Roger Amedee Del'Haye was a Canadian Ace pilot in the 1st World War who shot down 9 German Aircraft. Roger Amedee Delhaye DFC BA was born in Chalons, France, son of Felix Delhaye and Alice H. Delhaye. He obtained a BA degree and graduated in law from the University of Paris, France. He had come to Canada before WW1 and enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) in Canada. Delhaye was a pilot who served with both Nos. 13 and 19 Squadrons, during 1916 and 1917. He automatically became a pilot for the Royal Air Force (RAF) when the RFC became part of the RAF in April 1918. As Flight Commander of No. 19 Squadron, he held the rank of Captain. The squadron's role involved bombing, photography, artillery observation and escort duties. On June 17, 1918 he was leading his flight of Sopwith Dolphins in pursuit of a squad of enemy scout planes, when 12 enemy Fokker triplanes cut them off from the British lines. In a fight that ranged from 14,000 feet down to 3,000 feet, Delhaye shot one of them down. For this and other achievements, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). In addition, the government of Belgium recognized his skill and bravery by presenting him with the Croix de Guerre. By the end of WW1, his score had climbed to nine enemy planes destroyed and was considered one of the Air Aces of WW1. He left the RAF in 1919. He became a federal income tax assessor (1921-1929) and was airport manager in Regina, Saskatchewan (1929-1932). In 1938, Delhaye was awarded the Gold Medal of the Canadian Flying Clubs Association. At the outbreak of WW2, he had command of No. 120 Auxiliary Squadron RCAF in Vancouver, British Columbia, which was equipped with Tiger Moth aircraft. During the war, he served at Training Command Headquarters, Manitoba, No. 5 Bombing and Gunnery School, Dafoe Sask., at Transport Command Headquarters, Montreal, Quebec (QC) and at Air Force Headquarters in Ottawa, Ontario, rising to the rank of Air Commodore. In November 1944, he was killed in a flying accident when his Harvard trainer aircraft spun out of control and crashed near Boucherville, QC. He had married in England in October 1918. http://www.canadaveteranshallofvalour.com/DelhayeRA.htm
