Myers, Cecil Dennison

Date of birth:: 1921 (Vancouver/British Columbia, Canada)
Nationality:: Canadian

Biography

Service number Can/J.23215.

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Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)

Period:: Second World War (1939-1945)
Rank:: Flight Lieutenant
Unit:: No. 406 (Lynx) Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Force
Awarded on:: May 8th, 1945

Recommendation:
"On the night of 29/30 December 1944, this officer was radar Operator in L/407 and it was largely due to his outstanding work that a U-Boat was attacked and probably sunk. He was also W/T Op in W/407 on 7 February, 1944 when a U-Boat was attacked and damaged in the face of heavy flak. Position 5156N 1831W. During his recent completed tour of operations, Flight Lieutenant Myers consistently proved himself to be an exceptional WOP/AG in both ability and unswerving devotion to duty."

At the time the attack was listed as a probable but after the war German Naval records confirmed that the U-772 had been sunk on this occasion together with the entire crew of 48. In the week prior to the loss the U-772 had sunk 3 British convoy ships and fatally damaged 2 American ships. Myers’ Captain (S/L C. Taylor) recorded ‘At 2.11 hours Pat Myers, an excellent radar operator was on the set when he recognised a small blip at six miles. Further and more importantly he could discern relative speed between the blip and his own aircraft. If the blip was moving , it was some sort of powered vessel, rather then floating debris. To recognise relative speed between the blip at about 6 knots and his own aircraft at 150 knots provides unmistakable evidence of Pat’s operative skills. Pat very cleverly homed me in on the target during which we reduced our elevation to water surface at about 1/2 mile. With the aid of our multi-candle power searchlight, the schnorkel and schnorkel wake were clearly visible. At an elevation of about 15 feet we crossed just ahead of the schnorkel and straddled it with six 250lb depth charges set to detonate at 25 feet. With an eruption of tons and tons of salt water the target disappeared.’