Canadian Army Aviation Forum

Submitted by
First Name: John
Last Name: Dicker

Comments:
Hi Nadine:

Delighted to hear from you with that very heart-warming email. Thank you so much for sending it as it makes all our endeavours on the website to date so much more worthwhile and rewarding. I have shared it with the other members of the Editorial Board who will for certain enjoy it and appreciate it as much as I did.

I just want to make sure you have seen where your Dad is also commemorated on our website, besides the Last Flight section. On our Home Page, click on CORPS/UNITS and then click on the green C INT C badge and then you will see the article entitled: "Canadian Army's only C Int C pilot takes his last flight". I hope we have done justice to the wonderful service that Keith rendered to Queen and Country throughout his colourful career. You have probably noted the article but I didn't want to take a chance you had not seen it.

Thank you again Nadine for your kind words. We all wish you and the family all the very best in the future. It has been an honour to feature Keith on our website. He will not soon be forgotten!

Love to you, your family and hugs for everyone from all of us on the Editorial Board of the Canadian Army Aviation Website.

Most sincerely.

JohnD

Added: August 25, 2018

Submitted by
First Name: Nadine
Last Name: Stoddart

Comments:
Hi John

I have just finished a note to Doc regarding my Dad’s passing. Topping today’s to do list was writing to Doc and to you to ask if it was possible to have my Dad’s obituary posted on the Aviation Website. I thought I would check it just before writing my email and to my delight it was already there. What a wonderful surprise and totally lifted my spirits.

I shared with Doc that I was lucky enough to have some lovely time with my Dad just before he died. I spent almost two weeks in Ottawa with him as he slowly left us, through kidney failure and basically just old age. The care he received at Perley Rideau was absolutely outstanding and their understanding and creation of a familiar world for veterans is truly amazing. In his last months, my Dad was surrounded by so many of the things he enjoyed. His passion and joy for flying was one of the very last things he shared with us. During our last family visit, my children thought we should see the Aviation Museum in his honour and my son-in-law arranged for flights for us in the WACO UPF-7. I have to confess I volunteered to babysit Amy’s (my daughter) 2 year old and 3 year old while she with her husband and then again with Philip (my husband) enjoyed the flights. We were able to video it and take the pictures back to my Dad. Despite the fact that he was very frail and completely exhausted, his face totally lit up at the sound of the propeller turning. He said, “that’s the sound of my plane”, and asked us to play it again as he drifted back to sleep dreaming of his days gliding through the air. A very special memory to have.

Sharing with my Dad that he was very ill and was going to die was so difficult. My Dad loved life and was devastated by the thought that he wouldn’t be here at least until he was 99. He was such a half glass is full kind of person. One of his last questions to me was would I write about him. I am so grateful to Michael Greaves for summarizing the amazing legacy story of my Dad that he has been putting together over the last year and gifting it to us to use as my Dad’s obituary. My Dad was truly dedicated to and proud of his military career, his love of flying matched only by his love for his family, and we are so very proud and grateful that it has been recorded and shared.

A huge Thank You to all.

Hugs - Nadine

Added: August 25, 2018

Submitted by
First Name: Vic
Last Name: Coroy

Comments:
Hi Jim,

I knew your father well. We served together in the same units on a few postings, although we were never in the same aviation unit together. I will have our webmaster post your request in the website forum section where others may see it and reply to your request.

Vic Coroy, Chairman, Editorial Board, Canadian Army Aviation Website.

Added: July 28, 2018

Submitted by
First Name: Jim
Last Name: Davies
E-mail: Contact

Comments:
Greetings,
I am the youngest son of the late Lt Col Floyd Davies. I just came from a visit with Hal Swain who put me onto your site. I recognize many names here of course. I am writing a family history and am looking for a personal recollection or two of my fathers artillery/flying career years. Great site! Thank you.

Added: July 27, 2018

Submitted by
First Name: Vic
Last Name: Coroy
E-mail: Contact

Comments:
John,

Our thanks for your interest in the website and your enlightening account about Perkins. We will post your comments in our Forum Section so that others will be aware of Perkins' exploits and your interest in the website.

