My grandfather, James Stanley Beatty, was born and raised in Toronto, Canada. With the beginning of the First World War he enlisted in the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) on June 15, 1915, as a lieutenant. He was initially part of the RFC’s Number 1 Squadron, and is included in a Squadron photograph taken on December 25, 1916, with Canada’s flying ace Billy Bishop. Stan served in Bailleul, France, and was then posted to Mesopotamia and Egypt where he served most of the war as a captain. He returned to Canada in July 1919. On July 15, 1919, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), one of I believe only 30 Canadians to receive this honour.
Stan was an avid shooter and hunter, both before and after the First World…
