This stained glass window is dedicated to the memory of Air Vice-Marshal Adelard Raymond, CBE, ED.
Adelard Raymond, CBE, ED was born in July 1889 at St. Stanislaus de Kostka near Valleyfield, Quebec. He was educated at Valleyfield College, and in 1915 enlisted as a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps, serving until the end of the First World War. After the war, Raymond operated an airfield at Cartierville and was a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) Auxilliary.
He rejoined the RCAF at the start of the Second World War, and was appointed Squadron Leader of 118 Squadron. In the summer of 1940, he took part in a secret mission to the French Antilles ferrying American bombers and eventually was sent to France, narrowly escaping the German advance. He rose rapidly through the ranks, holding responsible commands such as Lachine Manning Depot, No. 2 Service Flying Training School at Uplands, No. 3 Training Command, Montreal.
In 1944, he was promoted to the rank of Air Vice-Marshal and appointed Air officer commanding (AOC) No. 1 Air Commend. He was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) and the French government awarded him the Croix de Guerre avec Palme and named him a Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur. Following the Second World War, he became a Board Member of Canadair and took and active role in the inception and development of the Air Cadet League of Canada. He died in Montreal in February, 1962.
