RCAF Aviation History: Lieutenant General Edwin Michael Reyno AFC

Lieutenant General Edwin Michael Reyno AFC

Edwin Michael Reyno AFC, (shown here as S/L) was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on 11th May 1917 and attended St. Mary's University. He joined the RCAF on 3rd January 1938 and was serving with No. 1 (RCAF) Squadron when it arrived in the UK on 20 June 1940.  Reyno was posted to 2 (RCAF) Squadron on 1 January 1941 as a Flight Commander. He returned to Canada later in the year and served at RCAF bases at Rockcliffe, Ontario and Mossbank, Saskatchewan.

In 1942 he was appointed Chief Instructor at No. 1 (Fighter) OTU at Bagotville, Quebec. He was awarded the Air Force Cross (AFC) on 8 June 1944. In 1944 Reyno was Station Commander at Greenwood, Nova Scotia and in 1946 he was appointed Senior Personnel Officer at Western Command, Vancouver.

Postwar Reyno attended RCAF Staff College in 1947 and Imperial Defence College in 1959. He served as the Director of Strategic Air Plans from 1952 until 1955, when he was promoted to Air Commodore and made the Air Officer Commanding at Air Defence Command.

In 1963 he was promoted to Air Vice-Marshal and made Chief of Air Staff, 4th Allied Tactical Air Force. A final promotion to Air Marshal came in July 1966, when he was appointed Chief of Personnel of the Canadian Forces. From 1969 to 1972, he was the Deputy Commander of NORAD.

He retired on 30 Oct 1972 as a Lieutenant General, Canadian Forces. Reyno died on 10 Feb 1982.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4806147)

"B" Flight, No. 1 (F) Squadron RCA., pilots, Left to right: F/O G.G. Hyde, F/O B.E. Christmas, F/L V.B. Corbett, F/OE.W. Beardmore, F/L E.M. Reyno, July – Aug 1940.

(Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 4327127)

S/L E.A. "Ernie" McNab with nine of his Battle of Britain pilots, No. 1 (Fighter) Squadron, RCAF, 12Sep 1940. (L to R) F/O W.P. Sprenger, F/O O.J. Peterson, F/L W.R. Pollock (Adjutant), F/O P.B. Pitcher, S/L E.A. McNab, F/O P.W. Lochnan, F/L E.M. Reyno, F/O E.W. Beardmore, F/O S.T. Blaiklock (Intelligence Officer) and F/O R.W. Norris.

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