During the Battle of Britain, McKnight continued to be prolific in shooting down enemy aircraft. On 8 October he was awarded a bar to his DFC and, on 6 November, he was promoted to Flying Officer.
Men of the Battle of Britain describes the final flight of Willie McKnight on 12 January 1941: “McKnight, in company with Pilot Officer M K Brown, was on a Rhubarb operation [using cloud cover to fly at low level and seek targets of opportunity such as trains and troop concentrations]. They crossed the French coast near Gravelines and strafed enemy troops. As they turned to make a second attack, a Bf 109 was seen, at 500 feet. Brown attacked the troops but when he looked for McKnight, he had vanished. He did not return to base and either fell to the flak or the Bf 109.”
McKnight is remembered on the Runnymede Memorial, Panel 30, and by a commemorative plaque at Calgary Airport, Canada.
