Membership
CAHS Convention 2017
The call for presentations will be posted soon. Questions about sponsorship opportunities and general enquiries may be sent to organising committee chairperson Jim Bell at jbell320@gmail.com.
WRIGHT, Jerauld "Jerry"
Jerauld ('Jerry') Wright passed away peacefully in his hundredth year, of kidney failure, with family at his side, at the Perley Rideau Veterans' Health Centre in Ottawa, Ontario. He was predeceased by his wife Elma, his only sibling Mary Knox, his older son Ian, and his younger daughter Alison Chenosky. He is survived by his daughter Kirsty/Christine (Louis Tousignant), son Robert, daughters-in-law Odette Wright and Carlita Delion, son-in-law Mark Chenosky, grandchildren Liz and Davey Wright, and Tyler, Meaghan, and Nick Chenosky, and nephews Steven Knox (Carol) and Jeffrey Knox. Son of the late Edgar and Jessie (West) Wright. A Memorial Service took place on Saturday, September 17 in the Chapel at 3 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations to Perley and to Manitoba Follow-Up Study, should anyone wish to make some memorial tribute to the memory of a remarkable man. For a full biography, click here.
Read the full notice here.
Aviation Historians:
I am sharing this request for assistance.
As most of you know one of my projects is to record those RCMP members who left the Force in WWII (or WWI) to join the RAF, RFC or RCAF. I’ve identified about 125 so far - 30 of these men did not survive WWII. I call the project “RCMP Red To Air Force Blue".
Ian Macdonald found these images at LAC some time ago. They depict:
"P.L. 1748 (and 1749) 12.10.1940 S.P. (Service Police) recruits from R.C.M.P. get instructions from Recruiting Officer, Winnipeg, Man.”
Sadly and predictably that is the extent of the narrative. I’ve not been able to learn anything further, which is where you come into the picture - anything you can add would be appreciated.
One of my RCMP contacts noted that:
“Several of the men were members of the RCMP Reserve (note the R over the letters RCMP on the shoulder badge) and not recruits, as we know them - visible in the 3rd enlarged image."
Additionally one notes that:
- Trade Test Room signed on the right side of the second photograph and part of a wing structure near the top.
- Two Wing Ribs visible, again in the second photograph as noted below.
- RCAF Officer and RCAF Sergeant depicted (both with wings).
- Six of the men are holding papers (recruiting documents?)
So, almost a certainly an RCAF Recruiting Office - 14 members of the RCMP (of whatever status) being sworn into the RCAF - five in uniform - remainder in civvies.
I’m not sure if there is anything further to be gleaned but anything you care to share would be appreciated.
Regards,
John Henderson
Ottawa, Ontario
1-613-822-3441
History in the news
Check these recent newspaper stories for more fascinating stories about history past and present:
Last Canadian Battle of Britain pilot celebrates 100 years
The 2016 Gathering of the Classics, Edenvale Aerodrome
The annual Gathering of the Classics, at Edenvale Aerodrome west of Collingwood, ON, is one of southern Ontario’s most popular summer aviation events. The 2016 edition, held under sunny skies on Aug. 6, was another impressive event. A colourful variety of vintage, classic, homebuilt and experimental aircraft flew in and a large display of vintage automobiles attracted spectators as well.
The Edenvale Aerodrome was a BCATP emergency relief field supporting Camp Borden from 1940 to 1945. It became a civilian aerodrome in 1950, used mostly for race car events, but abandoned again in 1959. Since 2002, it has operated as a private civilian aerodrome. Billed as “a beautiful place to fly,” Edenvale Aerodrome has steadily grown with new runways, taxiways and ramps and four rows of modern T-hangars. The scenic airport offers easy access to the Georgian Bay shoreline, the hills of Collingwood and surrounding central Ontario farmland.
The aerodrome is the home of the Edenvale Classic Aircraft Foundation (www.classicaircraft.ca), organizer of the Gathering of the Classics. Now one of the largest aircraft and automobile displays of its kind in Canada, the Gathering offers something for almost everyone.
One of the most impressive visitors this year was a striking Lockheed 12A, CF-LKD, owned by Invicta Air of St. Catharines. This aircraft, 2012 Oshkosh Grand Champion – Antique, had a long corporate history. It went to the RCAF under Lend-Lease and served at Trenton, as RCAF 7837, from 1937 to 1940. After the war, it was flown by Texaco and eventually acquired by Peter Ramm of St. Catharines in 2007. It has recently been listed for sale at $1,850,000.
