June 18, 2025
He was a teenage infantryman who became a bomber pilot, a peacetime pioneer who flew farther than any Canadian before him, and by the time he was 30, he had done more to map the North than most men did in a lifetime.
Clennell Hagerston “Punch” Dickins was born in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, on Jan. 12, 1899. During the First World War, he volunteered for the infantry before transferring to the Royal Flying Corps in 1917. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant and posted to 211 Squadron, where he flew Airco D.H.9 bombers on dangerous missions over enemy territory. Although a bomber pilot, Dickins and his crew successfully defended against enemy aircraft and were recognized for their bravery. Dickins downed seven enemy aircraft during the war, making him one of only a few bomber pilots to become a flying ace. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross—all before reaching the voting age of the time.
In 1924, Dickins became one of the original officers of the newly formed Royal Canadian Air Force. While stationed in Edmonton, he carried out cold-weather, high-altitude flight tests in an open-cockpit Armstrong Whitworth Siskin fighter to determine the viability of flying in sub-zero temperatures. It was found to be possible—though far from comfortable.
While stationed in Edmonton, he carried out cold-weather, high-altitude flight tests in an open-cockpit Armstrong Whitworth Siskin fighter…
He left the RCAF in 1927 and joined Western Canada Airways, where he helped pioneer bush flying in the Canadian North. Among his many aviation “firsts” was the first airmail flight to the Northwest Territories aboard a Fokker Super Universal. On Jan. 23, 1929, he flew a team of prospectors to Great Bear Lake, where they would go on to discover uranium. That same year, Dickins completed a 4,000-mile circuit of the N.W.T., flying with limited maps (many areas simply marked “unexplored”), no radio contact beyond Fort Churchill, and only a compass—made unreliable by proximity to the North Magnetic Pole. This flight, too, was completed in a Super Universal, registration G-CASK.
In 1928, at just 28 years old, Dickins was awarded the Trans-Canada (McKee) Trophy for his outstanding contributions to Canadian aviation. The following year, he became the first Canadian pilot to fly the length of the Mackenzie River—about 2,000 miles—in just two days. He also became the first Canadian pilot known to have flown across the Arctic Circle.
During the Second World War, Dickins served as operations manager for the Atlantic Ferry Service, overseeing the delivery of aircraft to Britain. This operation later evolved into the RCAF Ferry Command in 1942. That same year Punch Dickins was appointed vice-president and general manager of Canadian Pacific Airlines, where he was tasked with unifying several small regional carriers into a single western Canadian network, he also oversaw six British Commonwealth Air Training Plan schools during this time.
Dickins later joined de Havilland Aircraft of Canada in Toronto as a vice-president and director, where he played a key role in an aviation company that would become known for creating a now-iconic line of bush planes—aircraft specifically engineered to meet the demands of Canada’s rugged northern terrain.
‘Punch’ Dickins with the 1500th de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver aircraft produced. This particular aircraft, registered as C-FMAA is on display at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada. (RAMWC Archives)
He retired in 1966, having logged more than one million miles of flying in Canada’s North, along with countless other accomplishments across the country. In 1967, he was named an officer of the Order of Canada. In 1995, Punch Dickins was recognized as a National Historic Person by the Canadian government. He died in Toronto that same year.
Yet, even after his death, recognition of Dickins’s legacy continued. In 2004, NASA named a rock in the Endeavour Crater on Mars “Punch Dickins Rock” to honour his pioneering flights carrying geologists into the Canadian North. In 2019, Canada Post issued a stamp commemorating his remarkable career.
Punch Dickins was more than an aviator; he was a trailblazer who helped map the Canadian North, connect remote communities, and prove the potential of aviation in some of the harshest conditions on Earth. His legacy spans two world wars, the golden age of bush flying, and the rise of commercial aviation in Canada. Today, his name lives on in the air—and even on another planet—as a symbol of Canadian ingenuity, courage and the enduring spirit of exploration.
Written By Peter Mitchell, Captain (Ret’d), RAMWC Volunteer & James Mitchell, RAMWC Employee
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