Vic Coroy, Chairman, Editorial Board

Added: May 4, 2018

Submitted by
First Name: John
Last Name: Selkirk
E-mail: Contact

Comments:
Gents:

A most interesting web site where I have just spent an hour when I should have been working in the garden! I recognized a lot of names and faces, a couple of whom I did not know had died.

Having just read a LCol McIvity's excellent WW 2 history of the LdSH, Maj Perkins' photo, but no history, struck me as perhaps an oversight. He won a DSO as a Lt at the Moro crossing in 1944; bounced the river and held a bridgehead with his recce tp until reinforced by a coy of the Westminster Regiment. Perkins stayed in the bridgehead with the Westies (the coy comd won the VC) to fight off the inevitable counterattack(s) thus enabling the rest of the 5th Div to cross the next day and carry on toward Rome.

Thank you for your considerable efforts to honour these men and to educate our woefully ignorant fellow Canadians on our rich military history.

John Selkirk, LCol (ret'd) Cdn Gds/RCR/Brock Rif

Added: May 4, 2018

Submitted by
First Name: Vic
Last Name: Coroy
E-mail: Contact

Comments:
Hi George,

Our thanks for your offer to provide a 450 Sqn account about the 10 year anniversary ceremonies at the Iroquois Lock near Cornwall and the follow on trip to Montreal. Your recollection of the Sqn's activities would be most welcome on the website. We suggest that you provide an email message with narrative and photo attachments. It would be helpful if the narrative is in MS Word and the photos are in a .jpg format. The photos can be integrated with the text or sent separately. Our very professional webmaster can format the final submission before posting.

We will review the submission and if editing is required we will return the edited version for your review before posting the complete submission. We want the originator to have the final say in what is posted on the website.

We look forward to receiving your submission and our thanks for your interest in our website.

Cheers,

Vic

Chairman
Editorial Board
Canadian Army Aviation Website

Added: April 30, 2018

Submitted by
First Name: George
E-mail: Contact

Comments:
Gentlemen,

I read with interest and pleasure Joe`s account of 403 Sqn in its early days. A mission he mentioned, the support by 403 Squadron of the St Lawrence Seaway 10 year anniversary ceremonies at the Iroquois Lock near Cornwall, Ontario, brought back some great memories of 450 Squadron`s involvement in the day`s activities and the part played by a very young and somewhat naive Captain Zvanitajs, who as the Canadian Mission Commander was responsible for all Canadian Army Aviation assets during the visit of President Nixon (sorry Joe, not Johnson) to the locks and follow on trip to Man and His World in Montreal.

This was a very interesting and complicated operation involving, 403 and 450 Squadrons, the Coast guard, Presidential Flight with Marine 1 and 2 and a Marine, Jolly Green Giant for the American Press and hangers on. I also learned a bit about politics and egos when the CO of 403 Squadron advised the Americans that he would be assuming command of the Canadian part of the mission, only to be told, politely but firmly that the Mission Commander (me) had been approved at the highest level and they had complete confidence in my ability to coordinate the Canadian activity and asked that 403 Squadron carry on with the very important part of the operation it had been assigned, without any last minute changes. Followed shortly after by a very short and somewhat cool conversation with the CO 403 about my real place in the military pecking order.

I think it would make for an interesting story and I would like to forward a submission on my recollections of the day, with some pictures. I would like your advice on the best way to do this. Through the Army Aviation Website, an e-mail with attachments, which you can edit or any other way you may suggest.

Hope you are all staying healthy and enjoying the highly overrrated Golden Age in your lives.

