William Arthur Steel
William Arthur Steel MC (November 3, 1890 – November 28, 1968) was a Canadian Army officer during World War I and a radio pioneer.
Steel was born in 1890 in Castleton, Ontario and graduated from electrical engineering from the University of Toronto in 1915[1]
Military career
After graduation he joined the Canadian Army (Permanent Active Militia) in World War I in France as a wireless officer. He was awarded an MC in the 1917 Birthday Honours.[2]Post war he became Chief Wireless Officer with the Canadian Army Signals Corps[3] and was in charge of the National Research Council's radio laboratory in the early 1930s.[4]
Later years
Steel retired as lieutenant colonel in 1936, and later served as a commissioner with the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission, which became the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. He was involved with William Duncan Herridge in the New Democracy, a party that advocated social credit in the late 1930s and early 1940s.[3] Steel helped create radio network in the Northwest Territories and radio for civil aviation in Canada.[1]
Steel later worked as a consultant and involved in the DEW Line until his death.
Death
He died in Ottawa, Ontario, in 1968[3] and was buried at Beechwood Cemetery.[1]
References
- "Portraits Historiques" (PDF). Beechwoodottawa.ca. Retrieved 2015-10-24..
- Awarded the Military Cross
- Donald J.C. Phillipson. "William Arthur Steel". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2015-10-24.
- Frischmann, Brett M.; Madison, Michael J.; Strandburg, Katherine J. (5 August 2014). Governing Knowledge Commons. ISBN 9780199972043. Retrieved 2015-10-24.
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