100-year-old Halifax veteran dies on Remembrance Day

A Second World War veteran from Halifax passed away on Remembrance Day, just shy of his 101^st birthday.

Lt.-Col. Russell Hubley was a gunner with the Canadian 405 Pathfinder Squadron, defending the aircraft from mid-air attacks. The Pathfinders were an elite group that flew in Lancaster Bombers to locate and mark bombing targets.

Hubley flew 60 missions, including D-Day, and during the massive bombing of the German city of Dresden. He also shot down two German aircraft.

In an interview with CTV Atlantic in 2019, he shared one of his favourite stories about the time he accidentally pulled the ripcord on the parachute pack as he was getting ready to board the bomber and got a surprise.

“No parachute came out. The flaps of the parachute come down, and inside my parachute was dirty laundry," Hubley told CTV.

"I said if I jump from 16,000 feet and there was dirty underwear in there, then I should have grabbed them there because they would have been cleaner than mine when I hit the ground.”

Following the war, Hubley returned to Halifax, where he joined the army reserves with the Halifax Rifles and rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel, retiring as the regiment’s last commanding officer when its colours were retired in 1970.

Among his numerous medals, Hubley was awarded the rank of Knight in the National Order of the Legion of Honour in France – the highest honour the country can bestow upon a non-citizen.

During his life, he encouraged young people in their careers and endowed two education scholarships for deserving military cadets.

Hubley spent his final years as a resident at the Camp Hill Veterans' Memorial Building in Halifax.

He was pre-deceased by his wife Bernice Evans and is survived by four children, Carolyn Withrow (John) of Halifax, Brian (Jill) of Alabama, Bruce (Kathy) of Dartmouth, N.S., Andrew (Cathy) of Calgary, as well as eight grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.