Hardwick, Bud

Gordon “Bud” Hardwick was born March 12, 1926 in Toronto.  He grew up in Toronto’s west end, in the Dovercourt and Bloor neighbourhood, and he attended Central Tech high school. Bud played sports – baseball and hockey – and he was a fan of the Maple Leafs.  During the Great Depression Bud shoveled snow or cut grass in order to buy groceries for his family. Bud’s father was a WWI and WWII Army Veteran who was in the militia. He was in the reserves and was activated and sent for training at Camp Niagara. Since the British Commonwealth was involved in WWII, Bud volunteered for the RCAF when he was 18. He wanted to be a pilot, but he was assigned as a mid-upper/tail gunner. Bud’s training took place in Toronto, Trenton, and Mont Joli, Quebec. From there he boarded the modified cruise ship Andes to transit the Atlantic to Liverpool.  Once in Britain he was assigned to 408 “Goose” Squadron at Linton-on-Ouse. Bud flew twenty-four 6-8-hour missions during his time overseas. They dealt with the standard fears and difficulties of the time:  fighters, flak, and the freezing cold.  When the war came to an end, Bud and the crew flew the Lancaster home to Nova Scotia. When asked about adjusting to civilian life Bud said, “I had no problem. I was only one of many!” He did make the transition, joining in the postwar boom of 1950s Canada and later moving to the United States.  And that’s where he was  – at his home in Ohio – when Crestwood students zoomed with him in December 2025.