For Black History Month, I found this posted on Veterans Affairs Canada.
Born on February 27, 1913 in Oakville, ON, Alvin B Aberdeen Duncan was a confident individual with a charming smile and an outgoing nature.
Historically, Oakville had long been associated with the Underground Railroad as a bastion of hope for black men and women escaping slavery, much like Alvin’s ancestors. While the town had a bustling black community, it was mired by an undercurrent of racism. Alvin never forgot the day the Ku Kux Klan came to town and burned a cross to stop a black man marrying a white woman.
When the Second World War broke out, Alvin was determined to join the RCAF. When the recruiters and doctors saw that he was undeterred in the face of discrimination, they relented. Alvin joined the RCAF and, given his experience and abilities in electronics, he was eventually loaned to the RAF as a radar operator in the hunt for German submarines.
After the war, Alvin worked at Avro Canada, opened a TV repair business in Oakville, and started a family. His real passion, however, was collecting and documenting the stories and historic legacy of Oakville’s black community. As a “veritable fountain of knowledge,” he was happy to donate his time as a speaker at local events and lent his remarkable collection to the Oakville Museum’s Black History Exhibit.
Alvin B Aberdeen Duncan was known to be kind, generous, and humble when discussing accolades related to his military and community service. At the age of 90, Alzheimer’s started taking its toll on him, but he never failed to recall his grandsons or his beloved daughter Arlene. He passed away the day after watching Barack Obama’s inauguration as the first black president, to which he remarked, “I’ve seen it all.” His funeral was held during Black History Month. For more stories on Black military individuals, please go to:
https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/people-and-stories