Bob Darlington Remembered

by Bill Wilson

I very much regret to advise that Captain(S) Robert A. Darlington passed away on September 6, 2021.

I first met Bob in early 1941 when he joined the Winnipeg Sea Cadet Corps John Travers Cornwell VC (JTC). When I returned to the Corps at the end of the war, Bob was a Sub. Lt. as well as being a UNTD. When I became the C.O. of No. 3 Corps of JTC, Bob became my Gunnery Officer, a job in which he excelled. On graduation from University, Bob joined the RCN and as he wore glasses and could not pass the medical for a Salt Horse, he became a Pusser. Bob loved the Navy almost as much as he loved Wendy. Whether serving in a ship or a shore establishment he earned the respect of all his seniors or subordinates, including those of other “elements” or other Navy’s.

When the NOAC obtained the approval from MARCOM to provide the funds to purchase blue uniforms for the MARCOM Bands on both coasts, fortunately Bob was the Command Pusser in Halifax and magically the uniforms and gold wire badges appeared virtually overnight. That led to the entire Navy getting rid of the greens. Of note, one of the most referred and quoted books relating to the history of the RCN in WWII is the book “The Canadian Naval Chronicle”, which was researched and co-authored by Bob and Fraser McKee.

We kept in touch over the years, and I spoke to him on the telephone frequently and as late as a month or so ago. While he had been in a long-term care residence for some time, he sounded a little tired by just as feisty as ever. He will be missed.