CANADIAN MUSEUM OF FLIGHT NEWSLETTER ISSUE 56 Spring 1998
Strategic Planning Workshop
On Saturday, January 10, the directors of CMF took part in a “Strategic Planning Workshop supervised by member Bruce Prior: We will not examine Bruce’s qualifications; suffice to say he has had extensive experience in the field. The following is a condensation of the day’s activity, complete versions are available at the office.
I have attached a report of the day’s discussions and conclusions for your reference and future use. Everything has been transcribed exactly as written on the flip charts except that the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats have been re-ordered on the basis of the votes. There’s valuable information here because it’s an accurate reflection of the board’s understanding, perceptions and concerns.
I offer a few comments, based on my observations on Saturday and on my experience with such workshops
A director is a manager: Try not to bestow directorships on members simply as reward for their past services unless you and they are confident that they can shift gears and manage a new and different set of responsibilities realize this could be difficult depending on your rules for elections and appointments).
A director is a manager. The traditional functions of management, as true today as they were almost 100 years ago when they were first stated, are Plan, Staff, Organize, Direct and Control. All organizations struggle with doing these things well and yours is no exception. But you must do them all to succeed.
CMF must have in place all the normal procedures of any business. A budget, careful accounting, and accountability for expenditures are mandatory and critical. The Budget and the year’s progress with it should be on the agends of every director’s meeting. We didn’t discuss such matters much on Saturday but I got the impression there were some difficulties in theses areas. The strong demand from the directors for a Business Plan was perhaps their way of expressing their concern in these areas.
There was a general discussion of CFM’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, after which the meeting was broken down into study groups to try to identify the critical areas.
Strengths: the most diverse vote but most important, the calibre of our staff, members and volunteers. Next, our flying aircraft, gift shop quality and property.
Weaknesses got a lot of comment; the top few were: lack of consensus on management of stored assets. Members speaking “outside” without authorization. Lack of space. Old problems keep emerging. Indecision in directorship – difficult to get consensus, and financing.
Opportunities listed two, far and away, the most vores: “Other locations” and “Marketing”.
Threats were: could go broke keeping all scored assets. Cash flow problem is increasing Government greed (taxes) increasing, directors aren’t coming to grips with recurring issues,
As above: complete reports can be had in the office.
Editorial C.R. Goguillot
Due to some changes in staff and a large amount of backlogged work, I will, for this issue only, be your temporary editor. Please note the “temporary
If the world was perfect, and we had no problems, it would be really easy to write an editorial in the newsletter of a fine organization like the Canadian Museum of Flight. The world isn’t perfect, and I believe we do have some problems.
I chanced upon an article written by Jack Meadows in the March 1990 issue of “Wingspan” magazine, in which he describes our museum as having six hundred and fifty members, the need for more full-time staff and with a budget of 10 MILLION dollars over the next 5 to 7 years.
Well, the 5 to 7 years have passed, we have a fraction of the staff, and don’t approach a budget of 10 million dollars.
Blame it on “the move” – maybe, partly. Blame it on the unavailability of government support: maybe partly. Blame it on the lack of space-we have mom, although inadequate. During the shutdown we ignored donors and potential volunteers maybe. I don’t have the glib answer, but the facts are that we have found it necessary on several occasions to close the gift shop on weekends due to lack of volunteers, and we can not always supply tour guides for school or special groups. When we are open on weekends, we rarely have any supervision around the displays.
A few projects are funded so some restoration continues, but most projects are in storage where they will stay as long as space and finance remain as they are. One example – a member, knowledgeable about sailplanes, asked if he could begin what we though would be minor repairs to a Grunau Baby sailplane which has been stored in its trailer for years. Due to glue line delamination, although this glider was in flying condition when donated, it now requires complete rebuild, so back into storage to complete its demise.
Why is our membership down 60%? Why are only about 10% of members active? What do you want of CMF? Is a museum organized and maintained for the public, community and country, or for the personal entertainment of the members? Remember, support can be technical, physical, donations of expertise, it can be clerical or financial, and to a registered non-prof it organization like ours, financial donations, while critical to CMF can be relatively painless to the donor. Read the “Strategic Planning Workshop” in this issue, pay heed to the advice and warnings. DON’T BE A – BYSTANDER! GET INVOLVED. YOU’LL ENJOY THE COMPANY.
