Paul Yettvart Davoud was born on 25 November 1911 in Provo,
Utah. After his father died, his family moved back to his
mother’s home in Kingston, Ontario.
Davoud began his military career in 1928 when he attended the
Royal Military College in Kingston. He continued his training
from 1929 until 1931 with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).
His abilities were acknowledged when he was awarded the Sword of
Honour as the best all-round cadet. During the summer of 1931,
he was given the position of provisional pilot officer.
In the 1930s, the RCAF was offering very few commissions, so
Davoud travelled to England where he was able to receive a
commission from the Royal Air Force (RAF). He returned to Canada
in 1935 to work for Canadian Airways limited and in 1938, he
accepted a position to fly for the Hudson’s Bay Company.
In 1940, Davoud entered the RCAF and travelled to Trenton,
Ontario where he was assistant chief flying instructor. In June
1941, Davoud was transferred to England where he was given the
rank of squadron leader in the formation of 410 Night Fighter
Squadron. In July, he was given the rank of wing commander and
commanding officer of 409 Night Fighter Squadron.
In November 1941, Davoud destroyed his first enemy aircraft
while over the North Sea.
Davoud was the first Canadian commander of
418 (City of
Edmonton) Squadron from June 1943 to January 1944. He was
awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and the
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for his achievements commanding
418 Squadron.
He was later given command of 143 Fighter Bomb Wing, and
received a promotion to group captain in February 1944. The 143
Fighter Bomb Wing was composed of three squadrons of Hawker
Typhoons, which played a significant role in supporting allied
forces in Normandy and North Western Europe.
Davoud’s career in the RCAF concluded with more honours:
Officer of the Order of the British Empire, Commander of the
Order of the Orange Nassau by the Dutch government, and the
Croix de Guerre with Palm Leaf and Legion of Honour, both from
the French government.
In 1945, Paul Davoud received an appointment as assistant to
John Tudhope, Operations Manager of Trans Canada Airlines in
Winnipeg. Next, he worked with Canadian Breweries/Argus
Corporation in 1948 to establish an air service for them. He
later accepted a position as general manager of Field Aviation
along with Kenting Aviation, an associated company, in 1951.
Davoud went on from there to hold positions of vice
president, sales and service at Orenda Engines from 1954 to
1959, chairman of the Air Transport Board from 1959 to 1963,
vice president of sales for de Havilland Aircraft from 1963 to
1971, and director of aviation services, Ministry of
Transportation and Communications in Ontario until 1978 when he
retired.
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