Robert Alexander Barton, OBE, DFC & Bar (7 June 1916 – 2 September 2010) was a Canadian-born officer who served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War.

Flying the Hawker Hurricane fighter, he flew extensively during the Battle of Britain, claiming several aerial victories.

He remained in the RAF in the postwar period, and played a role in the establishment of the Pakistani Air Force.

In 1935 he applied to join the Royal Air Force (RAF) and was accepted on a short service commission.

[3] Based at Leconfield, it trained on Hawker Hurricane fighters and became operational in July, moving to Boscombe Down the following month and immediately becoming engaged in the aerial fighting over the southeast of England.

[5] On 15 August, Barton achieved his first aerial victory, a Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighter, which he shot down over Middle Wallop.

249 Squadron had been intensively engaged in the air battles but the Luftwaffe began to slow down its operational tempo in October.

The published citation read: This officer has displayed outstanding leadership and has contributed materially to the many successes obtained by his squadron.

Flight Lieutenant Barton has personally destroyed four enemy aircraft and shared in the destruction of others.The Luftwaffe had briefly escalated its activities over the final stages of October and a week after being awarded the DFC, Barton destroyed a Bf 109 and damaged two others over North Weald, from where No.

[1][7] He probably destroyed a Bf 109 off Clacton on 7 November and then four days later, shot down a Junkers Ju 86 medium bomber although it may have been a misidentified Focke-Wulf Fw 58 on a search and rescue mission.

249 Squadron was dispatched to the Middle East, departing from England aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Furious.

249 Squadron became operational on the island on 25 May, Barton leading the first, uneventful, sortie of the day from their base at Ta Kali.

By this time, the Luftwaffe had reduced its presence in the region, having been transferred to eastern Europe to support the German invasion of Russia.

[10] On 3 June, Barton shot down a Savoia-Marchetti SM.79 medium bomber over Gozo, one of the islands of the Malta group.

[1][11] After a period of hospital treatment, Barton returned to operations and on 4 September probably destroyed a MC.200 and damaged a second near Cap Passero, and on 19 October, he and another pilot combined to shoot down a Savoia-Marchetti SM.81 bomber south of Lampedusa.

[1][2][3] By this time, his performance while serving at Malta had been recognised with an award of a Bar to his DFC, the announcement being made on 31 October.

He initially served in an Operational Training Unit as a wing leader, and was subsequently appointed to a staff role at the headquarters of No.

[1][2][3] Barton and his wife Gwen née Cranswick, who he had married in 1939, settled back in British Columbia in 1965.