We regret to advise of the death of Warrant Officer Robert Guy “Bob” Kinch, CD (Ret’d) of Milton ON on 30 September 2020 at age 63. Bob served 43 years with the Canadian Armed Forces Reserves - 34 years of that with 32 Combat Engineer Regiment.
Bob was born in Scarborough and attended Neil McNeil Catholic boys school. He studied history at the University of Toronto and York University and maintained a lifelong interest in military history and politics. Bob worked for several decades in the logistics, maintenance and training departments at Wardair, Canadian Airlines and finally, Air Canada for more than 30 years.
Bob joined the Army Reserves with The Toronto Scottish Regiment in his teens in 1974 where he quickly established himself as the worst shot in the regiment. He was so bad that he challenged himself to learn the advanced techniques of marksmanship and soon developed a passion for shooting. Bob joined the unit rifle team the next year and remained a fixture at the Ontario Rifle Association competitions for the next 20 years.
Bob was promoted to Master Corporal in 1976 and became a section commander. He was the lead scout of the 1976 Brigade Patrolling Competition where he led his team to victory and the winning of the Fairchild Cup. The following year, Bob was tasked to lead the patrolling stand for the competition. He was the also Bridge Demolition Guard Commander that year during Ex Georgian Strike 2 where he was first exposed to C4 explosives that led to a new interest. He joined 2 Field Engineer Regiment (now known as 32 Combat Engineer Regiment) as a Master Corporal in 1983.
In 1983, 32 CER made a strong effort to produce a rifle team and Bob won a position on the Canadian Armed Forces Small Arms Competition for the first time. Notable among his achievements were many competition wins that included the 300 and 500-meter rapid shoot, three times being awarded Canadian Forces Elite 50, and twice awarded 2nd place for the Queens Medal competition. Bob coached the 32 Canadian Brigade Group team and the 4 Division Reserve Team in 2015.
Bob built many bridges and a few playgrounds. He filled various positions with 32 CER from Section Commander and to Troop Warrant Officer and also instructed courses at the Canadian Forces School of Military Engineering. In addition, he taught explosive threat hazard recognition to outside units including troops deploying to Afghanistan. In 2011, he was selected as the Top Non-Commissioned Officer of 32 CER and was subsequently promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer in 2014.
Bob deployed on several domestic operations during his career. He deployed to the Montreal Olympics in 1976 as a guard for the 1st Canadian Signals Regiment and was section 2I/C during the Ice Storm in Toronto and on OP LENTUS for flood relief in Montreal. On Op LENTUS he showed strong leadership and trade knowledge as he built sandbag dikes, established a captive ferry and assisted in the construction of an ACROW bridge. His last major exercise was Stalwart Guardian in 2016, where he was employed as a Troop Warrant Officer within 23 Field Squadron of 2 Combat Engineer Regiment.
Bob was often the Range Safety Officer on weapons ranges and also participated in live pairs fire and movement ranges. He frequently made time on Saturdays to run the SAT ( Small Arms Trainer) range for prospective rifle team members within 32 CER. As 2 Troop Warrant Officer, Bob took great pride in the accomplishments of his troops. The many generations of soldiers he trained knew him as "Uncle Bobby." In his last few months of service, members of his troop were awarded Top Candidate, Esprit de Corps, Top Sapper, and Top Section awards.
Bob retired from the Canadian Forces on 26 July 2017 after more than 43 years of service to the Canadian Armed Forces and the Canadian Military Engineer Branch. In retirement, he continued to participate with his Regiment through the Canadian Military Engineer Association Toronto Branch as well as the Toronto Sapper Association. He remained connected with the military and continued to work with the cadets of 32 CER Army Cadet Corps. An excellent writer, he wrote many unpublished novels ranging in genre from realistic military fiction and detective novels, to post-apocalyptic science fiction.
Due to COVID-19, there will be a small service at St. Boniface Church in Scarborough on 6 October 2020 at 10:00 AM with a more public celebration of life to follow at a later date. Friends and colleagues are invited to visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/368487934282584/ to share stories or photos of Bob as a substitution for a Down-East Irish wake. On line condolences can be sent to The Star. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Bob's granddaughter Esther's Education Fund that is currently being set up.{khOct 2020}