- INSIDE
- Front Page VAMPIRE: in her new Vancouver 442 Squadron paint. Photo by Brian Rempel
- 1 Strategic Planning Workshop
- Editorial By CR. Goguillot
- Odds and Ends
- Reno 1997 By Mark Munzel.
- Around the Museum.
- Lest We Forget By Gerry Vernon… 7
- HOURS
- 10 AM-4PM. Daily
- ADMISSION FEES
- General (Age 16 thru 59). $5.00 plus GST
- Senior (Age 60 up)… $4.00 plus GST
- Youth (Age 6 through 15). $4.00 plus GST
- Family (2 Adult-4 youth) / $12.00 plus GST
- Children under 6. FREE
- Museum Members. FREE
- ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DUES (GST included)
- General. 57.45
- Senior 26.75
- Family. 48.15
- Student. 26.75
Please check the members expiry date in your shatter mailing label. Rene by mail, relphone or visiting them. We accept cash, cheque,
The CMFT is a non profit society dedicated to the preservation of aviation and transportation heritage (Society #32,035) Membership can be obtained by paying the required dues Charitable status allows for the issuance of cax deductible receipts for donations of artifacts, goods and money. The C.M.ET is governed by a board of Directors which is elected by the members at the Annual General Meeting in April.
The CMF Newsletter is published quarterly by the Canadian Museum of Flight and Transportation
Contributions in the form of articles, news items,letters and photos are welcome, as are comments and criticism. No payment can be made for any manuscripts that are submitted for publication in the CMFT Newsletter. The editor reserves the right to make changes in manuscripts without altering the meaning
- Editor “Gogi” Goguillot
- Layout/design/printing.. George Gregory
- Photographer Larry Niven
- All mail and correspondence can be sent to Canadian Museum of Flight and Transportation c/o The Newsletter Editor Unit 200 5333-216th Street Langley, B.C. V2Y 2N3
- Tel: (604) 532-0035
- Fax: (604) 532-0056
- E-Mail: emftdirect.ca
Canadian Museum of Flight
- Directors
- Butterley, Don -576-1175)
- Chmilar, Sheila. 340-6236
- DeVisser, John. 277-4377
- Elgood, Terry.. 279-2062
- Griesbeck, Werner. 856-5222
- Harris, Ted 534-7568
- Dan Holiday.. 291-0934
- Hudak, Tony 590-1855
- Kingston, Barry 826-2712
- Krywiak, Ron…. 433-6240
- McWilliams, Run 590-0226
- Proulx, George
- Read, Michael. 538-3836 536-7402
- Rempel, Brian
- Robinson, Jane 946-8383 336-3287
- Founding Directors
- Jackson, Barry 932-2367
- Stunden, Ron 277-3827
- Thompson, Capt. Bill. 883-2445
- Office/Library: Bev Watson
- General Manager: “Gogi” Goguillot
- Gift Shop: Linda Otten
- Office phone. Fax 532-0035 532-0056
- Executive Committee
- Presidenc George Proulx
- Vice President. Brian Rempel
- Secretary-Treasurer Sheila Chmilar
- Treasurer John Reid
- Standing Committees
- Magazine Collection
- George Proulx 338-3836
- Muir Adair 530-9758
- Volunteer Coordinator,
- Merillee Elgood 279-2062
- Gogi Goguillot 823-6428
- Corporate Liason. Bev Watson 532-0035
- Special Events..
- George Proulx 338-3836
- Jane Robinson 536-3287
- Newsletter Layout and Printing.. George Gregory 882-8016
- Restoration Werner Griesbeck 856-5222
- Research Jerry Vernon 420-6065, fax 420-1684
- Computer Services. Micheal Read 536-7402
- Exhibits and Displays..
- Ron McWilliams 590-0226
- Sheila Chmilar 540-6236
- Grounds and Janitorial… open
- Transportation. Tony Hudak 590-1855
- Meetings Prep/Entertainment open
- Hampden (Ad Hoc). Fred Gardham 681-6886
- Disposals Committee Chairman. Tony Hudak 590-1855
- Disposals Committee.
