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In memory of those who have Crossed the Bar
MOFFAT, William John Bingham (Bill) - 66, of Dartmouth, passed away on Saturday, February 24, 2001 at the QEII Hospital. Born in Vancouver, B.C. on May 15, 1934, Bill was the youngest of two children born to Grace Wilson of Sheffield, England and William Moffat of Glasgow, Scotland. Bill and his older sister Betty were raised in the North Vancouver community of Lynn Valley. After high school, he attended the University of British Columbia with plans of studying to become a dentist only to end up joining the Royal Canadian Navy (R) as a Midshipman at HMCS Malahat (Vancouver Island) on Nov. 1, 1956. Bill trained as a naval aviator and was awarded his Wings on May 17, 1957. That same year he was transferred to CFB Shearwater where he was based until his retirement from the forces "36 years less a day" later. In 1959, Bill served the first of several tours on board HMCS Bonaventure beginning with VS-880 Squadron. Many other postings and accomplishments followed, most notably: Weapons Officer aboard the HMCS Inch Arran, 1962; awarded Watchkeeping Certificate, 1963; offered a permanent commission, 1963; navigation officer on HMCS Algonquin, 1963; transferred to rotary-wing aircraft, 1970, Officer-in-Charge, Base Maintenance Test Flight, 1983; XO of HS 423 Squadron, 1987; retiring May 14, 1990. Bill accumulated 8,105 hours in both fixed-and rotary-wing military aircraft, including the Avenger, Tracker, Harvard, Expeditor, Hiller and Sea King. He completed over 769 deck landings, of which 114 were made in fixed-wing aircraft. Bill also accumulated more than 700 hours on various civilian aircraft, including the Stearman, Warrior, Twin Otter and Bell 206. After his retirement from DND, Bill went to work for the Ministry of Transportation in 1991 in Moncton, N.B., as an Investigations Inspector in the Regulatory Compliance Branch, retiring in 1998. Bill is survived by his three children, William, Robert and Ann-Marie, his grandson Andrew and granddaughter, Allison, his beloved wife Yvonne Ongo (nee) of North Sydney, Cape Breton, and his sister Betty.
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