172 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Cadets - "Per Laborem Ad Victoriam" -

Wings Parade, the reviewing officer pinned the wings on the wrong side. In those days Air Cadet wings were worn on the right breast.

A scan of my wings, including the rub marks

Stephen Roberts started his military career as a cadet with 172 Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Cadets. The Squadron was based at a Royal Canadian Air Force at 1107 Avenue Road, in Toronto. He served for 5 years earning a flying scholarship, his private pilots licence, and reaching the rank of Warrant Officer II.

Dominion Marksman Gold Shield

While serving in the 172 Squadron he was an active member of the rifle team, taking part in regional and national competitions. The squadron used a rifle range at Leaside High School. When the squadron needed a new range officer, Roberts asked his father Geoffrey, a WWII veteran, to volunteer. It was six months before his father found out that the previous range officer had quit after being hit in the leg by a ricochet .22 bullet. His father had served in the British Army in the infantry, and had fought in North Africa, and Greece. Despite being involved in numerous battles he had never been wounded in action. He was captured on the island of Crete and was a prisoner of war in Germany and escaped once to be recaptured by the Gestapo. Now he was with 172 Squadron and when he found out why to previous range officer left, he had left he had a few choice words.

Before graduating from Air Cadets, Roberts received the Dominion Marksman Gold Shield award sponsored by CIL. He had to score 6,000 out of 6,000 using a .22 calibre target rifle shooting from the prone, sitting or kneeling and the standing position. To do it he shot on several different rifle ranges in the Toronto area, several evenings a week for approximately six months.

The Commanding Officer, Squadron Leader Glen Kessler, formed a committee to design a squadron crest. Because all the Royal Canadian Air Force squadron's numbers start with the number 4, Roberts wrote to the British Ministry of Defence to enquire if there had been a 172 Squadron in the Royal Air Force (RAF). There had been, but only during the Second World War. It had been an anti-submarine unit based in the south-west of England. The centre of their crest had a Gannet over the medieval tower of Barnstable, where they had been stationed. The Squadron was credited with sinking a German submarine, U-502 on July 5, 1942, in the Bay of Biscay. This was the first time that a Wellington bomber using depth charges had sunk a U-boat. Roberts suggested a design with the Gannet from 172 Sqn RAF, in front of the Toronto City Hall's twin towers. The squadron conducted a competition for a suitable motto that was translated into Latin. The cadets selected, "Per Laborem Ad Victoriam" (Through Labour to Victory). A year or so later, the Squadron was presented with a flag with the new crest with the motto on it.

During his flying training at Central Airways at the Toronto Island Airport (now called Toronto City Centre Airport), Roberts was introduced to the Army Reserve. After taking off from runway 33, he did a left turn over Fort York Armoury, looking down he spotted soldiers doing drill. Later that day he walked over to Fort York Armoury and found out the challenges offered by the Army Reserve. He signed up the next year for summer training.

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