- Ron Krywiak 433-6240
- Gogi Goguillor 823-6428
- Terry Elgood 279-2062
- Casino Jane Robinson 536-3287
- Lodestar. John DeVisser 277-4377
- Aircraft/Flying Committee Gogi Goguillor (current pilot) 823-6428
- Keeper of Aircraft… Ron Krywiak 433-6240
- Magazine Collection
Odds and Ends
Canadian Museum of Flight Dinner Meeting CMF Hangar February 28, 1998 Cocktails 6 pm Dinner 7 pm Tickets are $18, available at the Gift Shop, Langley Airport RSVP before February 21
Camel Pilot
Copied for a WW-I log book George Bliss, Benny Lake Washington USA
Beside a Belgian estatement,
When the smoke had cleared away
Beneath a busted Camel
the former pilot lay
His throat was cut by bracing wire
The tank had smacked his head
spitting a shower of dental work
These are the words he said:
Oh I'm going to a better land
They fly there every night
Where cocktails grow on bushes
So everyone stays tight
They've torn up all the calenders
and busted all the clocks
Where little drops of whiskey come
Trickling down the rocks
I'll tell you how it happened
My flippers didn't stay
And the struts were all too few
A bullet hit the gas tank
And all the gas came leaking through
Oh, I'm going to a better land
They fly there every night
Where cocktails grow on bushes
So everyone stays tight
Taylor Monoplane
Don Butterly is really keen on continuing work on our Taylor Monoplane. An excellent example of 1960’s technology
Free admission?
Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum in Brandon MB write to say “Show your CMF membership card for free admission.” We should reci procate!
Annual Membership Renewals
Due to steadily increasing costs it is necessary to increase our member ship charges and museum admission, we regret the need, and ask your continued support. Please see pages 2 and 6 for details
More Volunteers Required For Gift Shop
The Gift Shop is one of the Museum’s main revenue producers. More volunteers means more funds for the Museum’s use Contact Bev at 532-0035 for more details!
Bev and George mattering carpet in Santa Clause bat??)
Reno 1997 by Mark Munzel
Reno, Nevada, is famous for more than just gambling. Among air enthusiasts, Reno is renowned for its National Championship Air Races held at Stead airport each September. Here, World War Two fighters thunder around a pylon course in the desert, vying to see which plane is the fastest
There are several race classes at Reno homebuilt biplanes and Formula 1’s, stock T-6’s and Harvards but the crowds come to see the Unlimiteds. While any piston-engined aircraft may enter this last category, World War Two fighters like the P-51 Mustang. Grumman F8F Bearcat, and Hawker Sea Fury dominate it. Reno is the place to watch these old warriors show off their power and speed. And they do so in quantity: In 1997, 25 Mustangs alone were present. So many warbirds fill out the Unlimited class that it is subdivided into three groups (Bronze, Silver, and Gold) based on qualifying speed. A long-weekend of race heats lets the competing planes try to improve their ranking before Sunday’s prize races.
Each Unlimited race begins with an air start. Eight planes take off and form into a line abeam the T-33 pace plane. When the pace pilot breaks away with a call of “Gentlemen, you have a race,” the contest begins. The racers scream down “the chute,” a ridge behind the airport, and into the triangular nine-mile course. They storm around the pylons eight times, struggling to close on the aircraft ahead of them- or to remain at the front. As one craft nears another, the drama peaks. Sometimes, passing is sudden; sometimes, it is an extended battle in which the combatants round the course in lockstep, each seeking an edge. In this dogfight, the plane which ends up the sights of the one behind is the victor. All to soon (typical race speeds are 350 mph for Unlimited Bronze, 400 for Silver, and 450 for Gold), the chequered flag falls.
Classic planes may be seen on the ground at Reno, as well as in the sky. For an extra fee, spectators can explore the “pits,” where the racers are parked. Other warbirds which failed to qualify, or which came just to be seen, are mixed among the competitors. All aircraft maintenance, from simple polishing and raping of seams on up to engine repair and replacement, is done , in the open, always before an interested audience. Once done looking after their charges, the pilots and mechanics are usually eager to talk about flying and racing with just-as-keen onlookers.
