Umpherson, William Earl

William Earl Umpherson flew Halifax bombers on 502 Squadron from several different air stations in Great Britain during WWII. The citation for the award of the Croix De Guerre ( France) read: F/L Umpherson, as Captain of aircraft, has displayed great courage, skill and tenacity throughout the campaign in operations off the northwest and western coast of France. On 13 August, 1944, whilst flying a Halifax he sighted three U-boats and four escort vessels off the mouth of the Gironde. In spite of the concentrated fire which could obviously be expected from an enemy force of this composition, he pressed home his attack with iron determination although the aircraft was twice hit during the bombing run. He has also engaged in several other attacks on enemy under-water and surface ships in the face of intense anti - aircraft fire.