Events

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM THE BOMBER COMMAND MUSEUM PRESIDENT

The Bomber Command Museum of Canada needs your help. With the world in Covid-19 Lock Down the museum has been forced to close its doors to the public. As per the direction of the Alberta Government the museum will remain closed to the public until at least August 31, 2020. Due to this closure we have lost our major source of funding.

The above are simple statements. Likely they are similar to statements made recently by many worthy organizations.What does this current reality mean to your museum? With our doors closed and funding stopped it means that the restorations have stopped, building maintenance and operations are no longer funded, and museum programming has ceased.

Time however doesn’t stop. The aging and deterioration of artifacts, without proper environmental controls and curatorial attention, continues; therefore heating, building maintenance and operation is still a necessity. We have drastically reduced spending and cut costs where possible. The reality of today is that without additional funding the museums longevity itself is at risk. With each passing day our funds on hand dwindle and the museum’s future looks darker and darker. In light of adversity we shall press on regardless; but we can’t do it alone.

With this in mind, I am reaching out to you, our valued supporters to help keep, The Bomber Command Museum of Canada, your national treasure, ready to greet the public when this lock down is lifted. Any financial help you can offer during these dark times is be greatly appreciated. Whether your support comes through Membership renewals, online gift shop purchases or direct financial contributions, it will help ensure that, when the Pandemic is gone and we once again return to the streets, your museum will still be standing strong with its doors open awaiting a visit from you.

Please dig deep, your generosity will help to preserve these priceless artifacts for generations to come. Whatever you can offer, whether it be $100.00 or a $1000.00, improves the museum’s chances of weathering the COVID-19 Storm. Without your support the outcome will be entirely different and sadly the irreplaceable will be lost.

Support can be made through donations sent to the following address:
Bomber Command Museum of Canada
Box 1051
Nanton, Alberta
T0L 1R0

or online at Bomber Command Museum of Canada Donations

We also encourage you to visit our online gift shop to support the museum.

ALBERT RANDALL (AL/AB/ABBY/WALLY) WALLACE
September 9, 1920 – May 23, 2020. F/L 419 Squadron RCAF WWII.

Pilot Officer Albert Wallace wearing his air gunner’s brevet.

With great sadness tempered by the joy and thankfulness that we had our dad and grandpa for as long as we did, we announce that he died of natural causes on May 23, 2020, in his 100th year and on the anniversary of our mom's death. He left us to join our dear mom, his beloved wife of 62 years, Mary Juniper and our sister Susan. He is reunited with his parents Robert and Kathleen, sisters Eleanor and Betty, brothers-in-law Ed and Chuck, sister-in-law Marjorie and nephew Chuck Jr. Albert is survived by his daughters Patricia, Anne and Barbara (George). He was the much-loved and always proud grandpa of Darren, Katie (Jamie) and Bradley (Marietta) and great-grandpa to sweet Juniper Belle. He is also survived by his nieces Janice, Jennifer, Nancy, Kathy and South Floridians, Nancy, Suzanne and Deborah. Dad was born at home in Toronto on September 9, 1920 to Robert Wallace and Kathleen Campbell. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force at age 20 and entered the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. In his words, "I just wanted to help out and help do my little thing for the war effort. That was all." Those words epitomize the way Dad lived his life. Humble to a fault. He trained as an air gunner at No. 1 Bombing and Gunnery School in Jarvis, Ontario. He was awarded his King's Commission to pilot officer in September 1942 and began his active service overseas. Dad joined up with 419 "Moose" Squadron, Canadian 6 Group as part of RAF Bomber Command, stationed at Middleton St. George, Durham, England. On his 16th air operation to Germany, pilot officer Wallace's Halifax bomber was shot down over Duisberg on May 13, 1943. Two of his fellow crew members did not survive. He was captured on the ground and eventually taken to Stalag Luft III (the prison camp made famous by the Great Escape) for the duration of the war, including two forced marches across Germany in the final months. No wonder he was such a survivor. He worked as a "penguin" during his time at the prison camp, helping to dispose of sand taken from the tunnels. Dad later reflected, "Being a prisoner of war was unfortunate, but I was a survivor. Would I do it again? Why sure I would, yeah, if I was 21, yeah, sure I would." And I don't doubt it for a minute. It's no wonder we always thought he'd live forever.

After the war, Dad re-joined Loblaws where he went on to enjoy a long and successful career. He loved people and as an executive, was never too busy to stop and talk to any employee, no matter how junior – one of his many strengths that made him so loved and respected. It was also at Loblaws where, as store manager in 1946, Dad met and fell for our mom Mary as she grocery shopped. Together they raised four daughters, two dogs and a host of turtles, birds and goldfish. Loved by all who knew him, Dad lived his life fully and thankfully. He lived independently until a year ago when he moved into Sunnybrook Veterans. Prior to that, he volunteered weekly at Sunnybrook for over 25 years to support other vets. He read voraciously. And until he couldn't, he golfed avidly and cottaged weekly. In the spirit of "Lest we Forget", he participated in the Memory Project through which he spoke of his wartime experiences to students and to anyone who wanted to listen.

