Fraser, Bill

Bill Fraser hails from New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, where he was born in 1940.  His father and uncles served in the Second World War, and Bill would follow them into the service, albeit in a very different time.  Bill was part of the Canadian Forces during the Cold War;  he joined the RCAF out of high school and was trained for ground support crew, including the rapidly advancing technology of radar and weapons control.  Not long after he signed up, the Cuban Missile Crisis took place, so Bill was at the heart of the conflict.  He saw dramatic changes take place during that era.  The Avro Arrow, for which Bill expected to be trained, was cancelled by the Diefenbaker government, and it was replaced by many types of fighter aircraft, as well as missiles, all of which entered into Bill’s world.  He was trained on radar and went on to earn his wings, heading down east to Greenwood for a tour on the Argus.  In this capacity Bill was again at the front lines of the Cold War, this time searching for Soviet submarines in the Atlantic.  After many years and flight on the Argus and Aurora, and air-sea rescue duty too, Bill retired from active duty.  He and his wife continue to live in Nova Scotia, and he volunteers at the Greenwood Military Museum.  We interviewed Bill Fraser over zoom in December 2020.