Indeed, most of the spectators are flying enthusiasts. Those who are not interested or involved in aviation when they first come to Reno, are when they leave. Nobody makes an “only” trip to the races, just a first one. Unlike visitors to normal airshows, race fans recognize and know details of the planes they see. And unlike auto racing fans who follow drivers, air race fans focus on the individual airplanes. They talk of how “Strega,” “Rare Bear” (simply “The Bear” to cognoscenti) and the other planes are likely to perform, and how well each has done in the past. They come to see a sky full of famous airplanes and certainly not to see crashes.
The racing looks dangerous, but this perception does not match reality Each year, there are events like blown engine cylinders, exhaust leaks, and midair collisions that might spawn disaster. Low race altitudes and turbulent desert air magnify the hazards. Crashes can happen — most recently, a P-51 and its pilot were lost in a 1995 accident — but safety is a theme in racing Pilots must log 1000 hours on type and complete checkout flights before they can compete. During a race, they call passes before overtaking slower planes. Pilots are penalized for flying too low or for cutting inside the pylons which define the course. These measures are effective; the accident rate for racing-certified aircraft in the US, is lower than for non-racing warbirds.
Another concern sometimes voiced about air racing is that it invites the defacement of planes. Enthusiasts who seek 100% stock fighters will find some at Reno, but they will find others that have been “built for speed.” Bronze P-51’s might have their wingtips clipped for reduced drag: Silver Sea Furies often fly behind Pratt or Wright engines, instead of the Bristol Centaurus, for greater power, a few Gold craft are so changed as to be barely recognizable. Such customization creates planes that some airplane watchers find unsightly. Yet these planes are intriguing in their own way. The fastest and most successful ones, in particular, are icons in themselves, each a unique, more efficient descendant of a wartime classic.
For now, World War Two aircraft still dominate this sport based in technology. New designs have not yet unseated warbirds from the Reno throne. Meanwhile, the booming aircraft- restoration industry has made the old types plentiful. New airframe and engine parts are being made for aircraft like the P-51; examples include Merlin engine pistons, Hamilton Standard propeller blades, and major fuselage sections. The old fighters should be able to race long into the future.
That said, just because the classics can keep racing does not mean they will, for newer, and perhaps better, racing airplanes grow in number each year. Already, Glasair and Thunder Mustang homebuilts have qualified for the Unlimited races. New custom-built racers keep appearing too, each with the potential to be more potent than any 50-year old fighter. One-a combination of Learjet wings, a Griffon engine with counter-rotating props, and a fuselage based on P-51 drawings finished fourth in the 1997 Gold race.
When these new Unlimiteds finally unseat the P-51’s, Sea Furies, and Bearcats that have dominated the races for over 30 years, the veteran fighters may finally rest. But the chance to see and hear these old warriors will then be gone as well. And this experience is the great appeal of 26 March: the Air Races. To be in the still of a desert, then to hear the faint song of not one but several Merlins above the breeze, then to see a pack of powerful aircraft flash past at over 400 miles an hour, is hypnotizing. The planes are doing something they were designed for: flying at wide-open speed. Watching a race gives an understanding of these airplanes which no static exhibit in a museum could ever provide.
There is more to Reno than racing. A full airshow complements the competitions. In 1997, there were aerobatic displays by Type A Bob Hoover, Julie Clark, Patty Wagstaff, and Wayne Handley; military performances by the Harrier, F/A-18, F-16, A-10, U-2, miles). and B-2 bomber, and a recreation of the Japanese strike on Pearl Harbour by the Confederate Air Force. Away from the airport, downtown Reno has its own non-aviation attractions.
The National Championship Air Races take place on the third weekend of September each year. In 1998, the peak days will be Thursday the 17th through Sunday the 20th. Several airlines offer direct flights from Vancouver to Reno; by car, the races are an 18-hour drive away. Accommodations never fail to be available from Reno’s hotels, although rates double on Saturday nights. Alternatively, camping and RV parking spaces abound at Stead airport. Further information on the races can be obtained by calling (702) 972-6663.
Around The Museum
English Wheel?
Fred said to Inky, “we need an English wheel”.
Gogi said, “They cost about $5000 – we can’t afford it, but here is a picture of one”. So, they took the picture, phoned John Tetrault and built one!
Memorial Cairn
Shortly after World War II Art Seller founded Skyway Air Services, the first business at Langley airport.
