The Saviour of Ceylon

Published June 30, 2004

Born on July 6, 1915, retired Air Commodore Len Birchall is the longest-serving officer in the history of the RCAF. In 1942, newly-arrived to his posting in what was then British-governed Ceylon, Birchall was shot down with his 413 Squadron air crew while piloting an unarmed Catalina flying boat off the island's southern coast. Before he could be captured, Birchall was able to send back word of the approaching enemy...