Air Marshal C. Roy Slemon, CB, CBE, CD Memorial Trophy

Originally conceived as the “Airman of the Year Award” in 1971, the inaugural winner of the award was Master Corporal Peter Engbrecht at the Annual General Meeting in Ottawa in 1972. Engbrecht was an air gunner with 424 Squadron, was Canada's only non-pilot Ace of the Second World War and was the first non-pilot Ace earning five or more kills against enemy aircraft.

The title of the award was changed in 1993 to Air Marshal C. Roy Slemon, CB, CBE, CD Memorial Trophy. Slemon was the Royal Canadian Air Force’s Chief of Air Staff from 1953 to 1957. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1922. After an early military career flying Vickers Vedettes, he served as Senior Staff Officer and then as the Commander of Canada’s Western Air Command from 1938 to 1941. After a posting to the United Kingdom, Slemon became Senior Air Staff Officer at No. 6 (Canadian) Bomber Group in 1942. During the last year of the Second World War, Slemon was Deputy Air Officer Commander-in-Chief of the RCAF Overseas.

Slemon was Air Officer Commanding Training Command at CFB Trenton in 1949, Chief of the Air Staff in 1953 and Deputy Commander in Chief of NORAD in 1957. He retired to Colorado Springs in 1964.

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