Born in Timmins, Cal attended school and grew up in Cobalt. After applying for Enlistment in 1940 at age 23, he was called up by the RCAF and served overseas 1941-1945. Trained as a fighter pilot, he flew mainly with RAF squadrons. Cal flew Spitfires in the Defense of Malta, at El Alamein in North Africa, and he provided air cover and carried out ground attacks against targets before, during and after the D-Day landings in Normandy.

He met and married his bride, Vi, in England while his squadron was stationed there. Back in Canada with Vi and their growing family, Cal's passion for flying landed him employment with mining exploration companies in the Arctic, Northern Ontario and Quebec. Well into his eighties, Cal sat down at his computer and wrote about his life. His main sources were his own keen memory, family papers, his military log books and his diaries. The project took him several years. When the writing was done, he scanned a wealth of photographs and other documents to illustrate his story.