Sincerely,

George

Added: April 30, 2018

Submitted by
First Name: Vic
Last Name: Coroy
E-mail: Contact

Comments:
The Lieutenant Gordon Shellard Caper

For many years a story was told and retold in Air OP, army pilot and gunner circles about a low flying incident involving Gordie Shellard, an Air OP pilot with 2 Air OP Flight in Camp Shilo. (The story has Gordie in the rank of Lt, he is listed as having left the military as a Capt). There are several versions that have been related over a drink in the Mess and elsewhere. Unfortunately, those directly involved are no longer with us and have long departed for the big hangar in the sky. The army aviation website is trying to track down what actually happened. In doing so, we contacted Knobby Clark whom we thought would be the right vintage and closer to the story than anyone else we could name. Here is Knobby’s version:

“I was at the RCSA in Shilo as an instructor from the summer of 1952 to Nov 1953. Col AJB Bailey was Commandant of the school and Capt Bob Hemingson was his adjutant. One summer day, likely the summer of 1953 but possibly the summer of 1952, Col Bailey and Capt Hemingson were out on the ranges checking on range exercises.

Lt Gordie Shellard was in the air in an Auster and doing some low flying. Apparently there was a bit of a game in progress with the jeep going around the bush, perhaps ducking into the bush to hide and the airplane trying to catch it. For those who have never flown an Auster, the pilot is sitting on a seat over the gas tank which is on the floor. It is possible in that position to fly much lower to the ground that it was in an L19.

The story at that time was that the aircraft came around one side of the bush as the jeep was approaching from the other side. The plane was in a steep turn and the wing tip, missing the windshield, took both occupants out of the jeep. Col Bailey was struck on the head and had serious injuries. The injuries to Capt Hemiingson were apparently less severe. Col Bailey was away from work for a considerable period of time”.

Another version often related through the haze of a beer or two was that Col Bailey was standing on the seat of his jeep on a hilltop (for Shilo – read mound). According to this story, the Commandant was berating Gord Shellard for not flying low enough. Gord’s pass over the jeep where he dinged Col Bailey was obviously low enough. There is no mention of damage to the jeep.

The upshot of this story is to try to determine what really happened. If anyone has more empirical knowledge of the caper, please let us know. We believe this is the only time one of our pilots contacted, in flight, an object other than a tree, fence, antenna, telephone lines or RC signals’ cables.

LCol A. Victor Coroy
Chairman
Canadian Army Aviation Website

Added: December 19, 2017

Submitted by
First Name: Denis
Last Name: Pilote

Comments:
Hi,

Interesting piece of correspondence from a former aviator and Surgeon General of the CF,MGen (ret'd) Bob Fassold. I sent him a bit of information I found on the RCAF bulletin on the Canadian Army Aviation website as I thought he might be interested and sure enough!!!
I am forwarding the note he sent to me as I think it might be of interest to you and for tour Website which by the way is really well done. Congratulations are in order.

Denis Pilote. Major (ret'd)

Forwarded message from Bob Fassold:

Denis,

When I became a charter member of the new Air Command and moved to Winnipeg in 1975, I had just recently completed helicopter conversion training at Portage. I ran into Jimmy Pugh, a former quite famous Canadian Army helicopter pilot, but then just posted to ACHQ and we did helicopter flying together a lot 75-78 until I went to DCIEM. In fact we developed and established (by flying experimentation) helicopter approaches for all the then Winnipeg old and new hospitals, the first time Transport Canada had such. In fact Sherri and I became close friends with him and his wife Helen and remained so for a number of years, but after Jim retired they spent most of their time traveling and we completely lost touch.

Just a few weeks ago I discovered by the link below tat Jim died 8 Jun 2014, attended by Helen. I don't have any coordinates for her or know of anyone who might, but if you contact the involved funeral home they might be able to dig one up for you. Helen herself might still be OK and remember me, but anyway you might better be able to contact someone else in the family who could provide some very worthwhile historical info on Army Aviation, and be happy to do so, as you can gather from the obit they were rightly very proud of Jimmy. I was honored to have him as such a close friend, and I learned so much hands-on from him about real operational helicopter flying that I regularly impressed the twin Huey instructors on my annual refresher course at Gagetown!

http://passages.winnipegfreepress.com/passage-details/id-214515/ PUGH_JAMES

Cheers,
Bob

Added: October 12, 2017