JANUARY:
4 Jan A/V/M James AOC ADC St Hubert and Senior Staff Officers arrived for a conference and inspection.
F/O Scott promoted to F/L on New Year’s List.
FEBRUARY:
G/C Ledoux, G/C Bray and staff officers ADC visited the Unit on 15 Feb.
19 Feb S/L Cochrane and F/L Williamson visited the Unit for a conference.
Conference with ADC officers was marred by the death of F/O MacLellan who crashed near Teulon while on cross country.
F/L Deller F/O Hendrickson and F/L Laing delegated as officers for the board of inquiry.
Sqn attended the funeral of F/O MacLellan.
F/L Osborne departed for ADC HQ St Hubert for gunnery conference.
MARCH:
F/O Toews ran off runway on takeoff. Damaged prop and shock leaded engine.
F/L Osborne returned from ADC with latest armament gun.
F/L Swordy FCO on 35 day special duty tour with Regular at Chatham.
Officers promotion board W/C Reid, S/L Bartley and F/L Stopforth.
F/L Donnely proceeded to ADC HQ St Hubert for conference.
F/O’s Scott and Hart to Edmonton and return cross country.
F/O Scott damaged prop on landing on return.
APRIL:
403 Sqn arrive Apr 10th for air to air competitive shooting. Good results. Cocktail Party held for 403 at Urban HQ.
F/O Gilland proceeded to Toronto on TD. Returned 19 Apr.
F/O IC Thomson damaged on landing. F/L RP Campbell damaged wing air to ground firing.
F/L Osborne F/O Gilland F/O Toews proceeded to Rivers, Man. to demonstrate fire power for staff officers.
MAY:
F/L DL Osborne killed in crash at 2030 hrs 6 May 54. Full military honours funeral at 1630 10 May. F/O BF Gilland departed for Vancouver escort for the remains. Interment Forrest Lawn Cemetery Vancouver.
F/O Gilland posted to 411 Sqn Toronto.
F/O IC Thomson crash landed while doing OCA seriously injured.
Average strength of Sqn for above period:
Officers 41
Airmen 150
JM Reid W/C
CO, 402 (F) Sqn (Aux.) Winnipeg
JUNE:
5 & 6 All pilots of 402 Squadron underwent decompression chamber runs and lectures on the physiological aspects of high altitude flight at RCAF Station Portage La Prairie, in preparation for the Squadron’s conversion to jet aircraft.
A cocktail part was held in the Officer’s Mess at 17 Wing Headquarters
which was also attended by officers of 403 City of Calgary Squadron who were attending the lectures and decompression runs at Station Portage.
Air Force Day was held at Station Winnipeg on Saturday 12 June. This
Squadron’s contribution was a formation fly-past and a rocket firing exhibition which went over in a big way with the spectators. F/O Toew’s Mustang was slightly damaged during the last attack when the army Registers (?) became a little too eager and demolished the target just as his aircraft passed over it.
18 (Approx.) F/O RE Dalmer, Pilot Attack Instructor, reported in to the Squadron from Station MacDonald.
On this date the flying program ceased in order to make final preparations
for Summer Camp, 18 July. Several meetings were held, presided over by W/C JM Reid, CO of the Squadron, and it is anticipated that a good number of Auxiliary personnel will attend this season.
JULY:
Eight Mustang aircraft of 402 Squadron were flown to St Hubert by our
pilots for the beginning of Summer camp. The remainder of aircrew and groundcrew attending, approximately ninety-two, were ferried down by Dakotas of 11 Search and Rescue Flight, Winnipeg, and C119’s of 435 Squadron, Edmonton. The first few days the squadron flew ground controlled interceptions, and pipelines. On July seventh and eighth W/C Reid, S/L’s Gray, Patterson and McMillan flew to Station Trenton to compete for the MacBrian Trophy.
July 9 to July 11 During these dates the Squadron was engaged on exercise “Checkpoint”. Several “kills” were claimed by our pilots, amongst which was a DHAF (?) B36, and also a civilian sea-plane, which although not claimed by any pilot, clearly showed up on one Cine film which was assessed.
The final summer camp activity was a dance held in the station Drill Hall
and which was enjoyed by everyone.
