Congratulations to Dr. Fred Hunt, RCAF radar veteran

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Dr. Fred Hunt is all smiles after granting Curator Maya Hirschman a lovely interview in July, 2015. 

Congratulations to Dr. Fred Hunt, radar veteran, on receiving the French Legion of Honour!

The ceremony was held on November 10, 2015, with French Ambassador Nicolas Chapuis presenting the medals.  The veterans were honoured for the roles they played in France's liberation.  Fred is one of our long-time supporters and an esteemed World War II radar veteran.  We have numerous artefacts in the collection donated by Fred, including field maps from his time operating mobile radar in France and Belgium.  He is also one of the veterans we profile in the In Harm's Way exhibit, currently in development, about radar on the front lines.  

The full list of Legion of Honour recipients follows:

Acorn, Ivan

Bova, George

Bray, John Reynold Delmeigne

Bridgewater, Albert

Craske, Peter

Farley, Raymond

Fouchard, George

Fowlow, Gilbert

Hanley, Robert

Highley, John

Hunt, Frédérick

Huot, Marcel

Juneau, Gérard

Kaspar, Walter

Little, Ronald Joseph

McKechnie, Donald

Moore, William

Neatby, Herbert Blair

Notman, Allan

Scharf, James

Read more and view photographs from the award ceremony at the links below.

• National Post
• Ottawa Sun

Remembrance Day at Centennial Hall

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Manager Maya poses with the display before heading back outside for the ceremony at the Cenotaph.  November 11, 2015

Remembrance Day, and the days leading up to and following it, is probably the busiest time for us.  You'll find us attending events locally and outside the region, giving talks, offering outreach and tours.  Of course, we do this year-round.  Remembrance, for us, isn't simply a day in November, nor a few timely events linked to anniversaries, but it is for many others, and we understand that.

Yesterday was Remembrance Day and as usual, we were busy.  Manager Maya and Volunteer Bethany set up the booth early at the Remember November 11 Association's reception and luncheon, held annually at Centennial Hall.  They headed to the ceremony at the Cenotaph, and then promptly when it ended, trotted back up the street to meet and greet visitors to the reception.  They met many people, civilians, veterans, cadets, enlisted, and talked about the our role in preserving the history of Canadians on radar.

One particular moment stood out amongst all the conversations and faces.  A veteran of the Second World War strode up to the table and presented his tie, which had a pattern of De Havilland Mosquitoes on it, explained he used to fly them.  Then he said something quite unique.

"I want to thank you."  His jocular manner became more serious.  "I want to thank you, your folks, for bringing me home.  I used to fly Pathfinders.  More than once we had nothing but radar to get us home again.  Without it... well.  Thank you."

At Radar, we usually do the thanking.  Thanking veterans for their service.  Thanking visitors for their donations.  Thanking volunteers for their time.  Yesterday, on behalf of all our radar operators and mechanics, we received the thanks of one grateful bomber crewman.  It was deeply touching and came as such a surprise, Manager Maya completely forgot to get his name or a photograph.

So, to the mystery Mosquito veteran, thank YOU for making our day.  And if you happen to see this post, please tell us your name.

Remembrance Day

We here at SoRM never forget the sacrifices our veterans have made, but Remembrance Day is something very special.  On the 11th day of the 11th month, we see the men and women who served standing together and we can see the lines etched in the faces of those who served during World War Two. 

Radar was a new technology in 1939 and the men and women who worked with it were pioneers in the field.  There are fewer and fewer WW2 radar veterans with us each year.  If it wasn't fresh in our minds before, we lost a beloved member of our community, Ed Morgan, just on November 1st.  We are reminded that these people, not so different from me and you, led deep and meaningful lives, were brave in the face of adversity, and though now advanced in age, once they were strong and firm, vibrant members of their communities, both military and civilian.

Today, two different WW2 radar veterans visited us.  We were happy to host Hilda, a WAAF who served as a radar operator in England, her grand daughter and four great-grand sons.  John Tevlin, who came with his son, served his whole WW2 radar career with the night fighters.

We humbly thank Hilda and John for their service and wish them all the best, as we do for all veterans, old and young.

Hilda is surrounded by her family, attentively listening to one of our volunteers talking about wavelengths.  

Our volunteer and WW2 veteran Roy Taylor stands with another visiting radar veteran, John Tevlin.