No. 428 Squadron RCAF
On 7 Nov 1942, he assumed command of No 428 (RCAF) Squadron, standing up the squadron in No. 4 Group. As the OC, it was noted that "Wing Commander Earle was a grand chap, one who can genuinely be called, 'One of Nature's Gentlemen'. He was well liked by the Canadians and sadly missed when he left on promotion to group captain in February 1943. He flew two operations from Dalton, occupying the astro-dome. He had previously been flying Fairey Gordons in the Middle East (Iraq), and found the Wellington difficult, partly due to his eyesight not liking the English skies, and partly as he was not a tall man." After only three months, he left 428 Bomber Squadron (RCAF) as an acting group captain on 7 Feb 1943, when he was assigned as the station commander of RAF Ridgewell and then RAF West Wickham, late in 1943, then as a temporary group captain. He ended the war as Air Officer Commanding No. 300 Group RAF (RAF Transport Command) in Australia.
425 Tactical Fighter Squadron
The squadron was reformed at RCAF Station St Hubert in October 1954, flying CF-100 Canucks as an all-weather fighter squadron. After re-equipping with the CF-101 Voodoo, 425 became the RCAF Operational Training Unit for this aircraft type at RCAF Station Namao in late 1961 before transferring to its current base at Bagotville, Quebec, and becoming a front-line squadron a few months later. From 1982, the Canadian Forces started to acquire CF-18 Hornets; 425 received them in 1985 and still flies them today. In 2005, 433 Squadron was merged into 425 Squadron. In 2008, the squadron was awarded its first battle honour since the Second World War for its part in Operation Allied Force.