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TORONTO
POWER & SAIL SQUADRON
Celebrating 50 years of boating safety education |
P/C/C/William E. (Bill) Thompson JN
Charter Member of
Toronto Squadron
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Bill Thompson, a Past Chief Commander of CPS
(1954-56) passed away during late September 2002. Bill was one of the
signatories to the Charter of the Toronto Power Squadron, as it then was
known, in 1948.
He played a significant role in the development of CPS in the years
immediately following World War II and saw a remarkable growth of our
squadron in those early years.
"Port Hole", which is now the newsletter of the national organization,
was originally our own newsletter and Bill was an early editor. In
Volume 1 Number 1, dated March-April 1951, Bill is listed as a
Lieutenant Commander of the squadron. In Volume 1 Number 2, he is also
shown to be a Vice Commander of the CPS itself. In the following
edition, he is no longer shown as an officer of Toronto Squadron as he
had resigned to devote more time to his national duties. However, he did
remain with the squadron as editor of Port Hole.
There is no indication that Bill was a course instructor, but it is
known from one of his contemporaries, Bill Booth, that he was always in
class as a proctor.
In 1951, there were only 9 squadrons in CPS and Toronto's membership
totalled 79. In July the following year, membership had grown to 119 and
the total national membership approximately 300. |
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