“Commander
Patrick's work made a material contribution to
the success of the Allied forces and reflect
great credit upon himself and the Royal Canadian
Air Force.”
-
US President Harry Truman
Born 1915
in Saint John NB. Enlisted in Sept. 1939, posted
to No. 1 Wireless School in Montreal, appointed
chief instructor. Oct. 1943, posted to RCAF Clinton
as commanding officer. Awarded Order of the British
Empire in 1945; US Legion of Merit in 1946. Founded
Canadian Aviation Electronics (CAE) Inc. in 1947.
Retired from the RCAF Reserve in 1960. Died 2002.
K.R. Patrick
was born in Saint John, NB in 1915. In 1929 he
moved to New England and attended the Scientific
Radio Program at Lamb Engineering School, graduating
in 1934. During the 1930s, Patrick worked for
various American Electronics companies and established
his own electronics outfit, Radio and Sound Lab,
in 1938. When news of the outbreak of war in
Europe reached Patrick, however, he returned
to Canada and enlisted in the Royal Canadian
Air Force in September 1939.
Patrick and USAF Major
Jenkins at RCAF Clinton late in the
war. With the base having trained Americans
on radar since its opening days, Patrick
would eventually be awarded the US
Legion of Merit in 1946.
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From 1939 to
1943, Patrick taught servicemen and women at
RCAF Trenton and the no. 1 Wireless School
in Montreal, where he rose to become the Chief
Instructor. In October 1943, Patrick was appointed
as the first and only Canadian Commanding Officer
of RCAF Clinton during the war. This significant
role lead to Patrick receiving both the Order
of the British Empire in 1945, and the US Legion
of Merit in 1946.
After leaving Clinton at
the end of the war, Patrick advocated the
creation of a special radar and communications
unit within the reserve force, which was
implemented in January 1949. This division
of the Air Force played a significant role
in cold war security. By the time of Patrick’s
retirement from the RCAF Reserve
in 1960, he had become a decorated military
man who had been instrumental in the development
of radar in Canada. |
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K.R.
Patrick in business uniform after
entering
the private sector. |
Patrick
and Group Captain Greenaway at
25th Anniversary of Clinton 1966
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Ken Patrick, the Right
Honourable Errol Barrow, Prime Minister
of Barbados, and the Right Honourable
Pierre Elliot Trudeau, Prime Minister
of Canada meeting in the PMO, Ottawa.
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Patrick's
Significance in Post-War Canada
Patrick’s
post-war activities in the private sector
have had a significant impact on Canada.
In 1947, Patrick incorporated Canadian Aviation
Electronics (CAE), a company which is today
a world leader in flight simulation and training,
with over 5000 workers, and $1 billion a
year in revenue. Additionally, Patrick also
worked as an “unofficial ambassador” to
the Caribbean, where he worked to improve
diplomatic and trade relations between Canada
and eight newly-independent Commonwealth
islands. Such activities would bring him
to the attention of many important political
figures, including Pierre Elliot Trudeau.
Kenneth
R. Patrick retired from business in 1994
and passed away in 2002. His professional
life illustrates how Canada’s war-time
radar efforts served as a two-way process:
men and women took on an enormous task to
ensure an Allied victory, but after the war
would use their acquired skills to develop
their own professional careers, and contribute
significantly to the future development of
Canada. |
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