A Commission Document for P/O McKay RCAF; KIA over Markendorf, Germany by Night Fighers

Embossed with the Royal coat-of-arms with The Earl of "Athlone" (Governor General of Canada) overprint in black at the upper left, hand-numbered in black ink "J86595" at the upper right, inscribed: "George the Sixth, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India, Vc. - to Our Trusty and well beloved Robert James McKay, Greetings. We, reposing special Trust and Confidence in you Loyalty, Courage, and good Conduct, do by these Presents Constitute and Appoint you to be an Officer in Our Royal Canadian Air Force of Our Dominion of Canada from the Eighteenth day of February 1944. You are therefore carefully and diligently to discharge your Duty as such in the Rank of Pilot Officer or in such other Rank as We may from time to time hereafter be pleased to promote or appoint you to, of which a notification will be made in the Canada Gazette, or in such other manner as may for the time being be prescribed by Us in Council, and you are in such manner and on such occasions as may be prescribed by Us to exercise and well discipline in Arms, both the inferior Officers, and other ranks serving under you and use your best endeavours to keep them in good Order and Discipline. And We do hereby Command them to Obey you as their superior Officer, and you to observe and follow such Orders and Directions as from time to time you shall receive from Us, or any your superior Officer, in pursuance of the Trust hereby reposed in you. In Witness Whereof Our Governor General of Our Dominion of Canada hath hereunto set his hand and Seal at Our Government House in the City of Ottawa this First day of November in the Year of Our Lord One Thousand Nine Hundred and Forty-Four and in the Eighth Year of Our Reign. By Command of His Excellency The Governor General", signed by "T.C. Thompson G/C". Air Secretary for Minister of National Defence for Air, with the handwritten inscription in black ink "Pilot Officer Robert James McKay / Royal Canadian Air Force / Reserve - Special Section" at the lower left, on a white linen stock, 356 mm x 427 mm, lightly soiled on the obverse, black streaking on the reverse, better than very fine. Footnote: Robert James McKay was born on August 29, 1920 in Hamilton, Ontario. He signed his RCAF Attestation Paper on June 13, 1940 at the No. 1 Manning Depot in Toronto, Ontario and stated that he was single and his occupation as Junior Clerk. He scored well on his tests with the RCAF and saw training at multiple locations in Canada, before leaving for overseas service on March 8, 1943. He disembarked in England on March 17. On the night of February 19/20, 1944, his Halifax Mark III H.X.-230 aircraft took off from England, to carry out bombing operations in Germany. McKay was declared missing and presumed dead from 443 Squadron when the aircraft did not return to base. The aircraft crashed two kilometres northwest of Markendorf, Germany after being shot down by night fighters. One member of the crew had previously bailed out and fell to his death. The Luftwaffe recovered the remains of six of the crew that perished in the crash and brought them to Markendorf, where they were buried in a collective grave. The six crew members were re-interred in 1948 in the Berlin Heerstrasse British Military Cemetery. McKay had made seven operational trips, totalling 47.3 hours, with his mother receiving the Memorial Cross.