Charley Fox
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Charles William Fox, DFC and Bar, CD (February 26, 1920 – October 18, 2008) was a Flight Lieutenant in the
Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...
in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. He attended Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute.


Biography

Fox, the son of an Irish immigrant, joined the RCAF in 1939 at the beginning of the war (his brother Ted joined the
Royal Canadian Artillery The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery () is the artillery personnel branch of the Canadian Army. History Many of the units and batteries of the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery are older than the Dominion of Canada itself. The first arti ...
). He graduated near the top of his class in 1941 and was offered a job as a flight instructor in
Dunnville, Ontario Dunnville is an unincorporated community located near the mouth of the Grand River (Ontario), Grand River in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada, near the historic List of Ontario Tourist Routes#Talbot Trail, Talbot Trail. It was formerly an inco ...
. He remained in this position until 1943 when he began combat training in Bagotville, Quebec. He flew Spitfires over Europe, destroying or damaging 153 enemy vehicles (mostly trains), and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (with bar). In 1944, he began his tour of duty with the Canadian 412 Squadron. On
D-Day The Normandy landings were the landing operations and associated airborne operations on 6 June 1944 of the Allied invasion of Normandy in Operation Overlord during the Second World War. Codenamed Operation Neptune and often referred to as ...
he flew three patrols off the coast of
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. On July 17, 1944, he flew from the Allied air base at Beny-sur-Mer in
Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
and strafed an unknown black car; he later learned that one of the passengers was German
Field Marshal Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...
Erwin Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel (; 15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944), popularly known as The Desert Fox (, ), was a German '' Generalfeldmarschall'' (field marshal) during World War II. He served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of ...
, who was seriously injured in the attack. This is disputed as a South African and RAF ( Chris Le Roux of 602 Squadron) pilot, and a French and RAF ( of 602 Squadron) pilot, by Pierre Clostermann. also claimed to have been responsible for the attack. Australian Fred Cowpe of 453 Squadron also claimed responsibility for the strafing attack, asserting that his guns' camera verified the assertion. He recorded this action in his aircraft log book. As Rommel was soon afterwards implicated in the assassination plot against
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...
, he was allowed to commit suicide and his death was announced as a result of injuries from the air attack. In 2004 Fox was officially credited with injuring Rommel, although he expressed regret about the attack, as Rommel was supposedly planning to secretly negotiate an earlier end to the war with the Allies. Fox ended his tour of duty in January 1945, and served in the 420 Reserve after the war. He retired in 1956 and began to work at a shoe factory, from which he retired in 1998. On April 30, 2004, he was named honorary
colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
of 412 Squadron in
Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
, ultimately belonging to 8 Wing/CFB Trenton. For his long service in the
RCAF The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Canad ...
, he was awarded the
Canadian Forces' Decoration The Canadian Forces' Decoration (post-nominal letters "CD") is a Canadian award bestowed upon members of the Canadian Armed Forces who have completed twelve years of military service, with certain conditions. By convention, it is also given to t ...
. He died in a car accident near Tillsonburg, Ontario, on October 18, 2008.


Legacy

Fourteen of Fox's planes were judged to be no longer usable after returning from missions due to excessive damage from enemy fire. Charles Fox was noted as an educator of youth and spokesperson for veterans. He founded Torch Bearers, a non-profit organization aimed at educating young people about Canadian military exploits. He regularly took on speaking engagements to keep veterans' stories alive and fought with school boards to ensure Remembrance Day ceremonies were held annually. According to Fox's family, he spent his life wondering why he survived numerous dates with death and was in the process of telling his story and those of other veterans in a book titled ''Why Not Me?'', which the family hopes to finish. "It did give him a purpose in life and he was searching for that," according to his son. Mr. Fox had one son (James William Fox), two daughters (Susan Fox and Adrienne Black), nine grandchildren, three step-grandchildren, and fourteen great-grandchildren.


Memorial

In 2011, local officials in coordination with the federal government, dedicated the Charley Fox Memorial Overpass in
London, Ontario London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River (Ontario), Thames River and N ...
. The overpass - the first
arterial road An arterial road or arterial thoroughfare is a high-capacity urban road that sits below highway A highway is any public or private road or other public way on land. It includes not just major roads, but also other public roads and rights o ...
roundabout A roundabout, a rotary and a traffic circle are types of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junct ...
in the city - was built to facilitate the safe passage of pedestrians over a CN rail line, as well as easing traffic when a train passed. It was named in his honour in recognition for his service to Canada during the war and his efforts to educated young people about Canada's military past. The center of the roundabout features a sculpture created by artists Daniel Castillo and Jerry Vrabec. The artwork is part of the City of London Public Art collection.


References


External links


Biography
from Spitfire Emporium *http://www.CharleyFox.com * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, Charley 1920 births 2008 deaths Canadian World War II pilots Road incident deaths in Canada Royal Canadian Air Force officers People from Guelph Accidental deaths in Ontario Canadian military personnel from Ontario Canadian recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal Canadian Air Force personnel of World War II Canadian people of Irish descent