In appreciation of the assistance he and other prisoners of war received from the Canadian Red Cross in Germany during the war, he donated blood for as long as they would let him. He joined a seniors' hiking club in his eighties. He ate a lot of candy, took a lot of photos and swore that a banana a day was one of the secrets to his longevity. He was ordinary and extraordinary at the same time. He served as president of the Toronto branch of the RCAF ex-prisoner of war association for 10 years and was an active member for many more. He was also a member of the Ontario branch of the Aircrew Association. He and Mom travelled to attend many ex-PoW reunions. My favorite reunion was the one marketed using the tag line: "Stay Alive 'til 95." Always a sense of humour, those lads - another key to their survival I'm convinced. Dad has been cremated and honoured in a private family service. We will host a celebration of his exceptional life at a future date, likely next year.

We want to acknowledge the excellent nursing care Dad received at Sunnybrook Veterans over the past year, especially at the end. Special thanks to Leslie and Nicole, who facilitated video chats with us when COVID-19 prevented us from visiting. In lieu of flowers or donations and even though Dad would be the first to say he wasn't much of a drinker, please hoist a cocktail of your choosing to him with the toast (in full voice): "Here's to Albert".

Published in the Toronto Star on May 30, 2020.

Al was a member of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society and joined in 1991 as member no. 3924. When the Toronto Chapter CAHS was awarded a Lancaster Bomber Membership by the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum and which included a flight in one of only two examples actively flying in the world, the selection of the person to have the privilege for the prestigious ride was debated but soon resolved. It was decided to award it to a RCAF veteran who in addition experienced an exceptional war-time hazard during his active service as noted above. Our choice was Albert Wallace who not only served in the RCAF, met our criteria and was continuing his spare time volunteering at the Sunnybrook Veterans Hospital. He was awarded the flight on May 1, 2016 at the Annual Dinner meeting of the CAHS Toronto Chapter. The magic flight was made on August 28, 2016 and it was his second flight in a Lancaster Bomber. His first flight in a Lancaster Bomber was for his repatriation to the UK after gaining his freedom from the POW camp in 1945.

By S. Benner

COVID-19 Impact on CAHS Income –
Note from the Treasurer

Over the course of the past three months, we have heard about the sobering hardships that the COVID-19 pandemic is bringing to people’s health, jobs, income, and livelihoods. It appears that COVID-19 is impacting the CAHS as well: the income sent to the CAHS for renewals and donations between March and May 2020 has been less than 50% of what was received by the CAHS in 2019 over the same period of time. This will affect our ability to carry out our operations over the rest of the year, especially the production, printing, and mailing of our quarterly Journal.

As mentioned in the May 2020 newsletter, the CAHS is not-for-profit, so our membership and donation income is very important for our being able to have enough money in the bank to keep up with our monthly and quarterly bills. We need our members who still need to renew for 2018, 2019, and 2020 to do so as soon as possible. Even when people are behind in renewing for a year or more, the CAHS still has had 100% of its operating costs for 2018 and 2019, and even now in 2020. Perpetual costs include maintaining and expanding our website; producing, printing, and mailing out the CAHS Journal; mandatory insurance policies; website domain and maintenance; and fees for the preparation of our annual audit and CRA submissions. This year, we will not have extra income from the convention or our convention merchandise fundraiser. Not having your renewal money means we have been dipping into the cash float we try to keep as a cushion in our bank account.

You can renew online (paying with your credit card or PayPal) at the following link: www.cahs.com/membership. If you would prefer to mail a cheque or credit card number for your renewal or donation, you could can download the PDF version of the membership form here or the donation form here. If you choose to mail your renewal, we ask that you email our treasurer (Rachel Heide) for her home address, which will ensure quicker processing of your renewal.

Donations are also an important part of our funding streams. We would greatly appreciate it if you could consider donating to the CAHS to help us maintain our bills, website, and Journal production. You can donate online at our website (paying with your credit card or PayPal) at the following link: www.cahs.com/donations. You can also donate through Canada Helps which is running a contest where every $1 donated to any Canadian charity on Canada Helps is an automatic chance to win $20,000 for your favourite charity (hopefully, that’s the CAHS!). This contest closes 30 June 2020 at 11:59:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT). Please check out www.canadahelps.org/en/givingchallenge and consider giving to the CAHS.