Sadly, Art passed away last fall, and to commemorate his pioneering aviation activities, it has been decided to erect a memorial cairn on the site of the original Skyway building (on the edge of the present tower parking lot). Planned is an ornamental brick monument, granite topped with a polished aluminum propeller, and cast bronze plate. Some of the airport businesses are assisting financially and planning and details are under the care of Ted Harris and Bill Marr
Lysander to Fly Again?
Member Jack Lingham says that the Lysander should be restored to flying condition, and is prepared to help out with the project
Jack is a retired RAF pilot, flew deHavilland Comets, and more recently was an inspector with Transport Canada.
Although we have too little space to tackle the whole aircraft, there are many sub-assemblies which can be inspected and worked on in our present space. Jack feels that a good starting point would be to pull the wings and engine, then list the required parts needed to start work, Interested? Call us!
Casino Event Report By Jane Robinson
I should like to recognize a group of dedicated volunteers who made the trip all the way downtown to the Renaissance Vancouver hotel on December 9, 1997 to put in long hours at our annual casino event, many thanks go to Basil and Dorette Cooke, Doug and Arline Moan, John DeVisser, Doug Fraser and Geri McGrath, Dan Holiday should also be mentioned for agreeing to be available at the end of a phone all day in case a backup was needed
Gaming proceeds are very important to our Museum’s finances and the volunteers, who give their time to these events are greatly appreciated. The casino hours of operation have recently been extended so that we now need 2 teams to cover the opening from noon to 2 am.
I was hoping to report on the amount of money we raised but our allocation is in “the freeze” along with all other gaming proceeds, the details of which are being widely reported in the news these days.
Thank you very much again to all of you mentioned above for agreeing to help when I called on you. Anyone interested in volunteering for casinos in the future can call the Museum and leave a name and number and I will get in touch with you regarding the details.
Cranbrook Member Restored Hampden Instrument Panel
Member Brian Weeks, from Cranbrook, has just completed and sent to Langley and almost full, authentic instrument panel for the Hampden. Instruments have been stripped, dials redone or replaced, truly a thing of beauty: much of it will be stored inside (on display) until we get the aircraft under cover.
Cyclo Crane Arrives
After years of negotiation the infamous Cyclo Crane has arrived, been unloaded and is now safely in storage. It was initially promised to arrive in four 40 foot containers, but a recent trip to Tillamook, Oregon soon made it clear that the pieces were too big to fit into containers, so it eventually arrived in one container and three low bed semi-trailers. instead of arriving one every second day as arranged, it arrived on one truck the first day and 3 trucks the second which severely taxed our unloading facilities; however, our ever dependable crew of experts rose to the task – as usual – and everything was done on schedule, with of course the help and expertise of Dick Coulters Bear Crane to handle the container.
The Cyclo Crane has been stored at Tillamook Naval Air Station. Dimensions of their “Hangar B” are listed below!
- Length 1,072 feet (over a fifth of a mile long)
- Height 192 feet (Over 15 stories high)
- Width 296 feet
- Area Over 7 acres undercover enough to accommodate six football games at once.
- Doors 150 feet high, 220 feet openings. Each door weighs 30 tons. Six sections roll on railroad tracks.
- Catwalks Two catwalks each 137 feet above the Hangar deck.
The hangar contains approximately 2 million board feet of fire-retardant treated Douglas Fir timbers from 3×8’s to 6×14’s. The roof covers 11:5 acres.
Lodestar Project
Since this photo was taken, wings, tail group interior, windows, and wing tips are in place. John DeVisser, Jane Robinson are mainly responsible
Letter to the Editor:
Dear Sir, Due to the fact that we were away during September and part of October we completely forgot to renew our membership in the Museum then by the time we did remember the Post Office employees decided to withdraw their services. However we enclose our cheque for $40 (2 x $20 as we are both seniors) and trust that you will forgive us this lapse.
