142 Mimico Squadron was chartered by the Air Cadet League of Canada on July 2nd, 1942 under the sponsorship of the Rotary Club of Mimico. The old Mimico High School was the first Squadron Headquarters, establishing an affiliation that continues to this day.
Mimico Squadron proudly displays the winged sphinx emblem and ‘Determination’ motto of No. 142 Squadron of the Royal Air Force. Our wartime RAF namesake was a Bomber Command Squadron equipped with Wellington and Mosquito aircraft. That Squadron was disbanded following World War II but its tradition remains right here in Mimico.
The Lakeshore Board of Education took over Squadron sponsorship in 1945, and was assumed by the Etobicoke Board of Education in 1967 when the school boards amalgamated. Branch 217, now amalgamated with Branch 3, of the Royal Canadian Legion has also assisted the Squadron with financial support and facilities on many occasions. The new branch is RCL Branch 643, Flight Lieutenant David Ernest Hornell, VC.
In 1994 the John English Junior Middle School and Community Center occupied the old Mimico High School premises, but 142 Squadron remains a significant occupant and proud part of the building’s history.
In late 2013, 142 moved to new facilities at the Captain Bellenden Seymour
Hutcheson VC Armoury. In September 2015, the squadron moved to its’ current location at Fort York Armoury, 660 Fleet Street, Toronto, where we have begun a relationship with the 32 Signals Regiment.
Since 1942, over 5,000 young Canadians have benefited from Air Cadet training with 142 Squadron. Of those, more than 70 received flying scholarships and won their coveted pilot’s wings. Literally hundreds have received advanced training in such other disciplines as aeromechanics, leadership and wilderness survival instruction techniques.
In its 74 year history, 142 Squadron has won many trophies, honors and awards as a unit. Most coveted among these is the Lord Stathcona Trust Shield awarded to the most proficient Air Cadet Squadron in Ontario. Since the award’s inception in 1947, Mimico Squadron has placed second 7 times and won it 10 times. It is a record of which we are justifiably proud and signifies a strong ‘Determination’ to provide the finest youth training experience possible to the young people of the Mimico area.
PAST COMMANDING OFFICERS
|
July 1942 to Aug. 1943 |
Flight Lieutenant W. Denny |
|
Sept. 1943 to Aug. 1945 |
Flight Lieutenant C.M. Coo |
|
Sept. 1945 to Aug. 1957 |
Squadron Leader C.F. Burns |
|
Sept. 1957 to Aug. 1965 |
Flight Lieutenant A.J. Edmonds |
|
Sept. 1965 to June 1972 |
Flight Lieutenant D.D. Hayden |
|
July 1972 to May 1979 |
Captain B.D. Woodlock |
|
June 1979 to May 1983 |
Captain E.M. Vince |
|
June 1983 to May 1986 |
Captain O.R. Furda |
|
June 1986 to April 1989 |
Captain E.M. Vince |
|
May 1989 to Sept. 1993 |
Captain K.H. Ables |
|
Sept. 1993 to June 1996 |
Captain B.R.J. Young |
|
June 1996 to June 2000 |
Captain J.D. Booton |
|
June 2000 to June 2003 |
Captain E. Medina |
|
June 2003 to June 2006 |
Captain R. M. Craddock |
|
June 2006 to Sept 2009 |
Captain J.D. Booton |
|
Sept 2009 to June 2012 |
Captain A. Stafrace |
|
June 2012 to June 2015 |
Major R.C. Leswick, CD, BA |
|
June 2015 to June 2019 |
Major R. Rangel-Bron |
|
June 2019 to December 2020 |
Captain S. Hind-Powell |
|
December 2020 to Present |
Captain A. Bilyk |