Cordially Yours,
~Dr Rachel Lea Heide
CAHS National Treasurer

CAHS Manitoba June Meeting

CAHS Manitoba is pleased to present their third Zoom meeting on Thursday 25 June, at 7 pm CDT. Their speaker this month is Dr Joel From, a native of Caronport, Saskatchewan. The site of Second World War air training station Caron, home to No 33 EFTS, Royal Air Force, the station operated from 1942 to 1944. Joel grew up near the abandoned station and as a teenager helped dismantle some of the old station's buildings. He will be speaking about how RAF Station Caron came to be, its daily activities, and its closure. You must register to attend the meeting using the form at www.bit.ly/CAHS-MB.

CAHS Ottawa YouTube Channel

The CAHS Ottawa YouTube has now been changed to the Canadian Aviation Historical Society YouTube channel. You can see the channel here.

In Plain Site: A Biography of the RAF Airbase
at Caron, Saskatchewan

Ordering Deadline Extended! The Canadian Aviation Historical Society is pleased to promote the book of CAHS Member Joel From, entitled In Plain Site: A Biography of the RAF Airbase at Caron, Saskatchewan. Joel is generously making autographed copies of his book available to the CAHS family at a discounted rate: $22.50 for a softcover or $36.50 for a hardcover, plus $15.00 shipping for each copy (whether hard or soft cover). Purchases can be made at the CAHS website.

Limited time offer –
Please place your orders by 20 Aug 2020

In Plain Site is the first life-cycle biography of a Second World War air training facility in Canada. Readers with an interest in aviation history, flight training, Saskatchewan history, the RAF, or Canada's impressive war effort will be interested in this book. It begins by locating the Royal Air Force (RAF) station at Caron, Saskatchewan in the debates surrounding air training in Canada, the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, and the UK’s plans to relocate its primary air training to Canada. It offers a detailed history of the Caron site as well as the herculean efforts to acquire, erect, and modify its facilities. Based on interviews, published sources, and meticulous archival research in Canada and the UK, In Plain Site provides a comprehensive chronicle of Caron’s selection and development, air training operations, after-hours activities, and the struggles of its personnel to make sense of the Canadian prairies. Readers will be intrigued to learn how and why the RAF came to Caron and how scores of civilians from southwestern British Columbia made an important contribution to its success. Supplemented by numerous photos and extensive endnotes, In Plain Site offers a compendium of Canadian and Allied wartime achievements, all of which ought to be brought back into plain sight.​ For more details about the book and his research, check out his website at www.caronairbase.com.

For anyone wishing to purchase multiple autographed copies with discounted shipping, please contact Joel From directly directly through the Contact tab on the book's website (caronairbase.com). Book prices will be $25.00 (for the softcover) or $40.00 (for the hardcopy), plus the discounted shipping based Canada Post rates. If anyone wants a special inscription (whether you purchase through the CAHS offer or directly from Joel From), please contact Joel directly through his website.

Our First AGM on Video!

By John Chalmers, CAHS Member Secretary

On Saturday, June 20, the first Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society was held via Zoom software, courtesy of the Manitoba chapter of the CAHS. Normally the AGM is held live and in person at the annual convention. However, with cancellation of the convention this year due to the pandemic crisis caused by Covid-19, that was not possible. But it was still live!

Attendees connected from their homes via Zoom from Vancouver to Montreal to hold a meeting that enabled members to see each other on their computers. This is the first time such an AGM has been held. Members in attendance also included some who were able to connect via telephone, but were not seen in the video display.

Shown above is a screen image showing some of the participants in the AGM. A yellow frame around a picture indicates the current speaker. In this case, it shows national president Gary Williams at bottom left as the speaker.

Having a quorum for the meeting was not a problem, as all members had opportunity to register in advance to attend. Live at the meeting were 18 members, with another 32 represented by proxy, so quorum was easily met to fulfill our legal obligation to hold an AGM as a non-profit registered society.

Video has provided a new means of communication. Previously, CAHS board meetings have been held by teleconference. Via video, the last two board meetings, most recently on June 13, have been held in this manner. With Zoom, we no longer have to hold a telephone to our ear, but can now see our fellow members speak using a computer’s built-in microphone, and easily know who is speaking!

Shown above is a frame from the PowerPoint financial report presented by national treasurer Rachel Lea Heide, which was shown during the AGM to illustrate the CAHS financial picture. With a video conference, we are not limited to only the faces of speakers! Zoom technology allows the use of resource material to be displayed, such as slide shows, movies and other visual material.

Besides having a new means of contact, another highlight of the AGM was the reports from all CAHS chapters. All are doing great work with featured speakers at their meetings and holding special events which help to keep Canadian aviation history alive. Any CAHS member wishing to see the chapter reports can do so by requesting them from Rachel Lea Heide when you click here.

Avid aviation photographer Douglas Broadribb

Longtime CAHS member #2155 Douglas Broadribb, better known as Doug to his friends, passed away at his home in Hamilton on April 4. He was almost 87.

