Obituary of Captain Herbert “Bert” Elias Ford

Captain Herbert "Bert" E. Ford, 85, of Hillsborough, passed away following a brief illness at The Moncton Hospital on Monday, October 26, 2009. He was born in Croydon, England on July 16, 1924. Prior to his retirement from Transport Canada in 1996. He was a veteran of WW II, serving with the R.A.F. He joined the R.A.F. in the spring of 1941 and after soloing in England he was sent to Moncton, then later to Georgia, USA; training and graduating as a Fighter Pilot in February 1943. He returned to England and was promptly sent to train on Multi-Engine Aircraft, serving the remainder of the war in training Bomber and Transport Commands. Following the war he signed on for a permanent commission until 1947. During which time he did a Tour of Duty in India. He came to Canada in 1948 and worked as an office manager for an ice company. Shortly there after he joined Maritime Central Airways for the Pinetree Operation, which was the building of the first radar chain across Canada. At the end of this project he returned to England to fly for the Scottish Airlines, rotating British Troops between England and Egypt. He then returned to Maritime Central Airways circa 1954, after they purchased "York" Aircraft to supply the "Dew Line" Operation which was a more northerly radar chain near the Arctic Circle. He later participated in the Hungarian Refugee Airlift between Vienna to Canada and the "Monkey Run" to India and Singapore, transporting Monkey's to Toronto, Canada that were used to make Polio Vaccine of the time. When Eastern Provincial Airways purchased Maritime Central Airways in 1963, he left to join Transport Canada as an Airways Inspector where he set -up and ran their first Flight Operations in the Department. He was asked to return to Eastern Provincial Airways as the Chief Pilot / Director of Flight Operations, seeing over the introductions of B-737's in the company. After eleven years with E.P.A.; Bert went to fly a number of years with Air Algeria in Algeria, Africa. He later returned to Canada to fly Lear Jets corporately and again rejoin Transport Canada until his retirement as Superintendant of Instrument Standards. Bert was a member of the Royal Canadian Legion Br. # 32 in Hillsborough and a life long member of the B.P.O.E. Elks #229 Moncton. A veterans service will be at the Riverview Funeral Home on Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 12:40pm. The memorial service will be held at Riverview Funeral Home Memorial Chapel on Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 1:00 pm with Rev. Rob Salloum officiating. Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Riverview Funeral Home & Crematorium 214 Pine Glen Rd. Riverview, NB (506) 857-9544. Online condolences can be made via www.tuttlefuneralhome.ca Service Information Saturday, November 7, 2009