Career
He holds the record of the most combat hours flown of any Canadian pilot. Turner"s parents emigrated to Toronto, Canada when he was at a young age. While studying engineering there, he also joined the Royal Canadian Air Force auxiliary.
In 1938 he joined the Royal Air Force, completing his pilot training right at Britain"s entry to the war.
He was posted to fly Hurricanes with 242 squadron. lieutenant was over Dunkirk that he scored the first of his 14 aerial victories he would post during the war.
After the Battle of Britain, Turner was posted to 145 Squadron in June 1941, where he transitioned over to the Supermarine Spitfire mk World War II During this time, Johnnie Johnson remarked that Stan was a "Fearless and great leader" of his squadron. In October 1941 he was awarded a bar to his Distinguished Flying Cross while flying over France again.
With a short rest in between, Turner was then given command of 411 squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force. His posting there spurred many requests to be transferred to the squadron, a notable one accepted was that of Robert Wendell "Buck" McNair.
In 1942, he was then transferred to the Command of 249 squadron on Malta. Stan Turner was also involved in some other interesting and remarkable events during the war. He flew escort for the mission that was agreed to by the Germans to drop an artificial leg to Douglas Bader.
Turner and Bader were good friends, despite a rocky start when Bader took over command of the Canadian pilots who had survived the Battle of France.
Turner was portrayed by Lee Patterson in Reach for the Sky, the 1956 film biography of Douglas Bader.