Portrait of an Aviator

In this video, Ruth shares how she uncovered the remarkable story of her great-uncle, R.J. Groome, a pioneering Canadian aviator.

As a child, Ruth asked her parents and grandparents about a man in an old photograph. After a long silence, the answer came: “That’s Uncle Roland. He died in a plane crash.” The next time her father spoke of Roland was the summer before he died. Walking with Ruth along Hoskin Avenue, by the back field of the University of Toronto, he told her that Roland had trained as a pilot at air bases across Ontario — including at U of T, where Royal Air Force trainees were enrolled in the School of Military Aeronautics.

Years later, after her father and all her uncles had passed away, Ruth received boxes of photographs and papers that set her on a quest to learn more. She discovered that R.J. Groome was not only the first licensed commercial pilot in Canada, but also the country’s first registered private commercial aircraft and air harbour owner.