Trinity College School - Record Yearbook (Port Hope, Ontario Canada)

Page 18 text:

6 TRINITY COLLEGE SCHOOL RECORD war he continued his deep interest in the Queen's Own, suc- ceeding to the Command in 1930. When he retired to Brockville he continued to take a most active interest in community affairs, being elected President of the Kiwanis Club and supporting the work of the First Presbyterian Church in every way. He was Presi- dent of the St. Lawrence Engine Company and General Manager of the Universal Engine Company. His son, J. W. C. Langmuir C35-'40J was elected Mayor of Brockville. T.C.S. has lost one of its most devoted sons but all who knew John Langmuir will seldom think of the School or walk about the property without vividly realizing what a large part of his heart was in Port Hope. L.-ii.- l1 AIR MARSHAL VV. A. BISHOP, V.C. Billy Bishop died on September 11 after a long illness but his fame as a flyer in the First World War will never die. Those were the days of open cockpits, no parachutes, one engine, and a machine gun which often jammed. Some- how Billy Bishop became part of the elements and like an eagle he swooped unerringly on his prey. He was the best fighter pilot in all the Commonwealth forces, shooting down seventy-two planes. He won the highest awards-the V.C., the D.S.O., the M.C. were presented to him at one investiture by King George V, and he had already won the D.F.C. In the Second World War he was appointed Director of Re- cruiting for the R.C.A.F. and he played a vital part in the air training plan. He was elected a member of the Governing Body in 1940 and remained on the Board until 1954 when ill health forced him to resign. Before the war he flew to the School to take the salute at an Inspection of the Cadet Corps and in his speech to the boys he commented on the fact that the T.C.S. Corps was the first in the Empire to be aifiliated with an Air Force Unit. He also mentioned his concern over the conditions he found in Germany and told us We should be prepared for trouble.

Page 17 text:

TRINITY COLLEGE SCHOOL RECORD 5 to be a turning point in our story. It was during Colonel Langmuir's term of office that Petry House was recon- structed into two masters' apartments, the Hospital was completely re-built, the Farm house re-modelled and recon- structed. Then came the wonderful gift by Mr. George Mc- Cullagh of the Peter Campbell Memorial Rink, and the Hugh Russel Memorial Tuck building given by Mr. and Mrs. Blair Russel. Finally the Memorial Fund, instituted at the end of the war and directed by Mr. Charles Burns, enabled us to build the beautiful Chapel. Colonel Langmuir was Chair- man or Secretary or both during these all-important years and he gave himself unsparingly to all these undertakings. No man could have been more generous of his time, no one could have been more painstaking, more wise and calm in his approach to the many problems which confronted him. In all the multifarious matters which need attention at a boarding school from day to day he was patience personified and always a wise and sympathetic counsellor. We remember his many visits to the School, the days he spent walking about the property and examining the buildings, the very courteous and pleasing way he met the masters and many employees, the hours he gave in his office in Toronto to School business and discussions with repre- sentatives of the School, the plans he made for future developmentg in all these and many other ways Colonel Langmuir gave complete and wholehearted service to his old School and we shall always be in his debt. Before he retired in 1949 he was General Manager of the Toronto General Trusts Corporation, and he had been President of the Toronto branch of the Red Cross Society during the Second World War. His Majesty the King ap- pointed him a member of the Order of the British Empire for his many contributions to the war effort. In the First World War he went overseas in 1915 with the Eaton Machine Gun battery of the Queen's Own Rifles. A year later he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps, see- ing much action in those early days of flying. After the

Page 19 text:

TRINITY COLLEGE SCHOOL RECORD 7 No one who knew him will ever forget Billy Bishop or his amazing skill and bravery as a fighter pilot. The School will always be indebted to him for his interest in our welfare, and the inspiration he gave to young flying men. ,.iil.. G. S. 0'BRIAN C07-'12J It is difficult for one who knew Geoff O'Brian most of his life to write of him without appearing to exaggerate, for there could be few men of his generation who had such an instinctive ability to inspire friendship and admiration. He was a man's man, extremely good company and always getting his teeth into some interesting problem. He had definite ideas and spoke his mind but never in a way to offend or disturb people. And always one knew that his eyes were on the horizon, over the hills, and that a great purpose was the mainspring of his life. He came to T.C.S. as a young boy of twelve in 1907 and after five years he was Head Boy. Entering the University of Toronto he did well in his courses and took an active interest in the militia. On the outbreak of war in 1914 he volunteered immediately and went overseas as a Lieutenant in command of the University of Toronto platoon of the Second Division, Cyclists Corps. In the winter of 1916 he joined the Royal Flying Corps, seeing much service in France and as a Ferry Pilot. He was awarded the Air Force Cross late in 1916. Returning to Canada, he was given command of the training squadron at Deseronto, a post formerly held by British officers. In 1919 he entered Osgoode Hall and after graduation practised law until 1929 when flying called to him again. Joining the deHaviland Aircraft Company he became a test pilot and later a director of the company. He was the first man to fly solo from Toronto to Winnipeg and established a record by flying to Edmonton from Toronto, two thousand air miles in twenty hours. He also flew as a bush pilot in Northern Ontario and Quebec.