Doug, a native of Brantford, ON, built an impressive collection of thousands of prints and slides. He inherited his love of aircraft from his British-born father, E.O. “Ted” Broadribb. Ted Broadribb served throughout the First World War in the Royal Flying Corps and later in the Royal Air Force.

Ted came to Canada in 1923, working in aviation in Toronto, Chippewa, Hamilton and Brantford. He settled in Kitchener and was airport manager and chief engineer of the Kitchener-Waterloo Flying Club. Ted guided the club through the dark days of the 1930s, growing it from one aircraft to eight as the Second World War loomed. Admired for his training skills, faith in the club and belief in flying, Ted died suddenly at 43.

Doug was a good friend of Chapter member Osborne Love, CAHS #80, who first met Doug more than 35 years ago when they attended air shows. Doug exemplified keen enthusiasts who, cameras in hand, loved the action of an air show or fly-in and conversing with colleagues on the latest news.

Doug grew his photo collection as he travelled with Os Love and Gord McNulty to enjoy aviation activities throughout southern Ontario and adjoining American states. Over the years, he met CAHS stalwarts such as Jack McNulty and Bob Finlayson and built friendships with top photographers such as Gus and Clara Corujo, Frank Ertl and more.

Doug attended Toronto Chapter meetings regularly and was a longtime member of the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. He was a long-standing employee of the Liquour Control Board of Ontario, serving as store manager at various locations in Hamilton and Dundas until his retirement.

Doug was predeceased by his wife, Bev, in 2013. He leaves two children, three grandchildren and two greatgranchildren.

Doug’s friends remember him as a very personable colleague, fine gentleman and a devoted family man. As Os Love said: “He will be missed.”

CT-114 Tutor 114019 in Golden Centennaires colours, celebrating Centennial of Powered Flight in Canada, at St. Thomas, ON, Air Show June 21, 2009 (D. Broadribb).

The 2009 Demo CF-18 188719 with 'Hawk One' Canadair Sabre of Vintage Wings at  St. Thomas, ON Air Show, June 21, 2009 (D. Broadribb).

Bucker Jungmann, C-FLAE, replica of 1930s Luftwaffe basic trainer, at Guelph, ON Tiger Boys Fly-In, September 2007 (D. Broadribb).

Globe Swift, C-GLYN, flown by legendary Fern Villeneuve, Member of Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame, at Guelph Tiger Boys Fly-In, Sept. 2007 (D. Broadribb).

Bellanca Cruisemaster C-FGLQ, flown by Larry Quinton of Collingwood, at Guelph Tiger Boys Fly-In, Sept. 2007 (D. Broadribb).

Titan T-51 Mustang C-FZSR, three-quarter scale replica of the legendary P-51, at Great War Flying Museum Fly-In, Brampton, ON, Sept. 11, 2011 (D. Broadribb).

Doug Broadribb and Clara Corujo enjoyed a visit by the Commemorative Air Force B-29 "FIFI" at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in 2018.  (Gus Corujo photo)

CAHS AT CENTENNIAL COLLEGE IN 2019

By Sheldon Benner

On October 24, 2019, CAHS was invited by Centennial College to attend the unveiling of their Donor Wall at the Downsview Campus Centre for Aerospace and Aviation. The location is the site of the original DeHavilland of Canada plant started in 1929. The main purpose of the Donor Wall is to honour the people, corporations and institutions that have donated funds and equipment to the College in the amounts from $25,000 to $1,000,000+ to establish the new and expanded aviation training facility at the Downsview site.

The Chairman for the ceremony was Allen MacLellan, Dean of the School of Transportation at the College. Dr. Craig Stephenson, President and CEO of the College expressed his gratitude to those that so graciously donated to achieve the new facility. Words of thanks to the donors were also offered by Andrew Winchester, a scholarship winner and an Alumni member of the College and then followed by Karam Jet Singh, President of the Student Association.

Chairman Allen MacLellan, Dean of the School of Transportation

Donor Wall at Centennial College, Downsview Campus Centre for Aerospace and Aviation

Then on November 20, 2019, I also represented CAHS at the Annual Student Awards Night at Centennial’s Progress Avenue campus. This is when the graduating student selected by the College in the aviation maintenance course is presented with the Douglas MacRitchie Memorial Award sponsored by CAHS National.

The format of the award presentation has changed over the past few years and is now performed as a moving assembly line. I didn’t have much of an opportunity to speak to last year’s winner except to offer her our congratulations on winning the $500 as we were quickly marshalled to the reception line on the platform at the front of the hall. Further she did not stay after the presentations and I wasn’t able to get any information on her future plans in the aviation industry.

The 2019 winner was Ms. Sawsan Zaher.

Platform view L to R: S. Zaher, S. Benner, A. MacLellan, unknown, Dr. Stephenson, Bruce MacRitchie