Canadian Army Aviation
|
Wayne was born in Montreal and received his first taste of the military in The Black Watch Cadet Corps, and then in the Canadian Grenadier Guards (Militia). After completing High School in 1960, he enrolled in the Canadian Army (Regular) and successfully completed the Officer Candidate Programme at the the Royal Canadian School of Infantry at Camp Borden, ON. Commissioned as a 2Lt in The Canadian Guards, his first field posting was with their 2nd Battalion at Camp Petawawa in 1961. Subsequently, he was attached posted to The Guards’ 1st Battalion in Soest, Germany in October 1962 as augmentation for the ‘Cuban Crisis’. Wayne stayed with the 1st Battalion as they were on a normal rotation back to Canada in December of that year. He spent a year with them in Camp Picton as a platoon commander.
In early 1964, Lt Brocklehurst successfully completed the RCAF aircrew selection process and joined 5 other Army officers for ab initio flying training on the Chipmunk aircraft at RCAF Station Centralia, ON. In the spring, his course (now down to 4 candidates) proceeded to Rivers, Manitoba for their Army Pilot training on L-19 and L182 aircraft at the Army Aviation Tactical Training School (AATTS) at the Canadian Joint Air Training Centre (CJATC). Wayne successfully completed the Light Aircraft Pilot Course (LAPC #38) and was awarded the coveted Army Aviation Flying Badge 21 Aug 64. By Christmas of that year, he completed his Rotary Wing training at the Basic Helicopter Training Unit, also situated at Rivers. For the next 5 years, Captain Brocklehurst had a hectic and varied flying career. Immediately after his helicopter training, he completed the Fixed Wing Instructors Course on the L-19 in Jan 65 and started instructing students (including Joe Oakley on LAPC 41). During that summer he flew a few months for the Army HQ Training and Liaison Flight at Uplands, ON piloting their L182s. During the fall and winter, he was back instructing at Rivers until spending 4 months at 3 FTS at RCAF Station Portage la Prairie to undertake the Multi-engine Conversion and Instrument Rating Course. Wayne remained at Rivers until Jun 67 doing periodic instructing and liaison-type missions including spending the summer of 66 towing gliders at the Regional Air Cadet Glider School at Red Deer, AB. Somehow, he managed to find time while stationed at Rivers to qualify as a parachutist. Jun 67 saw Wayne being posted to Winnipeg and the Air Navigation School where he flew the C-47 Dakotas for one year. In Aug 68 he reported to St Hubert, QC, qualified on the CC-115 Buffalo aircraft at the OTU and was posted to 429 Tactical Transport Squadron, until ending his ‘flying days’ at St Hubert by Christmas 1969. Upon integration of the Forces 1968-69, Wayne opted to remain an infantryman rather than accept the 32A Pilot classification. From St Hubert, Wayne returned to the 2nd Battalion, The Canadian Guards at Petawawa. Prior to the Battalion being reduced to nil strength, in the summer of 1970 Wayne was instrumental in the organization of the final ceremonies. He carried the Queen’s Colours during their last Trooping the Colour Ceremony on Parliament Hill and deposited those Colours in Government House. Overnight The Guards Battalion became the 3rd Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment with Wayne as the adjutant. He next was seconded to the United Nations in New York for a period before becoming a Company Commander with the 3rd Mechanized Commando in Baden, Germany circa 1973-75. From there, he was privileged to attend the 46- week Australia Command and Staff College course conducted at the Australian Defence College, Weston Campus in suburban Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory. In 1979 Wayne was at the Directorate Land Requirements at NDHQ covering a NATO weapons desk. Concurrently he was commanding the “Changing the Guard” tasking. He reorganized the previous ‘public duties detachment’ to become the Ceremonial Guard that exists today. By the summer of 81, he had organized, recruited and equipped the Ceremonial Guards’ Band. He only managed to appreciate his final creation for a few short weeks before being promoted to Lt Col and posted to Gagetown as the Base Administrative Officer. Wayne’s final assignment was back in Petawawa as the Deputy Commanding Officer of the Canadian Airborne Regiment. Lt Col Brocklehurst retired from the Forces in 1985 and became a director with Emergency Planning and Preparedness Canada until 2009. In his 69th year, he passed away at his home in Toronto following a challenging struggle with cancer. His ashes are interred at the Mount Pleasant Cemetery.  |