About Me

My Passion is History

I always loved history – even as a kid in Canada’s remote north.  Endless books, movies, documentaries and TV shows made up my diet.  On all topics.

I’m that guy who goes to a museum and actually reads what the plaques beside the exhibit say. I love pretty much all kinds of history from anywhere in the world.

My military career helped to focus my intense passion onto Canada’s war efforts in the Second World War, but I still love to learn and study and discuss everything from Ancient Civilizations to  stuff that went on last year.

My passion for history and aviation led me to join the Royal Canadian Air Cadet programme in Kirkland Lake (288 Squadron) and then Oshawa (151 Squadron), both in Ontario.

How did I get here?

I served more than 22 years with the Army and Air Force Reserve in Canada, and culminating in two tours as Commanding Officer of 151 Chadburn Squadron. During my tenure in command, this unit became the largest Air Cadet squadron in Canada and was recognized as the top Air Cadet squadron in Ontario.  I devised administrative and training systems, taught at the CIL school at CFB Borden, and developed procedures that are still in use to this day.

I retired from the Air Force at the rank of Major and received the Canadian Forces Decoration and Bar for more than 22 years of service in uniform. I also received the Queen’s Jubilee Medal for my volunteer service in the community.

In civilian life, I had a successful career as a software trainer, systems designer and executive and also spent several years operating a musical theatre school as a teacher and a producer of Broadway-style shows.

Now a full-time historian, researcher, and writer, I focus on Canadian military history, primarily World War Two, across all branches.

For seven years, I was the editor of Listening Post, a monthly newsletter of the Western Front Association – Pacific Coast Branch, which had a distribution across North America. 

I am presently a member of the

  • Royal Canadian Legion
  • Royal United Services Institute of Vancouver Island
  • Canadian Aviation Historical Society
  • Society for Military History (VMI)
  • Federation of BC Writers
  • Royal Canadian Air Force Association of Canada

and a past member of

  • Royal Canadian Military Institute
  • Western Front Association – Pacific Coast Branch
  • Winston Churchill Society of Vancouver Island
  • Rotary Club of Oshawa
  • Musical Theatre Educators Association
  • Educational Theatre Association
  • Canadian Association of Photographic Arts
  • Ontario Regiment Association

I am also an award-winning speaker and photographer and currently live in Victoria, BC with my wonderful supportive wife Margaret.

Top: At the Battle of Britain Monument on the Strand in London, UK. This monument lists the names of all the pilots who flew in the Battle of Britain, including over 100 Canadians.

Middle 1: In the cockpit of the CF-104 Starfighter at the Calgary Military Museums.  The Starfighter served with the RCAF from 1962 to 1987 and was  a formidable ground attack platform in the hands of Canadian pilots.

Middle 2: At the grave of Wing Commander Lloyd Chadburn at Ranville War Cemetery in France.  Chadburn was killed over the Normandy beaches in a mid-air collision.

Bottom image: In front of a Spitfire LF Mark IXe at the Seattle Museum of Flight. This aircraft, a D-Day veteran served with 126 Squadron RAF and was  ultimately bought by actor Cliff Robertson.

(All photos Robert Forbes)

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