Robert Alexander Barton, (7 June 1916 – 2 September 2010) was a Canadian-born officer who served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. He was credited with at least 12 aerial victories.
Born in Kamloops in British Columbia, Barton joined the RAF in early 1936. After his training was completed, he was posted to No. 41 Squadron but following the outbreak of the Second World War was transferred to No. 249 Squadron. Flying the Hawker Hurricane fighter, he flew extensively during the Battle of Britain, claiming several aerial victories. Near the end of the battle, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He later flew Hurricanes during the Siege of Malta, achieving more aerial victories. He served in a series of staff and command posts for the remainder of the war. He remained in the RAF in the postwar period, and played a role in the establishment of the Pakistani Air Force. He ended his military career in 1959 and died in September 2010, aged 94.
Early life
Robert Alexander Barton was born in Kamloops, in British Columbia, Canada, on 7 June 1916. While his father, an engineer, was Canadian, his mother was Scottish. The family lived in Penticton, although Barton was educated at Vernon. In 1935 he applied to join the Royal Air Force (RAF) and was accepted on a short service commission. He proceeded to England to commence his flight training in January 1936. Nicknamed 'Butch', he was commissioned as an acting pilot officer in March and after his initial training was completed, went on to No. 9 Flying Training School at Thornaby. In October, he was posted to No. 41 Squadron and early the following year was confirmed in his rank as pilot officer. At the time, the squadron was based at Catterick and operated the Hawker Fury biplane fighter but in January 1939, it began to convert to the Supermarine Spitfire fighter.
Second World War
By the time of the outbreak of the Second World War, Barton was a flying officer. In May 1940, he was transferred to the newly formed No. 249 Squadron. Based at Leconfield, it trained on Hawker Hurricane fighters and became operational in July, moving to Boscombe Down the following month and immediately becoming engaged in the aerial fighting over the southeast of England.
Battle of Britain
On 15 August, Barton achieved his first aerial victory, a Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighter, which he shot down over Middle Wallop. He also damaged a second Bf 110 in the same area. On 24 August he destroyed two Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters near the Isle of Wight, one of which shared with another pilot. He shared in the destruction of a Dornier Do 17 medium bomber near Rochford on 2 September. He was shot down himself the next day, during an engagement over the Thames Estuary. He bailed out without mishap.
Barton was promoted to flight lieutenant at the start of the following month, and on 11 September, while flying south east of London, he was one of several pilots that engaged and damaged a number of Heinkel He 111 medium bombers; he was credited with shares in damaging four of these. On 15 September, what later became Battle of Britain Day, he shot down one Do 17 and damaged another. Three days later, he damaged a He 111 over the Thames Estuary. He shot down a Bf 110 on 27 September.
No. 249 Squadron had been intensively engaged in the air battles but the Luftwaffe began to slow down its operational tempo in October. On 22 October, Barton's award of the Distinguished Flying Cross was announced. The published citation read:
The Luftwaffe had briefly escalated its activities over the final stages of October and a week after being awarded the DFC, Barton destroyed a Bf 109 and damaged two others over North Weald, from where No. 249 Squadron had been based since September. He probably destroyed a Bf 109 off Clacton on 7 November and then four days later, shot down a Junkers Ju 86 medium bomber although it may have been a misidentified Focke-Wulf Fw 58 on a search and rescue mission. The squadron carried out convoy patrols until the start of 1941, when it switched to offensive operations to France. By this time, Barton was its commander, having been promoted to acting squadron leader.
On 4 February, Barton shot down a Bf 110 and damaged a second, both near the Kentish Knock lightship. These were his final aerial victories flying from a RAF station in England.