The squadron was stood down until Aug 26, with the exception of one
regular support officer and a skeleton staff of airmen.
The July list of promotions included F/L Donnelly, C Tech 0, to Squadron Leader, of the regular force, and F/L’s McMilland and Patterson, to S/L; F/O’s Norman and Pethrick, to Flight Lieutenant, all of the Auxiliary.
AUGUST:
5 (Approx.) Early this month A/C Annis, G/Cs Bray and Willis, of ARHQ, visited the squadron for a meeting of COs and support personnel at 17 Wing Headquarters.
F/O RC Collins of the Auxiliary returned from Station Trenton
where he had been on Special Duty with the regular force, during which time he passed the F18 course, and also earned his Green ticket.
The Squadron re-commenced flying, all pilots being keen to “get air under
them” once again.
F/O Ports, of the regular support section was admitted to Deer Lodge
Military Hospital for an operation on his knee-cap.
SEPTEMBER:
F/O Russel departed for Station Chatham for conversion course on T33
aircraft in anticipation of the arrival of the two jets which have been selected for delivery to this squadron.
S/L FJ Donnelly, C Tech 0, departed on transfer to RCAF Station St
Hubert.
F/O C MacLachlan, new squadron C Tech 0 reported in.
Squadron pilots formatted (?) on a fly past the Winnipeg Legislative
buildings during services for “Battle of Britain” Sunday.
Three of our pilots did a small “show” over the University of Manitoba during their annual recruiting drive.
The squadron has received the T33 Conversion syllabus of training with great delight, and Ground Training has begun with lectures on Airmanship, engines, airframe and engine handling. Three of the regular support officers have already been converted to jet aircraft - F/O’s Laing, Russell and Dahmer, and also most of the younger auxiliary pilots, either at Stations Gimli or Portage, and MacDonald Gunnery School.
OCTOBER:
October 17 On operation MacDonald, Appendices “A” and “B”, five Mustangs proceeded to Station MacDonald followed by extra aircrew and groundcrew in two Dakotas from 111 Search and Rescue Flight, Winnipeg. During the day, twenty-two sorties on air to ground, and eight sorties on rockets were carried out. Results were very good, with an average of approximately twenty-five per cent hits.
October 22 S/L Boynton, from ADC Headquarters, and a party of four officers from AFHQ headed by W/C Dovey visited our squadron. During their stay, which was concerned chiefly with auxiliary personnel, our establishment was given a thorough going over, and the promotion policy was explained in detail to interested officers.
In addition to the usual ground and air training, lectures on T33 aircraft were being continued.
NOVEMBER:
November 5 & 7 Seven Mustangs led by W/C Reid, proceeded to Wold Chamberlain AFB, Minneapolis, on Exercise “Grass Border” En-route to and from Minneapolis, the USAF did Ground controlled interceptions on 402 squadron’s aircraft. Aside from being of great value from a training point of view, exercises of this nature are a great morale builder for the airmen, which has been proven time and again by the number of volunteers always exceeding the operational requirements. Details of the actual operation are outlined in Appendices “C” and “D”.
November 13, 14, 20, 21 Eleven auxiliary pilots and one support pilot attended the Fighter Technical Training course on T33 aircraft at Station Gimli. This course is a “must” for pilots about to take jet conversion, and it was found by 402 Squadron pilots to be highly educational in every respect. The CO and staff of Stn Gimli are certainly to be commended on the splendid manner in which they gave up their week-ends, and really put their lectures [?].
November 19 The first T33 jet aircraft was flown from 402 Squadron by F/O’s Russel and [?]. PRO E Morriss and three press men were in attendance, and some publicity in the local newspapers appeared the next day.
November 28 F/O RC Ollins was transferred from the Auxiliary (402 Sqn) to the regular force and transferred to 402 regular support section. He is a QFI and is a valuable member of our organization.
November 30 The strength of 402 squadron as of 30 Nov 54 was:
Auxiliary -
Officers 35
Airmen 179
Flight Cadets 8 Sponsored for pilot training.
Regular -
Officers 5
Airmen 51
JM Reid W/C
CO 402 (F) Sqn (Aux.) Station Winnipeg.
DECEMBER:
Quiet month, nothing of importance happened.
Email: sqn402@hotmail.com
