The Lawsons - Three Generations

This wonderful photo of three generations of Lawsons on the steps of the War Memorial in Ottawa appeared on the 2005 Veteran’s Affairs “Year of the Veteran” poster.  They have a quite impressive flying legacy.  Tom’s father George flew Mustangs and Spitfires during World War II. Tom himself flew the CF-104 Starfighter and the CF-18 Hornet fighters and later the CC-144 – Challenger jet.  His eldest son Benjamin was an officer cadet at RMC at the time, but is now a Hercules pilot with 436 Squadron in Trenton.   Tom’s maternal grandfather Norman Moran, was also a pilot during World War I, flying Sopwith Camels with the Royal Flying Corps and later during WW II as a Squadron Commander alongside American forces in Alaska.  Tom’s paternal grandfather, Thomas Lawson, also served during WW I, but kept his feet on the ground as a rifleman with the Canadian Corps on the bloody Western Front.