Title: "Guardian of the Night"

Stuart May in his de Havilland Mosquito "Flame McGoon" shoots down
his second V1 Bomb of the evening - June, 1944

Signed by Flt. Lt. Stuart May - Canadian Mosquito Pilot

The Man:

Stuart May is one of those exceptional pilots with exceptional stories to tell. In this scene Stuart shoots down his second V1 of the evening (the first can be seen exploding on the water behind) allowing some London residents to get a better nights sleep. Stuart was part of the City of Edmonton Mosquito Squadron, RCAF and together they shot down 79.5 V1 bombs (pilots were awarded a half point for shooting one down after it crossed the channel). Stuart shot down 5.5 of those.

Later in a raid on a Czechoslovakian airfield, Stuart was hit by flak and forced to crash land "Flame McGoon". This began an incredible trek of adventure and suffering. Stuart and FO Jack Ritch of Edmonton fled the German search parties and met up with some Russian partisans.

The ensuing flight took 6 months and led over mountains, through German patrols and blinding blizzards, all with no winter clothing. Stuart's shoes finally wore out and he had only rags tied around his feet. Near the end of this incredible journey he contracted an infection in his arm and a terrible fever from pneumonia. In the end, Russian doctors saved him and he was flown back to England. Stuart says "I've had enough mountain climbing, cold weather, and goulash to last a lifetime!"

More can be found on Stuart May here: http://www.flyingforyourlife.com/pilots/ww2/ma/may/

The Machine:

The Mosquito was one of the most capable and intriguing aircraft of WWII. Sometimes called the "wooden wonder" because the airframe was constructed primarily of wood due to shortages of aluminum. It turned out to be one of the fastest, most versatile and most effective aircraft of the war. Powered by two Rolls-Royce Merlin engines it could out-run almost anything else available and carried a vast array of weaponry.

Missions included pathfinder bombing for bomber command, reconnaissance, low-level precision bombing, strafing, anti-shipping, night fighter, and day fighter along with many others. The versatility and success of the Mosquito is staggering. Mosquitoes carried out many daring raids including the famous raid on the Amiens prison.

The Mosquito came in many configurations and armaments including fighter/bomber and bomber versions and some even had pressurized cockpits for high altitude operation. One of the common configurations was fighter/bomber like the one shown in this image. Armed with four .303 cal. machine-guns and four 20mm cannon which gave it quite a punch! It could also carry 2000 lb of bombs internally.

"Flame McGoon" was painted with the image of a "Li'l Abner" cartoon figure as were many of his squadron's aircraft. It was later destroyed in the attack on the Czechoslovakian airfield.

In this scene it displays it's fantastic speed, being one of the very few aircraft capable of catching the German V1 flying bomb.

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Stuart May (left) and Jack Ritch of Edmonton in front of Flame McGoon

Stuart May