Barker VC: The Life, Death and Legend of Canada's Most Decorated War Hero by Wayne Ralph
When William Barker died in an air crash in March 1930 his state funeral was the largest in the history of Toronto. He was a war hero and holder of the Victoria Cross, the DSO and Bar, the MC and two Bars, the Croix-de-Guerre, two Italian Silver Medals for Valour and three Mentions-in-Despatches. Moreover, he had 50 Great War victories to his credit. However, his life and achievements have, to all intents and purposes, been forgotten or overlooked when compared to that other great war hero, Billy Bishop. Wayne Ralph has made it his mission to discover why this is the case. In what was for him a five-year emotional journey, Ralph has solved many mysteries and laid to rest many mistruths about the man. This is a detailed and well-researched biography of Lieutenant Colonel William Barker.