It was the first air fighter squadron in Canada, and now, it’s celebrating a major milestone.
For 100 years, the 401 Squadron, now based at CFB Cold Lake, has played an active role in the Canadian Air Force.
In fact, Commanding Officer Lt.-Col. Forrest Rock said it was initiated even before the Royal Canadian Air Force was started.
“The squadron was activated on Nov. 20, 1918. It started and was actually called Number One Squadron Canadian Air Force,” he described. “Fast forward many, many years, and into the Second World War timeframe, the squadron was still called Number One. It was deployed overseas and fought in the Battle of Britain, it was the only Canadian squadron that actually did that.”
It was around this time when they changed its name to 401 Squadron, in order to differentiate with a Royal Air Force Unit that was also called Number One First Squadron.
Rock said by changing the name, they were able to avoid confusion, and upon returning to Canada, stuck with their new title.
After completing their mission in the Battle of Britain, the squadron moved to central Europe, and were one of the only Canadian units that supported the D-Day invasion.
According to Rock, at one point the squadron, whose motto was “A very swift death for the enemy,” was based out of Westmount, QC.
“There was a short period of time where we flew helicopters,” he added.
The squadron was deactivated for a few years, until July 30, 2015, when 401 was reborn in 4 Wing Cold Lake.
“There was a period of time where we closed two of our operational fighter squadrons in Canada. We created an amalgamated ‘super squadron,’” explained Rock. “Previously in Cold Lake, there were two other units, 441 and 416, but they were amalgamated into the 409 Squadron. When they decided to split 409 into two squadrons again, they just elected to activate a different squadron number.”
That’s when they decided to bring back Canada’s very first fighter squadron.
Over the years, their role has remained the same.
Rock said, “We were a fighter squadron when we first stood up, and we’re a fighter squadron today. Through much of our history, we’ve been a fighter squadron, flying fighter aircraft, whether that be the SE58 Dolphin in 1918, the Hawker Hurricane and Spitfire in the Second World War, and now the F18. The squadron has a fairly extensive combat record, and it has a reputation for it’s excellence in combat.”
A few months after the squadron was re-formed, they travelled to Kuwait and flew combat missions in Iraq and Syria.
“We came home in February 2016, and since then, we essentially adopted our standing role, which is NORAD,” Rock described.
They also take part in training missions in the United States and overseas.
In total, they’ve received nine Battle Honours.
Currently, the squadron has 160 members. Eighteen are pilots, while the remainder are support personnel.
Rock said one of their pilots has a special connection to the original Number One Squadron.
“His great-granduncle was the first commanding officer of the Number One Squadron back in 1918. There’s been a lot of interesting connections that we’ve found,” he said, adding the more they research the history of the squadron, the more they learned about its deep roots.
“For the squadron, it means a lot. We have a lot of connections, and we spent this year really reconnecting with our past. There’s a lot of really unique stories,” Rock noted. “The squadron takes this as a point of pride that we’re still the oldest unit in the air force.”
The squadron has spent the year marking the occasion in multiple ways including coins, patches, and their annual squadron dinner.
“This year being the 100th anniversary, we recognize that you can’t really make it this far, to a centennial without the support of families and all of the people that help us get here,” said Rock.
Now, their working on an event that will include the entire community, Operation Hockey Heroes.
“One of the things that we picked up on and recognized very quickly as we were doing this detailed examination of our history, is we’ve always found a way to give back to the community throughout our entire history,” Rock expressed.
In the City of Westmount, the squadron was always volunteering, while in the Vegahill Chapel in England, there’s a stained glass window they commissioned at the end of the Second World War.
“We looked at that and thought that we had to do something that’s also in-line with that legacy that we have,” said Rock. “That’s where Operation Hockey Heroes came from.”
The event, which is being hosted in coordination with 4 Wing’s Military Family Resource Centre, will take place at the Cold Lake Energy Centre on Dec. 15. It will feature big names in hockey such as Hayley Wickenheiser, and five former Edmonton Oilers.
Admission is free, all that they ask is for donations to the local food bank.
