Latest news with #Spitfire
Cision Canada
9 hours ago
- Business
- Cision Canada
Early Warning Report Issued Pursuant to National Instrument 62-103 in Connection with the Acquisition of Shares of PUDO Inc.
TORONTO, June 27, 2025 /CNW/ - Richard Cooper (" Mr. Cooper"), announces that he has filed an early warning report (the " Early Warning Report") under National Instrument 62-103 — The Early Warning System and Related Take-Over Bid and Insider Reporting Issues for himself and for a joint actor, Cardinal Couriers Ltd. (" Cardinal" and together with Mr. Cooper, the " Acquirors") in connection with the acquisition of common shares (" Shares") of PUDO Inc. (the " Company"). Mr. Cooper controls Cardinal. Cardinal On March 1, 2023, as a result of an amalgamation (" Amalgamation") of RHC Spitfire Corporation (" Spitfire") and GCC Ferrari Corp. with Cardinal, Cardinal acquired 1,489,314 Shares. No amount was given for the Shares acquired pursuant to the Amalgamation. Prior to the Amalgamation, Cardinal held 2,476,292 Shares representing 9.1 % of the outstanding Shares of the Company. Immediately after Amalgamation, Cardinal held 3,965,606 Shares representing 14.5 % of the outstanding Shares of the Company. On March 7, 2025, the Company settled (" 2025 Settlement") certain debt owed by the Company to Cardinal by issuance of 1,877,511 Shares. The total value of the debt subject to the 2025 Settlement was $253,463, which represented a value of $0.135 per Share. Prior to the 2025 Settlement, Cardinal held 3,965,606 Shares representing 14.5% of the outstanding Shares of the Company. Immediately after Settlement, Cardinal held 5,843,117 Shares representing 17.6% of the outstanding Shares of the Company. Mr. Cooper On November 7, 2019, the Company settled (" 2019 Settlement") certain debt owed by the Company to (i) Cardinal by issuance of Shares resulting in the issuance of 1,715,555 Shares, and (ii) Spitfire by issuance of Shares resulting in the issuance of 111,111 Shares. Immediately prior to November 7, 2019, Mr. Cooper, who controls Spitfire and Cardinal, held directly and indirectly, a total of 670,645 Shares representing 4.0% of the outstanding Shares of the Company . Mr. Cooper then indirectly, through Cardinal and Spitfire pursuant to the 2019 Settlement, acquired 1,826,666 Shares. Immediately after the 2019 Settlement, Mr. Cooper directly and indirectly held 2,497,311 Shares representing 11.6% of the outstanding Shares of the Company. Mr. Cooper, immediately before March 1, 2023, directly and indirectly held a total of 2,803,161 Shares representing 10.3% of the outstanding Shares of the Company. As a result of the Amalgamation, Mr. Cooper indirectly acquired 1,489,314 Shares. Immediately after Amalgamation, Mr. Cooper directly and indirectly held 4,292,475 Shares representing 15.7 % of the outstanding Shares of the Company. Mr. Cooper, immediately before March 7, 2025, directly and indirectly held a total of 4,292,475 Shares representing 15.7% of the outstanding Shares of the Company. Mr. Cooper then indirectly, through Cardinal pursuant to the 2025 Settlement, acquired 1,877,511 Shares. Immediately after the 2025 Settlement, Mr. Cooper directly and indirectly held 6,354,986 Shares representing 19.1 % of the outstanding Shares of the Company. The Acquirors may acquire additional securities of the Company, dispose of some or all of the existing or additional securities it holds or will hold, or may continue to hold its current position, depending on market conditions and other relevant factors.
South Wales Argus
2 days ago
- General
- South Wales Argus
Monmouthshire County Council Armed Forces Week flag raising
The flag-raising ceremony on June 23 at County Hall was led by the council's chair and armed forces champion, Councillor Peter Strong, and council leader, Councillor Mary Ann Brocklesby. Throughout the week, the council will host coffee mornings to bring together veterans, the community, and local schools to share stories. Councillor Strong said: "This week gives us the time to come together and show our appreciation to the Armed Forces Community. "We are proud to support our Armed Forces and look forward to hosting Wales' National Armed Forces Day this Saturday, June 28." The week will conclude with Monmouthshire County Council hosting Wales' National Armed Forces Day on Saturday, June 28, at Caldicot Castle and Country Park. This free event is a celebration for the Armed Forces community, including serving personnel, veterans, reservists, cadets, and their families. Attendees will enjoy a parachute display by the RAF Falcons Parachute Display Team, a Spitfire aircraft flight display from the Royal Air Force Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, and a performance by the Band of the RAF Regiment, among other exhibitions. Councillor Brocklesby, said: "If you've not already secured your ticket, I'd urge you to do so quickly. "Wales' National Armed Forces Day event at Caldicot allows us as a council and our communities to show our support to active service men and women and the entire Armed Forces community. "I look forward to seeing you there." The council encourages people to secure their free tickets by visiting the Monmouthshire County Council website.
