William Francis Montgomery Newson

William Francis Montgomery (Bill) Newson, D.S.O., D.F.C.*, C.D.**, B. Eng., was born in Calgary, Alberta, on July 19, 1917. He graduated from Edmonton's Garneau High School in 1935, after having received his primary and early secondary education in British Columbia and Ontario. He attended Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario, where he graduated in Civil Engineering in June 1939, and immediately joined the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). He learned to fly at Camp Borden and Trenton, Ontario, and upon graduation was awarded the Sword of Honour. He was posted to No. 11 Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron at Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, where he flew with Z.L. Leigh as a pilot on coastal operations, escorting convoys on Atlantic crossings, often under very difficult weather conditions.

In July 1942, after a tour of instruction at Patricia Bay, British Columbia, Newson was transferred to the United Kingdom, flying an aircraft for Royal Air Force (RAF) Ferry Command en route. On arrival in England, he joined RCAF No. 408 Squadron.

During operations with this squadron his aircraft sustained serious damage on two occasions. For outstanding courage and leadership he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (D.F.C.). In June of 1943 he was posted as Squadron Commander to No. 431 Squadron. Again he demonstrated outstanding courage and leadership in the completion of very long range bomber sorties, for which he was awarded a Bar to his D.F.C.

In October 1944, Group Captain Newson was appointed Commanding Officer of 405 Pathfinder Squadron, where he remained to the end of hostilities in Europe. The London Gazette of September 21, 1945, recorded the citation for Group Captain Newson's Distinguished Service Order (D.S.O.) as follows:

"This officer has a long and varied career of operational duty. After completing a tour of duty with Coastal Command in Canada, he was appointed to command a squadron in this country. He has taken part in many sorties since the award of the D.F.C., many of them in a most important role. The success of a number of sorties against such heavily defended objectives as Chemnitz and Zweibrucken has been due in no small measure to his work as Master Bomber. Group Captain Newson is an outstanding officer who, by his keenness and efficiency, has set a fine example."

Following World War II, General Newson held a number of senior staff and command appointments in Canada and overseas. These included Commandant of RCAF Staff College in Toronto, Ontario, and Commander of No. 36 North American Air Defence Division (NORAD) in Maine, U.S.A. In this latter position he was responsible for the air defence of the northeastern approaches to North America. From 1968 to 1971 he was Assistant Chief of Air Operations, Central Europe. General Newson retired from the Armed Forces on July 19, 1972, and had accumulated nearly 6,000 flying hours.

In 1977 Newson was approached to take on the task of Executive Vice-President of Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame from R.A. Munro. He took over control of the Hall when it was still in its embryonic stage in the Edmonton Law Courts building. From 1977 to 1983 he negotiated with Edmonton City Council, architects and designers in order to implement a move to the Edmonton Convention Centre, where the Hall was located until June 1992, when it was moved to its present location at Wetaskiwin, Alberta.

Newson served as President of the Sir Winston Churchill Society in Edmonton in 1984, President of the Wartime Aircrew Association in Edmonton from 1981 to 1983, as a member of the Senate of the University of Alberta for six years, and as Vice-Chairman of the Salvation Army Advisory Board. He died in Edmonton on March 24, 1988.

Throughout his career he was an enthusiastic and dedicated airman flying at every opportunity. He qualified on 25 types of aircraft.

William Francis Montgomery (Bill) Newson was inducted as a Member of Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame in 1984 at a ceremony held at Edmonton, Alberta.