Page "Leonard Birchall" Paragraph 15

Writing after the war, Winston Churchill called Birchall the " Saviour of Ceylon " and said that if the British fleet had been defeated at Ceylon, then North Africa would have been lost to the Germans.

Birchall was made an officer of the Order of the British Empire ( OBE ) in 1946, after his return to Canada for his work at prisoner of war camps.

The citation, in part, read: " he continually displayed the utmost concern for the welfare of fellow prisoners with complete disregard for his own safety.

His consistent gallantry and glowing devotion to his men were in keeping with the finest traditions of the service ".

Leonard Birchall was also awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross ( DFC ) for his part in detecting the attack on Ceylon and for alerting the Allies during that 1942 flight.

The presentation was made on 29 April 1946 at the Embassy of Ceylon in Washington DC, USA.

Mr. Hume Wrong, the Canadian Ambassador to the United States presented the OBE and the DFC to Leonard Birchall, in the presence of the Ambassador of Ceylon, Sir Claude Corea.