The Guardian
7 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
She flew hazardous fighter planes for Britain during WW2. She just turned 106
Nancy Miller Stratford sat alone behind the controls of a Spitfire fighter plane, charting an uncertain course through an impenetrable clot of dark clouds. On the horizon, the young pilot could see a promising patch of daylight, 'like the devil waving his hand to come on through'. But just as suddenly as the sky opened up, the clouds closed in again. Her visibility plummeted to zero. She had no idea which way was up and which was down. Far beneath her lay the moody Scottish coastline, where an unplanned landing would be next to impossible. Fortunately, it was life-or-death scenarios like these when Stratford was the sharpest. In that moment, she felt no fear – this was simply a problem that needed to be solved. Despite having no formal instrument training, she relied solely on the control panel in the cockpit, rather than the view outside her window, to muscle the plane through the wall of clouds and land safely at the nearest airport. The year was 1944. Stratford was 25 years old. Last week, Stratford celebrated her 106th birthday at home in California. After eight decades, she and a small group of other female pilots are finally earning more widespread recognition for the critical – and dangerous – roles they played in the second world war. A new book called Spitfires, written by the journalist and author Becky Aikman, chronicles the pilots' vivid wartime stories as the first American women to fly military aircraft. At the time, women like Stratford were banned from serving in combat roles for the US. So they joined the Air Transport Auxiliary instead: a British civilian group that ferried barely tested bombers and fighter planes to airbases, and then returned damaged wrecks for repair. Because the women often had to contend with shoddy equipment and bad weather, the job was hazardous and unpredictable; one in seven transport pilots died in crashes over the course of the war. But the role also came with an unprecedented sense of freedom and global importance for female pilots; Stratford once even delivered a Spitfire to a Polish squadron only a few days before they fought in D-Day. Today, Stratford is the last surviving pilot of the heroic transport group. Her condo in a picturesque retirement community in Carlsbad, a city on the Pacific coast near San Diego, is filled with mementoes from the war and her long flying career: miniature model airplanes (she has flown 103 different types of aircraft), black-and-photo photos of her in uniform, and even a prized leather flying helmet (used as protection against the elements and deafening engine noise in the early days of aviation). And last Thursday, that small condo was packed with dozens of other retirees and staff who had come to wish her happy birthday. At 106, and with such a formidable background, Stratford has become a quasi-celebrity within the retirement community. Friends and family brought her cupcakes and champagne, and a local pet therapy group ushered in a parade of dogs for Stratford to pet. Though she lost her hearing many decades ago from the constant roar of plane engines, visitors wrote down their birthday messages to her on a whiteboard. To mark the occasion, Stratford wore her best pair of dog-themed pyjamas. The fact that the former pilot has lived longer than most people she knew in her early life is something of a mystery, even to her. 'I'm kind of surprised,' she said, before adding: 'But then I am old.' For Stratford, the secret to longevity depends on the day. Sometimes, her answer to that question is 'not drinking too much'. But in a cheekier moment, she told a friend recently: the real key is 'chocolate and vodka tonics'. Stratford and the other female aviators she flew with during the war – a diverse group nicknamed the 'Attagirls' – now have a defined place in history books. But in the 1940s, Stratford wasn't thinking about any broader, lofty ideals about the advancement of women in aviation. 'I just wanted to fly,' she said frankly, reminiscing one sunny afternoon before her birthday. From a comfortable chair in the living room, she had the best view of her model airplanes that sat atop the TV like a crown. 'In other words,' she said, 'it wasn't exactly the thing to do then, so therefore you have to be pretty positive about what you wanted to do.' Stratford was born in Los Angeles in 1919, just after the end of the first world war. At 16 years old, she rode in a plane for the first time as a birthday present. That first flight, she wrote in a self-published memoir in 2010, was fairly boring – until the pilot struggled with the landing. Feeling the plane's sudden steep descent, Stratford let out 'a whoop of joy', while her brother froze in terror next to her. Stratford later chased that feeling as a member of the Air Transport Auxiliary. A few years after her first plane ride, she happened to read about civilian pilot training while she was in college. Her father wasn't happy about it, but he signed a release form for her to take lessons. Later, when Stratford was ready to join the transport unit, her then-fiance forbade her from going. She ended the relationship and went anyway. Though Stratford had a bit more freedom to fly in the UK, female pilots back in the US dealt not only with discrimination, but intentional sabotage that resulted in death. Male pilots would sometimes stuff rags or sugar in the gas tank of a woman's plane to make them crash, or even slash their tires, as Aikman reported in Spitfires. At least one pilot died after someone added sugar to her plane's gas tank. Even after