Byron Button:
CLASS OF 1950
Nepean High SchoolClass of 1950
Ottawa, ON
Byron's Story
I spent five years at Nepean HS, my main interest was basketball coached by Louis Labrosse. I mainly hung out with Gibbard, Halpenny, Leafloor, Seasons, Boyce, Jackson and dated Betty Curry for all of the social events at the school.
I joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in Edmonton, Alberta the day the war (police action) was declared in Korea in 1950. My home at this time was in Ottawa, Ontario, but I had employment with Canadian National Railways at their Jasper Park Lodge, Alberta as a bus boy in their main dining lounge. On August 11, 1950 the recruiting unit transferred me to Toronto to the Officer's Selection Centre, at the Aviation Institute of Medicine on Aircrew intake course #21. At this location I was tested for my ability as a Pilot, Navigator or Radio Officer. I was selected as a Radio Officer with Flight Cadet rank and transferred to the Air Radio Officers School at the Radio and Communication School at RCAF Clinton, Ontario. On June 1, 1951, I graduated as a Radio Officer and received my wings and Pilot Officer rank. I was then transferred to RCAF Greenwood, Nova Scotia to the 2 Maritime Operational Training Unit for three months of training before being transferred to 404 (MR) Squadron located on the same base, now with the rank of Flying Officer. My duties on 404 (MR) Squadron were in the areas of anti-submarine warfare and search and rescue, which when necessary included manning the tail turret, dispatching the sonobuoys and monitoring them for submarine searches, operating the H2S equipment or Radio Officer duties of transmitting messages by Morse code.
On February 7, 1955, I was transferred two hangars down the line to 103 Rescue Unit where I performed my radio duties along with secondary duties as Officer Commanding the Para-Rescue Section, and Officer in Charge of Land Search for the province of Nova Scotia.
On June 1, 1958, I had completed my tour of duty and moved into civilian life. I formed a Construction Company with Blair Jackson in Vernon, British Columbia, Verndale Construction Limited and continued my military career w...Expand for more
ith the Vernon Air Cadet Squadron in the rank of Flying Officer. In 1960 I moved to Edmonton, Alberta as an Insurance Representative of Standard Life. After a very successful year I was transferred to the Calgary Branch.
On April 10, 1963 I walked into the Recruiting Unit in Calgary and signed on as an Air Traffic Controller and was temporarily transferred to RCAF Penhold, Alberta for on job training. On April 26, 1963 transferred to ATC School at Camp Borden, Ontario. Upon graduation at the school as an air traffic controller, I was transferred to RCAF Zwiebruecken, Pfalz, West Germany. I was now controlling the CF104 aircraft that were carrying the nuclear bomb during the Cold War. In 1965 I was promoted to Flight Lieutenant.
On July 25, 1967, I was again transferred, this time to the Air Weapons Unit in Sardinia, Italy, where I worked in the control tower with the German and Italian airforces controlling the CF104's going to the weapon range. In 1967, the RCAF became the Canadian Armed Forces and the rank of Flight Lieutenant became Captain.
On July 1, 1968, it was a transfer back to Canada to Canadian Forces Base Bagotville, Quebec as an IFR Controller in the Radar Air Traffic Control Unit.
On October 5, 1971 I was transferred to CFB Cold Lake, Alberta where I became the Chief Controller in the tower, Chief Controller of the radar unit, and finally Base Air Traffic Controller before my last transfer.
My final transfer in the regular force was to CFB Ottawa, Ontario as the Base Air Traffic Controller, March 5, 1974. I also had as an additional duty, Liaison Officer with the Ottawa International Airport.
On March 17, 1977, I retired from the Canadian Forces and became a Captain in the Standby Ready Reserve reporting to CFB Kingston, Ontario, until my forced retirement age, March 17, 1997.
My association with the RCAF and Canadian Forces extended over 46 years.
I was married November 28, 1953 in Port Mouton, NS. My wife Barbara and I had four sons. Barbara, after 56 years of marriage, succumbed to cancer in 2010. I now live solo in Ottawa on Stone Crescent.
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