Memories of the Comet
Bob Rose

I served on 412 Squadron from February l955 to July 1958 as a Radio Officer - first at RCAF Rockcliffe, and later at RCAF Uplands when the squadron moved there.

Some of the first group from 412 Squadron who went to Hatfield when the Comets were first obtained in 1953 were:

Pilots - S/L Don Dickson, F/L Ralf Herbert, S/L Stuart Olsen, F/L Robert Edwards, F/L Max Hall, F/L Les Hussey, F/L Rolly Lloyd, F/L Dean Broadfoot.

Navigators - Carl Brown, Herb Wright, F/L Al Martin, F/L Don Stewart.

Radio Officers - F/L Ken Wark, F/L Russ Chalk, F/L Art James, and F/L Joe Menton.

Flight Engineers - Cam Bain, Wally Hoehn, Fred Bowman, Horace Easy,

In August 1957 the following members from 412 Squadron travelled to Hatfield, for familiarization and flight training:

Pilots - F/L Dean Broadfoot, F/L Bill Carss, F/L Paul Major, F/L Paul Lemieux, F/L Stan Jenkins, F/L Gord McAninch (deceased), F/O Dwayne McBride, and F/O Robert Glover.

Navigators - F/L Harry Morison. F/O Dick Brown, F/O Garth Thomson, and F/L Paddy Maclintock.

Radio Officers - F/L Hugh Filleul, F/O Bob Mackenzie, F/O Gerry Lewis, and F/O Bob Rose.

Flight Engineers - Thomas Sutton, Wally Hoehn, Bill Macknight, and Arnold Peterson.

Our flying training at Hatfield consisted of flights throughout the UK and to RCAF bases in Germany, during August and September of 1957. On 16 September, 1957, the two aircraft and four crews departed Hatfield enroute to Rome, El Adem, Khartoum, Entebee, Salisbury, and Johanesburg South Africa, where we were royally greeted by DeHaviland staff and enjoyed their hospitality for three days. The return flights followed the same route arriving back in Hatfield on 23 September 1957. At all the airports to and from Jo'burg, the Comets were a welcome sight and a delight particularly to the air traffic personnel.

On 26 September 1957, both aircraft depared Hatfield, returning to Canada via Lages AFB in the Azores, Chatham NB and on to Ottawa.

In my remaining months on the Squadron, I flew a total of 347 hours in Comets, on flights to the UK and Europe, and in North America, from Florida to Anchorage and Fairbanks in Alaska.

Wonderful days in flying in the Comet and so sad the way they both ended up.