Our Next Speaker
572nd Meeting
8 October 2024
Adam Coombs
FLYING ON ICE: THE RCAF, THE ARCTIC AND ICE HOCKEY
IN THE 20TH CENTURY
This talk examines the history of the RCAF in the
Canadian Arctic during its 100-year history. It
will cover the various roles that the RCAF played
in the Arctic during the Interwar Years and the
Second World War and the importance of the Arctic
in RCAF planning and operations during the Cold
War. The talk will then highlight the significance
of ice hockey in the RCAF during this period and
particularly how hockey was a central part of RCAF
social and cultural life in northerly stations.
Adam Coombs was born and raised
in Ottawa and obtained his BA in history at
Carleton University. He then completed his MA and
PhD at the University of British Columbia with a
focus on Canadian history during the 1920s and
30s. After five years working at Library and
Archives Canada as the Finance archivist, he
joined the Directorate of History and Heritage at
the Department of National Defence as the air
force historian in July 2023. In addition to
collaborating on Volume 4 of the Official History
of the RCAF 1945-1968, Adam’s interests include
the history of hockey within the Canadian Armed
Forces and the experience of Canadian pilots
during the First World War.
This meeting is the first of
The Arctic Circle’s 2024-25 season. The meeting
will be held in the Beaver Lounge on the ground
floor of the Warrant Officers’ and Sergeants’
Mess, 4 Queen Elizabeth Driveway, Ottawa. The Mess
sits alongside Lisgar Collegiate, facing the
Rideau Canal, and is accessible from the Driveway
just south of the Laurier Avenue Bridge. Parking
is available in front of the Mess and in adjacent
lots and is free. The meeting begins at 2000 hrs
and the bar will be available from 1900 hrs. As
always, guests are welcome.
Next meetings:
Nov 12 Peter
Croal: HMCS Labrador's maiden voyage, 70 years on
Dec 10 Jean Holloway: Impact of
climate change and forest fires on the Canadian
Arctic
Thomas Frisch
Secretary
613-725-2221; tfrisch@sympatico.ca
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SPEAKERS
PROGRAMME
2024-2025
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October 8 Adam Coombs
The
Directorate of History and
Heritage (DHH)
“The RCAF in the Arctic”
November
12
Peter Croal
National
Healing Forest
Initiative
“HMCS Labrador: the
70th anniversary of her maiden
voyage”
December
10
Jean Halloway
University of
Ottawa
“Climate change,
permafrost and forest
fires”
January
14
AGM and
speaker Camille Slack
University of Ottawa
“Food
Security Impacts of
the
Inuvik-Tuktoyaktuk
Highway”
February
11 David
Pantalony
Ingenium:
Canada's
Museums of
Science and
Innovation
"Scientific
Instruments in the
Arctic: Stories from
the Ingenium
Collections"
March 11
Michelle Hovak Gillis and Stephen
Van Dine
Inuit
Circumpolar
Council
(Canada)
"Qanittaq
The Clean Arctic
Shipping Initiative"
April
8
Anne Barker
National
Research
Councils
The
Canada-Inuit Nunangat-United
Kingdom Research Programme
(CINUK)"
April
24 Annual Banquet with speaker
(TBD)
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