Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command of The Royal Canadian Legion www.ns.legion.ca 101 GAUDET, Ronald WWII Ronald Gaudet had an interesting military career. He reported for duty in 1940 at Yarmouth for Army training. This was the first group to train under the new regulation. He enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force on February 18, 1941 as a pilot recruit and reported to the Toronto Exhibition Grounds for basic training before being posted to Trenton airbase for guard duty. At the Eglington Hunt Club, he took initial training as pilot and was posted to #9 E.F.T.S. at St. Catherines, ON and trained on the Fleet Finch biplane and advanced to #6 S.F.T.S. at Dunnville, ON. There, his training was on the Yale and Harvard and after eighty hours was awarded his wings and transferred overseas. He arrived at 59 Operational Training Unit at Crosby-on-Eden on December 8, 1941 and trained on Hurricanes. On February 20, 1942 after 42 hours on “Hurries” he was ready for operational flying. He was assigned to the Middle East and joined 80 Squadron RAF on August 10 and flew Hurricane 2C aircraft until January 2, 1943. He returned to England on medical grounds; flew “Hurries, and Defiants to train gunners on ships and tanks along the south coast of England and was posted to 53 Hibaldstow, Lincs and flew the Spitfire for seventeen hours and posted to 83 G.S.V. at Bognor Regis and trained on the Spit IX for eight hours. On September 30, 1944 he was posted to 443 Squadron at Grave, Holland and returned to Canada on medical grounds. He enlisted in the Signal Corps in December 1950 as a radio mechanic and was posted to 1 Airborne at Kingston, ON, took the jump course and received his wings. He changed his trade to telemech and went to the cipher depot at Vimy Barracks at Kingston. He was discharged due to age in 1969. He is a member of Freeport Legion Branch 92. Submitted by Freeport Branch #92, The Royal Canadian Legion JONES, Donald Allan “Don” WWII Donald was born in Star City, Saskatchewan, the son of the late Robert E. Jones and Ethel B. Mitchell in 1941. Born into a farming family, he spent the first nineteen years of his life working the land. In 1959, he joined the military which began an illustrious 37-year flying career with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) initially as a Radio Officer then for most of his career as a Tactical Navigator on the Argus, the Aurora, and while on exchange at RAF St. Mawgan, Cornwall on the Nimrod from 1970 to 1972. Don flew into all of the NATO Maritime Patrol bases in North America and Europe. An avid aviator, he volunteered to serve on Sea King helicopters rather than being posted to a non-flying position. From 1979 to 1981, he was the Helicopter Detachment Commander aboard HMCS Huron. While so serving he obtained a Watch Keeping certificate, a rare feat for an aircrew member. A natural leader with outstanding tactical skills and excellent teaching abilities he held the highest of respect from the Anti-Submarine-Warfare community. As a result he, along with a few others, became the first Aurora navigators to become Crew Commanders, a position normally held by pilots. On retirement, he was the Chief Aircrew Instructor at the Maritime Patrol and Training Squadron. He accumulated almost 13,000 flying hours, earning the VP International Gold Pin awarded for accumulating 8760 hours, one full year while airborne to support Maritime Operations. He also received the NATO and the Canadian Volunteer Medal. Don passed away on February 14, 2017. Submitted by Pugwash Branch #60, The Royal Canadian Legion
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