The largest aircraft at the fly-in was the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum B-25J Mitchell. It has been a regular visitor to Edenvale, providing six passenger flights this year. Vintage Wings of Canada flew their Lysander, with veteran warbird pilot Dave Hadfield at the controls. A Robinson Special Seabee conversion, with a Corvette V8 engine in place of the original Franklin engine in the Republic RC-3 Seabee, also attracted considerable interest. This attractive “VeeBee”, flown in by Michael Lush of Orangeville, ON, was an award winner at the 2015 Sun ‘n Fun fly-in in Florida.
Overall, it was one “pretty cool” show, as illustrated by a few pictures.
--- photos and story by Gord McNulty
The beautiful Lockheed 12, CF-LKD, arrives at Edenvale on August 6
Another view of the Lockheed 12 CF-LKD at Edenvale
CWHM B-25J Mitchell taking off from Gathering of the Classics
Robinson Special Seabee C-FDOQ
The Vintage Wings of Canada Westland Lysander looked good at Edenvale
Highly polished ERCO Ercoupe C-FTSS
Lake Buccaneer C-GENS arrives at Edenvale
A Van's RV-3, C-GBRV, was another prime example of the popular, high-peformance Van's kit aircraft series
Murphy Moose C-FXLR arrives at Edenvale
An unusual DHC-1 Chipmunk, C-GVME, with a Rotec radial engine
Stinson 105 Voyager CF-SKP arrives at Edenvale
Cessna 195 CF-KCS arrives at Edenvale
Second World War Documentary
The Canada Aviation & Space Museum (Ottawa) is creating a documentary about the Second World War which will then be distributed to high schools across Canada. Filming will take place at the museum on Saturday, November 5th from 10:00 to 12:00 and on November 6th from 3:00 to 5:00. On the first day, classically trained music students will be playing Second World War songs on cello throughout the museum. On the second day other students will be playing songs from the war on their violins. The museum is hoping to have veterans of the war, from any of the services, seated amongst the aircraft. There is no requirement to attend both sessions - veterans can attend either one. The person to contact at the museum is Linda Brand, the Interpretation officer / Community Programs, 613-993-8964. Please convey this message to all of your friends and veterans of the Second World War, should they be interested in being a part of this documentary.
Medals Returned to 95-year Old Veteran
At the Bomber Command Museum of Canada on Friday, September 16, the medals for Hank Jackson, DFC, which had been missing for 50 years, were returned to him. Hank flew 34 operations as a Halifax rear gunner, and all seven members of his crew received the Distinguished Flying Cross. The weekend's special events included visiting Swedish members of the team involved in the recovery of a Halifax bomber in Swedish waters.
To see the story and a video news item from CTV Calgary, click here.
To read the story in the Calgary Herald, click here.
Book Offer – Camp Borden: A Century of Service
The CAHS is proud to present a special book offer, Camp Borden: A Century of Service.
Camp Borden: A Century of Service is an overview of the history of this iconic institution. For over ten decades, Borden has been a temporary posting, as either instructor or trainee, for countless thousands of military men and women who have served Canada in peace and war. For generations, it has been a home to military families. And for a century, it has been a part of the local community fabric of Ontario. This book, in a small way, pays tribute to Camp Borden as a unique part of Canada’s history and heritage. It is not the complete story of Camp Borden, but hopefully it will inspire the reader to dig deeper into the layered history of a Canadian military treasure. The book is profusely illustrated with colour and B&W photos, many never before published.
The CAHS has been offered a discounted rate of $24.99 CAD (plus shipping) from the publisher's suggested retail price of $29.99.
For more information, or to place an order, please click here.
This is a fundraiser for the CAHS, and part of the proceeds from the sales are being generously donated to the CAHS by the publisher.
For our customers outside of North America, please contact the CAHS at treasurer@cahs.ca with your address for international shipping quotes.
I know everyone enjoys the monthly Aviation Moments from our Regina Chapter member, Dennis Casper. His field of interest is on the Canadian military aspect of history and he is excited to see others offer Aviation Moments from any and all other avenues of Canadian aviation history. The inclusion of moments from any of our members is welcomed and appreciated. I only ask for a couple of conditions. First, please follow the same format that Dennis has established where the source for the question and answer are included with each moment. Secondly, I feel that we need to limit the number of moments each month to a total of six, three from Dennis and three for any other contributors on non-military themes. I look forward to seeing the interest in this project and the depth of questions and answers offered by our membership.
