Air Force | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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Displaying 31-45 of 225 results
  • Article

    Joseph Pierre Roméo Vachon

    Joseph Pierre Roméo Vachon, pilot, airline executive (b at Ste-Marie-de-la-Beauce, Qué 29 June 1898; d at Ottawa 17 Dec 1954). After service in the RCNVR during WWI, Vachon joined Laurentide Air Service in 1921 and in 1924-25 performed an aerial survey of Québec's North Shore.

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    https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/images/tce_placeholder.jpg?v=e9dca980c9bdb3aa11e832e7ea94f5d9 Joseph Pierre Roméo Vachon
  • Article

    Junius Lyman Edward Hokan

    Junius Lyman Edward Hokan, pilot (born 4 March 1922 in St. Catharines, ON; died 26 September 1942 in the English Channel). Hokan was likely the first Black-Canadian commissioned officer and fighter pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). He served his country with distinction in the Second World War but was killed when his plane crashed on the way back to England after a mission.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/BlackPilots/Hokan-redone.jpg Junius Lyman Edward Hokan
  • Article

    Leonard Birchall

    Leonard Joseph (Birch) Birchall, CM, O Ont, air force pilot, war hero, educator (born 6 July 1915 in St. Catharines, ON; died 10 September 2004 in Kingston, ON). During the Second World War, Birchall became known as the “Saviour of Ceylon” for alerting Allied forces of an approaching Japanese fleet. Captured after sending his message, he is also renowned for the courage and leadership he displayed while a prisoner of war.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/Leonard_birchall.jpg Leonard Birchall
  • Article

    Leonard Braithwaite

    ​Leonard Austin Braithwaite, CM, OOnt, QC, lawyer, politician (born 23 October 1923 in Toronto, ON; died 28 March 2012 in Toronto). Braithwaite was the first Black Canadian elected to a provincial legislature. He served as a Liberal member of the Ontario Legislature from 1963 to 1975.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/!feature-img-thumbnails/leonard-braithwaite-tw.jpg Leonard Braithwaite
  • Article

    Lloyd Samuel Breadner

    Lloyd Samuel Breadner, air chief marshal (b at Carleton Place, Ont 14 July 1894; d at Boston, Mass 14 Mar 1952). Commissioned in the Royal Naval Air Service 28 December 1915, he won a Distinguished Service Cross as a fighter pilot in 1917.

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    https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/images/tce_placeholder.jpg?v=e9dca980c9bdb3aa11e832e7ea94f5d9 Lloyd Samuel Breadner
  • Memory Project Archive

    A. William Breck (Primary Source)

    William Breck joined the RCAF at age 18 in the autumn of 1940. After a typical experience learning to be a pilot in the RCAF’s training system, he was posted overseas in September 1941. Although he had wanted to be a fighter pilot, he was trained to fly the Wellington bomber. After joining an operational squadron, Breck was in a Wellington which crashed, killing all but him and the tail gunner. He describes this incident. After recovering, Breck flew as a staff pilot at a training school, and recounts the method of training and qualifying air gunners. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

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    https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/images/tce_placeholder.jpg?v=e9dca980c9bdb3aa11e832e7ea94f5d9 A. William Breck (Primary Source)
  • Memory Project Archive

    Aaron Eric Glustien (Primary Source)

    Aaron Eric Glustien was born in Romny , Ukraine in 1920. After immigrating to Canada with his family in 1921, he lived in Montreal, Quebec City, and finally New Waterford in Nova Scotia. He enlisted with the Canadian military at the start of the Second World War, joining the Royal Canadian Air Force. Initially selected for pilot training, he soon transferred to the role of navigator, where he served for two terms as part of Bomber Command. After the war, he worked at a commercial airline before transferring back to the RCAF and serving in the Korean War. In his testimony, Glustien shares his early years leading up to enlisting in the military. He describes the duties of members of the Bomber Command and his responsibilities as navigator, and shares how the RCAF was regarded among the Allies.Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/The-Memory-Project/image/7551_original.jpg Aaron Eric Glustien (Primary Source)
  • Memory Project Archive

    Abe Jeffrey Levine (Primary Source)

    "... once the screeching stopped, and that was agonizing, because you figured you’d be blowing up any, any second. And then blissful silence. That was that." Abe Jeffrey Levine served in the Royal Canadian Airforce during the Second World War.Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/MemoryProject/AbeJeffreyLevine/613_538.jpg Abe Jeffrey Levine (Primary Source)
  • Memory Project Archive

    A.E. Robinson (Primary Source)

    Andrew Robinson served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. Read and listen to Andrew Robinson's testimony below. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/The-Memory-Project/image/11208_original.jpg A.E. Robinson (Primary Source)
  • Memory Project Archive

    Agnes Elizabeth Ward (Primary Source)

    Agnes Elizabeth Ward served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/The-Memory-Project/image/2583_original.jpg Agnes Elizabeth Ward (Primary Source)
  • Memory Project Archive

    A.J. Knight (Primary Source)

    A.J. Knight served as a pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. Read and listen to A.J. Knight's testimony below. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/The-Memory-Project/image/1833_600.jpg A.J. Knight (Primary Source)
  • Memory Project Archive

    Al Trotter (Primary Source)

    Al Trotter (1923-2011) served with the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War, under the aegis of the Royal Air Force (RAF) Bomber Command. He flew 44 operations before his aircraft was shot down in August 1944 and Trotter spent the rest of the war in Europe in German prisoner of war camps. In this excerpt, Trotter discusses the 2 December 1943 bombing mission against Berlin, in which he was part of 101 Squadron, RAF stationed at Ludford Magna, Lincolnshire, England. For more on Al Trotter's story, see Leslie Trotter Zwingli and Lt. Colonel Elmer John (Al) Trotter, DFC, DFM, CD, CM (retired), Against the Odds (Bloomington, Indiana: AuthorHouse, 2009). Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/The-Memory-Project/image/14709_original.jpg Al Trotter (Primary Source)
  • Memory Project Archive

    Alan Henry Sunley (Primary Source)

    Alan Henry Sunley served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. Read and listen to Alan Henry Sunley's testimony below. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/The-Memory-Project/image/2828_original.jpg Alan Henry Sunley (Primary Source)
  • Memory Project Archive

    Alan Robertson (Primary Source)

    Alan Robertson served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Read and listen to Alan Robertson’s testimony below. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/The-Memory-Project/image/1360_600.jpg Alan Robertson (Primary Source)
  • Memory Project Archive

    Albert Barris (Primary Source)

    Albert Barris served in the Royal Canadian Airforce training school in the Second World War. Read and listen to Albert Barris's testimony below. Please be advised that Memory Project primary sources may deal with personal testimony that reflect the speaker’s recollections and interpretations of events. Individual testimony does not necessarily reflect the views of the Memory Project and Historica Canada.

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    https://d3d0lqu00lnqvz.cloudfront.net/The-Memory-Project/image/8246_original.jpg Albert Barris (Primary Source)