Veteran, teacher and amateur radio pioneer
Bruce Underwood of Kitchener Born: March 29, 1923 in Kitchener Died: April 17, 2017
Bruce Underwood was a highly accomplished — albeit humble — man, but his son and namesake said there are two elements of his dad’s personality he feels confident extolling.
“He was a teacher and a leader,” said the younger Bruce. “Dad never looked for his 15 minutes of fame, he was the quiet leader.”
Bruce was born in Kitchener, one of three kids. He didn’t complete his senior year of high school and instead joined the war effort, serving in the Royal Canadian Air Force where he likely experienced his first exposure to modern technology.
Bruce had been seconded to the British air force where he worked in the highly secretive world of radar development. The technology was new to wartime applications and it would be British scientists who made the most impressive advances in radar. Bruce was part of all that, serving from 1941 to 1945 as a radar mechanic and officer.
At the same time, his English sweetheart Sybil Smith, had her own secrets, working as secretary to the British deputy prime minister.
“She never asked me about the top secret work I did and I never asked her about the top secret work she did,” Bruce told a reporter in 2003. “Trust in one another was what it was all about.”
It wasn’t until Sybil died of a heart attack in 2003 that Bruce found a tiny blue pass, used by Sybil for access to the war room in London.
As a secretary for the deputy prime minister, Sybil had not only been privy to sensitive information, she recorded the minutes of the meetings.
“She knew all about D-Day and when it was coming up,” Bruce had told a reporter.
Bruce had been a flight officer in England but never was able to fly because of stomach ulcers, so on his return to Canada he became a civilian.
“He couldn’t fly so he was discharged,” said his son.
Sybil had followed Bruce to Canada and the couple settled in Kitchener where they would raise three boys: Bruce junior as well as Ian and Murray. The latter two have since passed away from cancer.
At first, Bruce shuttled between a few jobs, even working with his father who had been trying to run a business but was suffering the after effects of the First World War, a condition today known as post traumatic stress disorder.
Business management did not really satisfy Bruce, he was trying to find his own path.
“He did a variety of things, menial jobs,” said his son.
Bruce finally landed jobs more suitable to his talents with Marsland Engineering and Standard
Television Products where he was working in design, miniaturizing radios for automobiles.
Though Bruce was highly skilled, it was an era when university degrees were becoming necessary and he really didn’t want to spend years attaining an engineering degree, considering he was already doing the work of an engineer.
In his 40s, Bruce decided to switch gears: entering teachers college at the University of Toronto. After graduation, he would spend the next two decades teaching high school.
Just after the war, Bruce had developed a passion for amateur radio and secured a licence, operating with the call sign VE3ANU. In his death, the sign has been permanently retired.
As he had always done in life, as a member of the Kitchener Waterloo Amateur Radio Club, Bruce had been a pioneer, one of the first to work in high frequency. In a tribute posted by fellow radio operators they credited Bruce with “pioneering VHF amateur equipment (which) opened an entirely new world to hams in the region.”
Fellow radio operator, Don Fisher, described Bruce as someone who was not afraid to experiment.
“He was a good theory man” meaning he understood the intricacies of amateur radio operation. Bruce was also one of the club’s main instructors for newly minted radio hobbyists well into his 90s.
“He was known as a no-nonsense teacher, a really good teacher,” said Don, whose kids were also taught by Bruce in high school.
In their personal lives, Bruce and Sybil had been long time supporters of St. John the Evangelist Church in Kitchener and in the same year Sybil died, Bruce donated $10,000 to the church to fabricate and install a metal cross as a memorial to his wife. The dusty blueprints for the cross had been discovered in the church basement and Bruce used this as an opportunity to honour Sybil.
Rev. Canon Christopher Pratt remembered his parishioner with affection.
“As Bruce’s priest for more than a decade, I developed a deep respect for his commitment to the congregation and his desire over the years to continually enhance the life and ministry of the parish,” he said.
The priest also spoke of how Bruce would mentor youth in the church and he supported the rich musical traditions.
Outside the church, Bruce was heavily involved in the Scouting movement, serving as president of the district council for Scouts Canada, North Waterloo district.
Though he never insisted his sons join in, they did anyway. Their dad always led by example and he was an easy man to follow.
His sons admired how their father lived a fulfilled life, without regret or sacrifice and he taught his sons to do the same.
“He wasn’t pushing us in any direction,” said the younger Bruce. “He did what he wanted in his life.”