Stratford's time serving in the war, Aikman wrote, 'the aviation industry did not open the gates for her' when she returned home. So she took one of the only jobs she could get: flying crop-dusting planes in Oregon. But eventually, Stratford broke barriers again, becoming the second woman in the United States to earn her commercial helicopter license. She got married and moved with her husband to Alaska, where they ran a helicopter business together, transporting adventurers to high peaks and construction workers to the Trans-Alaska pipeline. Between then and now, Stratford said it was remarkable to see how far women have come in aviation – although the world has been slow to accept their successes. In the US, major commercial airlines didn't start hiring female pilots until the 1970s, and women were banned from flying in combat roles until the early 1990s: roughly 50 years after Stratford played her part in the second world war. 'Women proved that they could do things, and so the men had to let them in,' Stratford said. 'I think women have proved themselves in aviation, and they're flying airlines and everything now.' Still, in 2025, women continue to face major obstacles. While the number of women earning their pilot licenses has increased dramatically in recent years, women make up only about 5% of pilots flying with airlines in the UK and the US. Stratford's advice to female aviators today is simple: 'Keep at it, keep at it, keep at it.' All told, flying has remained one of the most important parts of her life. As she wrote in her memoir: 'I loved all the flying, the freedom, doing what I liked to do. It was wild and woolly at times. I was a lucky person in my career. I smile. I have absolutely no regrets.' A decade later, her thoughts on the subject haven't changed. 'I was glad that I could help out,' she said matter-of-factly. 'I think my mother thought I should get married or something, but I didn't feel that way.'
CTV News
15-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
‘Valour, courage, and devotion': Windsorite honoured with Spitfire dedication
Windsorite, Tommy Decourcy, has been honoured by the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum. The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (CWHM) in Hamilton has named an aircraft after Windsorite, Tommy DeCourcy. DeCourcy, according to the CWHM, enlisted at 19 in the summer of 1940 to be a fighter pilot for the Royal Canadian Air Force. Tommy DeCourcy Windsor Tommy DeCourcy. (Source: Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum) 'He was posted overseas and served two tours of duty, and by early 1945, Tommy DeCourcy was promoted to Squadron Leader of 443 Squadron RCAF,' the CWHM news release read. 'During his time there flying a Spitfire, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, which was awarded for an act of valour, courage, and devotion to duty performed while flying in active operations against the enemy.' Tommy DeCourcy Windsor Tommy DeCourcy and the crew with a Spitfire seen in the background. (Source: Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum) Tragically, DeCourcy died in a car accident after the war ended, before he could return home to his family. Two weeks ago on June 7, the 80th anniversary of his death, the CWHM held a ceremony in Hamilton, to dedicate a Spitfire aircraft. It has been refurbished and painted in DeCourcy's memory. DeCourcy's descendants attended the ceremony. According to their website, the CWHM intends to fully restore the aircraft so it can resume flying.
BBC News
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Spitfire replica for Scarborough Armed Forces Day spectacular
A life-size replica of one of the most well-known aircraft of World War II will be placed on Scarborough's seafront for this year's Armed Forces replica Mk1 Spitfire, due to feature in the event on 28 June, was being constructed to match the dimensions and design of the original, its creators Threadgold, artistic director of arts organisation Animated Objects, said it was "one of the most ambitious projects" they had ever Spitfire was a "landmark piece of engineering and aviation history" and people recognised "every curve and facet of the aircraft", he said. "It's our job to ensure we recreate that faithfully for visitors to the Armed Forces Day event in Scarborough," Mr Threadgold event, which is hosted by North Yorkshire Council as part of its commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, is also expected to feature military bands, a parade and five air displays and flypasts. North Yorkshire Council leader Carl Les said Armed Forces Day provided "an opportunity to look back and pay tribute to those who gave their lives to defend the freedoms we all enjoy on a daily basis".But it also "enables us to show gratitude for the roles our soldiers, sailors and airmen are currently playing around the world to keep people safe", he RAF's Battle of Britain Memorial Flight was expected to form one of the flypasts at the event, featuring a Dakota, Hurricane and Skiera, director of R5 Air Displays Ltd, said: "That will be particularly poignant in this, the 80th Anniversary of VE Day, with the sounds of the Merlin engines echoing around the South Bay."In addition, organisers said there would be flypasts by a 1930s Tiger Moth, Rich Goodwin in his jet powered muscle biplane, the Starlings Aerobatics Team and Sqn Ldr Nathan Shawyer, who gained his wings at the former RAF Linton on Ouse, in an RAF Armed Forces Day event on 28 June is due to get under way at 11:00 BST with a welcome from the Scarborough Town Crier and is expected to run until 17:00 BST. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