Thank you for your cooperation and support.
Gary Williams
The Canadian Aviation Moments were submitted by Dennis Casper from the Roland Groome (Regina) Chapter of the CAHS. The questions and the answers are now being published together in the same e-newsletter, rather than questions one month and the answers the next. We are hoping this instant gratification might encourage more interest and research by our readers. So spoiler alert - if you read any further, you will find the answer to October's questions directly below. Good luck and have fun!
The Canadian Aviation Moments questions and answers for October are:
Question 1: What was the initial role of the Canadian Sea Kings when they reached the Persian Gulf on September 26, 1990?
Question 2: Which RCAF squadron was the first to win gallantry awards amongst other firsts during WWII?
Question 3: What three-seat advanced trainer was used for all aspects of aircrew training during the Second World War? How many did the RCAF have on strength from 1939 to 1947?
Answer to Question 1 : “Ernie then detailed the varied taskings given the Canadian Sea Kings once they reached the Persian Gulf on 26 September 1990. The initial task of the multi-national force was to enforce the embargo against Iraq. Naval ships and aircraft ‘hailed’ each vessel in its patrol area. With only three ships in the Gulf, Canada conducted 25 percent of the total challenges to merchant shipping. That Canadian ships conducted such a high percentage of the challenges was “mainly because of their Sea Kings,” Ernie said. The Canadian Sea Kings are the only Allied helicopters in the Gulf equipped with FLIR, which meant they could read the names on ships’ hulls even in the dark. Because Canada’s Sea Kings had normally been used for anti-submarine warfare, their pilots were also very experienced at flying and hovering just above the waves. Canada’s Sea Kings were ready to insert armed boarding parties even at night. The Canadian routine, known as “Visit” for Vertical Insertion Search and Inspection Team, called for two Sea Kings. The first used its door mounted C6 machine gun to cover the second while it hovered over a ship to allow its armed boarding party to rappel down on the ship’s deck. Then, the Sea Kings would change roles, inserting the second half of the boarding party. Canadians became very proficient in the Visit manouevre, inserting ten men from two helicopters in less than two minutes.”
Source: The Observair – Ottawa Chapter Newsletter – Canadian Aviation Historical Society – Page 2 – Past Meeting – Ernie Cable – The CH-124 Sea King and OP Friction – Written by Timothy Dubé
Answer to Question 2: “Formed as a Fighter unit at Trenton, Ontario on 21 September 1937 with Siskin aircraft - the nucleus had come from the Fighter Flight of No. 3 (Bomber) Squadron on 17 May - the squadron moved to Calgary, Alberta in August 1938, and was re-equipped with Hurricane aircraft in February 1939. It was mobilized at St Hubert, Quebec, on 10 September, and on 5 November it moved to Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. On 28 May 1940, before going overseas, it absorbed No. 115 (Fighter) Squadron of the Auxiliary from Montreal. On 26 August 1940, the unit had its first encounter with German aircraft, and was the first squadron of the RCAF to engage the enemy, to score victories, to suffer combat casualties, and to win gallantry awards. The squadron was renumbered No. 401 (Fighter) Squadron at Driffield, Yorkshire, England on 1 March 1941.” “Summary (Canada September 1939 - February 1940) Sorties: 28 Operational/Non-Operational Flying Hours: 12 / 139 Casualties: Operational: Nil Non-Operational: 2 aircraft Summary (England June 1940 - February 1941) Sorties: 1694 Operational/Non-Operational Flying Hours: 1569 / 1201 Casualties: Operational: 10 aircraft; 13 pilots, 3 killed Non-Operational: 2 killed Victories: Aircraft: 30 destroyed, 9 probable, 34 damaged Top Scores: S/L E.A. McNab, DFC; 4 1/3, F/L McGregor, DFC; 4, F/O B.D. Russel, DFC; 3, F/O J.W. Kerwin 3 Honours and Awards: 3 DFC's
Source: RCAF.COM » The Squadrons » 1 - 100 Series Squadrons » No. 1 Squadron
Answer to Question 3: “The Airspeed Oxford was a three-seat advanced trainer used for all aspects of aircrew training during the Second World War. The first versions were received in Canada from Great Britain in 1939 and were used in numerous roles for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Among others, these roles included navigation training, communication training, radar calibration, air ambulance duties and training of anti-aircraft crews.” “Number: 1425”
Source: Canadian Combat and Support Aircraft – Page 5
