Squadron Leader Jim Ashworth, a Canadian Hurricane pilot who fought in the Burma Campaign in the 1940s as a member of 20 Squadron, died on Tuesday 23 September 2025 aged 106.
Image courtesy of family archive
In a rich life, Jim was assigned to the Royal Air Force during the Second World War to finish his flying training and fight on an operational squadron.
Born in Cranbrook, British Columbia on 13 April 1919 he grew up in Invermere before moving back to Cranbrook to complete his education. He volunteered for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in 1939 before being called for pilot training January 1941. He gained his pilot’s ‘Wings’ from Number 15 Service Flying Training School in Alberta in September 1941. Initially assigned for further training as a glider pilot and instructor at RAF Staverton in Gloucestershire, he was re-selected for fighter training at RAF Peterborough and the Advanced Flying Unit for pilots. He trained on Miles Masters before moving to Hawker Hurricanes and graduating from No 55 Operational Training Unit in Annan, Scotland in July 1942. On New Year’s Eve, 1942 he was assigned to 20 Squadron to fly the Hurricane IID where they fought against ascendant Japanese enemy at Burma. The Fourteenth Army provided Jim and his Squadron with intelligence:
“Much of our scramble action depended on the army liaison officer. He provided us with the targets, shown as coordinate pinpoints on maps. Many of these were unseen targets in thick jungle. Others were tanks, gun emplacements, vehicles and [river] steamers,” said Jim, in a 2015 interview.
Image courtesy of family archive
Known as ‘boat busters,’ the Hurricanes were adept at firing on boats used to ferry Japanese supplies along Burma’s many rivers. Dangers were ever present for the Hurricane pilots as the enemy often strung steel cables across the Kaladan River to damage or destroy low-flying aircraft. Jim’s missions covered a wide area and included anti-Japanese propaganda leaflet drops behind enemy lines and a period of ‘tank-busting’ during the Siege of Imphal in northeast India. The missions were not without their risks: “The Japanese were doing their best to shoot us down with their anti-aircraft guns and they often succeeded. One week we lost seven guys,” commented the former pilot.
Image courtesy of family archive
Along the way Jim contracted malaria and dengue fever which required periods of hospitalisation.
In all Jim spent eighteen months in India and amassed fifty-four combat missions in Burma before being sent home to Canada via the UK and New York.
Such was Jim’s commitment to the Royal Canadian Air Force that he accepted a permanent commission after the war. He retired in 1966 after twenty-five years of service. His posts included Station Commander at the radar station at RCAF Tofino, CF-100 Canuck interceptor pilot at RCAF St Hubert, and staff officer roles in the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) in Colorado Springs and Air Force Headquarters in Ottawa.
Image courtesy of family archive
A second career beckoned after he left the RCAF where he moved back to Columbia Valley, British Columbia, and managed a resort with stores and a campground near Fairmont Hot Springs.
In 2009 Jim and his wife moved back to Invermere, where he was a member of the Invermere Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. In his later life, he believed he had a duty to help younger generations to understand what war was really like through recounting his own experiences, particularly to local schoolchildren. He was also a strong advocate of Remembrance, particularly of those who gave so much in war.
At the grand old age of 100, Jim was still a proud attendee Remembrance Day marches. In 2020 aged 101, he walked 101 street blocks in Invermere and raised Cdn$40,000 for a local food bank.
Image courtesy of family archive
When 20 Squadron was reformed in June 2021, members contacted Squadron Leader Ashworth who later regaled the team with his wartime exploits via a video call.
The 20 Squadron Historian, Mr A Stewart who interviewed Jim earlier this year, commented: ‘Throughout all my conversations and correspondence with Jim, what shines through is his humility: he often said “it’s not about me, I was just one person; we have to remember everyone else and particularly those who didn’t come back” .’
20 Squadron marked Squadron Leader Ashworth's passing in two ways: On 18 October, two members of the squadron joined the RAF Liaison Officer in Calgary and a senior officer from the Royal Canadian Air Force in a celebration of Sqn Ldr Ashworth's life, arranged by his family and friends in his hometown of Invermere, British Columbia. The officers and veterans paid their respects in a short military ceremony at the town's Cenotaph. This was followed by a celebration of his life hosted by the local branch of the Royal Canadian Legion. Members of the community filled the hall, hearing eulogies covering Squadron Leader Ashworth's military career and his significant contributions to his local community over 60 years. It finished with a reading of 'High Flight', a Second World War sonnet evoking the spiritual joy of flight and one of Sqn Ldr Ashworth's favourite works.
Squadron Leader Brown, representing 20 Sqn said,
"Honouring a veteran in this way is one of the most fulfilling duties any member of our Armed Forces can have, and this was no exception. All of the military officers present were humbled and inspired in equal measure by the respect and affection in which Sqn Ldr Ashworth was held by his community, and the welcome we received as we played our part in remembering this fine officer and gentleman."
On 23 October, 20 Sqn itself gathered in commemoration. The ceremony mirrored the Cenotaph event in Canada, with personnel parading outside the Sqn Headquarters to hear tributes and take part in a One Minute Silence.
The current Officer Commanding 20 Sqn, Wing Commander Grant, said,
"We were grateful to be able to come together as a squadron to remember Squadron Leader Ashworth, mirroring last weekend’s ceremony in Canada. As the notes of the Last Post faded into silence, many of our thoughts were about the example he set us, both in and out of Service. Squadron Leader Ashworth’s skill, courage and dedication are attributes we will strive to emulate as we face an uncertain world in the years ahead; he, and his comrades, will not be forgotten.”
Per Ardua ad Astra
Acknowledgements:
Mr A Stewart, Historian, 20 Squadron.
e-know.ca, Elinor Florence article, 'Baot-Busting in Burma.'