RCAF Radar Personnel in WWII -North Atlantic Region-

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1RUWK $WODQWL 5HJLRQ Another Canadian radar man served RAF Hudsons in Iceland. Murray Garrett, of Etobicoke, Ont., recalls a moment of pride when “ . . .our squadron captured a sub (which) surrendered rather than be sunk . . .” A few Canadian radar men were occasionally required (contrived?) to fly on operational sorties. Leslie Shvemar of Downsview, Ont. recalls a flight aboard an RAF Liberator : “ . . .I was aboard a patrol flight between Iceland and Greenland . . .spotted a blip at extreme range, 125 miles . . . a U-boat on the surface . . .disabled him with a straddle of depth charges . . .captured by a British destroyer and towed to Reykjavik harbour . . .” Two RCAF radar mechs on Shvemar’s squadron ‘served with distinction’: to quote Leslie . . “Larry” Quebec (of Vancouver) and Hugh Carter (of Richmond Hill, Ont), a couple of whiz kids in our section, developed a choke which could suppress the sea return which could hide a target at a range of 5 miles . . .for this important development these fellows were Mentioned in Despatches and awarded Oak Leaves . . .” Russ Hodgson, of Scoudouc, NB, also served with RAF Liberators based in Iceland, as witness the ‘Brotherhood’ certificate reproduced below : ,9
1RUWK $WODQWL 5HJLRQ The author is indebted to Keith Fraser of Ottawa for the following list of names of RCAF radar mechanics encountered by him during his service with RAF Sqd 269 in Reykjavik, but who are not cited in any of the preceding paragraphs: Alf Ashdown of St. Catherine’s, Paul Bordeau of (?), Garry Gonin of (?), (Frammy) Fram of Toronto, Merv Ginsberg of Flin Flon, Winston Greaves of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Harry Hicocks of Niagara Falls, Dave MacLeod of Ft. Francis, Alex Merriman of New Waterford, Wally Snow of Halifax, Bill Venn of Toronto, and Syd Wells of Ancaster Ont. We Were There: Unfortunately, the writer has no details at hand of the service performed by some of the men named in this essay. Nor is it certain that the names cited, including those supplied by Keith Fraser, make up the full roll of those RCAF radar men, Ground and Air, who served in the North Atlantic Region. But, whether or not each and every one of ‘us’ is named in this essay - WE WERE THERE! ,9
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RCAF Radar Personnel in WWII -North Atlantic Region-

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