Diary of Rodrick Orrison Cutler Volume II

• Textual record

1 discrete item

Journal was sent to the Shearwater Aviation Museum in 2000 with no accompanying paperwork.

Roderick Orrison Cutler was born on September 18, 1895, in Burnaby, British Columbia. In December 1916, he joined the military as a Signal Corporal for the 81st Regiment, B.C. Horse. He sailed from Halifax aboard the SS Olymus on April 29, 1917. He was promoted to Sergeant in February 1916. Later, he served as a Gunner for the 68th Battery, Canadian Field Artillery in September 1916. In November 1916, he served in the Signal Company, Canadian Engineers, as a Sapper and was promoted to Corporal in December the same year, and to Sergeant in March 1917. In April 1917, he was sent to England and then to France in July 1917 to serve in the Canadian Corps Signal Company as a Sapper.

In January 1918, he joined the Royal Naval Air Service as a Probationary Flight Officer. Unfortunately, he crashed during a flight in Lee-on-Solent on August 22, 1918. He was promoted to Second Lieutenant in October 1918 and joined the 219th Squadron in Yarmouth in November 1918. In January 1919, he joined the 229th Squadron in Westgate-on-Sea. He was discharged from service in Canada in July 1919. Cutler returned to Canada aboard the SS Magentic sailing from Liverpool on June 29, 1919.

After his return, Cutler finished his degree at the newly formed University of British Columbia with a degree in Applied Science. He then became a Mechanical Engineer and married Ruby Luella Greggs on April 9, 1920. In Cutler's journal, you can see that he received correspondence from Luella on a regular basis. We know that 2Lt. Cutler was in Skeena, British Columbia in 1931 with his wife and two children. Mr. Cutler passed away in Vancouver, British Columbia on November 25, 1969.
This volume details Cutler’s enlistment in the RNAS, which was the Air branch of the Royal Navy until April 1918, when it was merged with the British Royal Flying Corps and created the Royal Air Force. The volume focuses on his daily routine between 1918 and 1919, with entries describing the lectures, tests and drills which were part of his training, flight and weapons training, flying operations and drills, and weather conditions (sporadic).