.
1956-05-09 — Taken on strength for MATP duty at Air Force Headquarters — Air Force Headquarters, Ottawa, Ontario.
1956-05-28 — Struck off strength after MATP duty at Air Force Headquarters — Air Force Headquarters, Ottawa, Ontario.
1958-07-02 — Transferred from RCAF Primary Reserve MATP to Supplementary Reserve — Air Force Headquarters, Ottawa, Ontario.
1988-09-30 — Died in hospital at age 74 — Ontario.
After two operational tours — Repatriated as an instructor after completion of two tours of operations — RAF instructor duties.