Private, Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps
Died in the 1965-03-17 EPA plane crash near Upper Musquodoboit
https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19650317-2 Gary Blades writes
He was another important person in my life. He was a nice Uncle. He was very quiet and polite. He procured gas powered engines for me for those model airplanes we flew in our teens. He was a heavy equipment mechanic in Moncton. I would write letters to him asking him to get this or that particular engine. And he would buy them and bring them for me when he came home from time to time. I really liked him.
I remember once Art came home for Christmas and he came to our house with his parents (my grandparents) on Christmas Eve. I had bought Art a snow shovel for a present. I gave it to him. It was ridiculously small. I guess it was a childs shovel. I had not thought about that at all. My Grandmother looked at Art and said "what are you going to do with that?". Art went "sssssh, sssssh" and graciously accepted the gift. His act of grace saved the moment and made me feel good. I was really happy they came to visit. And they were happy that I liked them.
Art was a bit of a father figure to me for awhile as my step-father was cool and distant and we did not bond. I was very interested in model airplanes at that age. They were powered with minature diesel engines that ran on an alcohol based fuel. I used to write letters to Art (in Moncton?) telling him that I wanted this or that engine and he would buy one and bring it for me when he came home. I was very pleased that he would buy these engines for me.
I think he worked in Moncton. I think he was a heavy equipment mechanic. He came to Barrington once in a while to visit his parents. My knowledge of him stems mostly from those visits. I walked to my grandfathers house to see him when he was home. It was on one of those visits that he returned to work on that ill fated flight.
I was in school when Mom got news of the airplane crash. She called the principal and he let me leave. I remember walking home that day. There is a memorial to him and the other victims of the flight in Musquodoboit. I have been meaning to go there.
About The Crash
Researchers / historians Norm Murnaghan and Daniel Goguen are documenting the crash. Norm writes: my father was the captain on this flt. I am reachable at 902-425-6467 in Halifax if anyone needs, or wants to share, information. regarding EPA Flight 102 Mar 17,1965. Daniel writes:
The EPA Flight 102 research started in 2008-09 when New Brunswick premier's executive assistant told he had lost a cousin aboard that flight. I then got in touch with Norm 2011 who's a retired pilot himself.