Nova Scotia/Nunavut Command of The Royal Canadian Legion www.ns.legion.ca 71 continued ... Robert “Bob” Maxwell was just 20 years old when he decided to change his life by volunteering for service in the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1957. What prompted him to make that choice is still a mystery. “To this day, I couldn’t tell you why I ended up going to the air force and writing the exams,” he explains. Nevertheless, the native of Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, has no regrets about the path he chose. For Maxwell, basic training was in St-Jean, Québec, with an incoming class that included a few other recruits from the Maritimes. “I didn’t feel alone. There’s security in numbers. They were from my home province so we chummed together over the Christmas period.” As the only Black recruit, the transition to military life could have been quite difficult, especially at a time when there was so little diversity and inclusivity in the ranks, but Maxwell fit in easily. “I had no problems at all. I was treated very well, from instructors to the people I roomed with. Very few times was race an issue, and when it was, it was solved right away.” Robert Maxwell didn’t join the Royal Canadian Air Force to blaze a trail for future generations, but his 35-year military career would inevitably forge a path for many who followed in his footsteps. Lieutenant-Colonel (Ret’d) Robert “Bob” Maxwell Dartmouth, Nova Scotia
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM0NTk1OA==