John L C PEARCE [????- ]

Citation for (Major) John L C Pearce, BAAG:

"This officer joined the BAAG in April 1944, and was posted to the Intelligence Section.  In August of that year he was placed in command of that section, and was solely responsible for the publication of KWIZ (the BAAG Weekly Intelligence Summary) and the collation of all our intelligence.

During the four months evacuation from Kweilin to Kunming the office work of this section was carried out in the most trying and difficult conditions; but in spite of this, Major Pearce´s drive and energy was such that never once was the publication of the summary late, nor was its high standard of excellence allowed to suffer in any way.

In January 1945, when the tempo of air attacks on the South China Coast was stepped up, escape and evasion intelligence in that area became of great importance. Major Pearce immediately started the publication of a weekly evasion summary and an evasion map which was issued to all air forces operating in the Pacific. In the few months of its publication this summary was responsible for the safety of a large number of American airmen - and had the military operations planned for South China taken place it would have undoubtedly been responsible for the saving of large numbers of lives.

Major Pearce maintained a high standard in spite of tremendous difficulties, and his work  was as outstanding as it was valuable."

                                                                                 (signed) L T Ride, 1945.