By the way we like the Newsletter in its present format and the articles. therein. The article on Skyway Air Services is especially interesting. I know Ed Batchelor when I took the ground school course thru the Surrey School Board’s Further Education, a most interesting course by a very interesting chap. I was a pilot in the RAF but didn’t do much to hasten the end of the war. I was trained in Florids at the 5 5BFTS Clewiston, the Riddle McKay field. We flew Stearmans and AT 6’s (Harvards) and worked hard to gain our wings 50% of the intake did not make it
Please keep up the good work and all the very best for 1998
Yours Truly, Leslie M. Knibbs
Membership Rates
The Museum is changing the membership procedures. For the fiscal year March 1, 1998 to February 28, 1999, membership dues will be prorated for the year, this will put all 1999 membership fees due by March 1, 1999, the following chart shows 1998 membership rates including GST.
| General | Senior | Family | Student | |
| March 1998 | 37.45 | 26.75 | 48.15 | 26.75 |
| April 1998 | 34.33 | 24.52 | 44.14 | 24.52 |
| May 1998 | 31.21 | 22.29 | 40.13 | 22.29 |
| June 1998 | 28.09 | 20.06 | 36.11 | 20.06 |
| July 1998 | 24.96 | 17.84 | 32.10 | 17.84 |
| Aug. 1998 | 21.85 | 15.60 | 26.25 | 15.60 |
| Sept. 1998 | 18.73 | 13.38 | 24.08 | 13.38 |
| Oct. 1998 | 15.60 | 11.15 | 20.06 | 11.15 |
| Nov. 1998 | 12:49 | 8.91 | 16.05 | 8.91 |
| Dec. 1998 | 9.36 | 6.69 | 12:04 | 6.69 |
| Jan. 1999 | 6.24 | 4.46 | 8.03 | 4.46 |
| Feb 1999 | 3.12 | 2.23 | 4:01 | 2.23 |
We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause but believe it will simplify the entire membership issue.
Attention Collectors!
CMF has material of various nature for sale; they include: -Baby Grunau Glider -two Lovings “Love”, partially built a partly completed Thorp T-18 -other assets, also for sale Phone 532-0035 and ask Gogi for details!
Donations
Not all of the very welcome donations but some of the major ones
- Rey Willis: Sikorski manuals and helicopter parts
- Don Butterly: Complete Camcorder and accessories
- Al Thompson: Fly Baby aircraft
- Bill Thompson: Flat deck trailer
- Harry Jensen: Propane fueled fork lift
- Werner Griesback Multi drawer toolbox full of mechanics hand tools.
MANY, MANY THANKS!
Visit the C.M.F. Giftshop!
Visit and support your gift shop, tons of aviation stuff! Desk sets, mantle clocks, imported mahogany super scale models from stock or have your favorite custom made. super selection of plastic models for novice to expert; and Books! Do we have Books! Birthdays, anniversaries, Christmas. Buy yourself a gift – you deserve it!
Very special Specials:
Plastic model kits, one off, collectors, discontinued.
Books: Pioneering Aviation in the West. Special Pricing: $6.95
Stranraer Posters
While they last: $1.00
Lest We Forget
by Jerry Vernon
Doug Fraser and I manned the CMFT display at the Canadians Remembered event at the Seaforth Armouries on 8/9 November 1997. There was considerable interest in the various artifacts shown, mostly from the World War 11 period, from the CMFT collection and our own private collections
I was asked one question that I could not answer on the spot, but I later found I had the answer in one of the booklets made available at the show by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The question concerned the Runnymede memorial in the UK, which commemorates British Commonwealth aircrew who died and have no known grave. Specifically, “How many names of Commonwealth and/or Canadian Air force crew are inscribed on the Runymede Memorial
During the Second World War, more than 116,00 men and women of the Air Forces of the British Commonwealth gave their lives in service More than 17,000 of these were members of the RCAF, or Canadians serving with the RAF or other Commonwealth Air Forces. Approximately one third of all who died (ie: 30,000) have no known grave. Of these, 20,450 are commemorated by name at Runnymede, including 5,050 Canadians, covering those who died over the
British Isles and the lands and seas of Northern and Western Europe
The Runnymede Memorial is situated 32 km west of London, on a hill overlooking Windsor to the west and Heathrow Airport to the east, near where the Magna Carta was signed in 1066 AD. It is well worth a visit if you are in the area
“During the Second world War, more than 116,000 men and women of the Air Forces of the British Commonwealth gave their lives in service. More than 17,000 of these were members of the RCAF…or serving aircrew. with the RAF or other Commonwealth Air Forces.”
Several other similar Commonwealth memorials exist around the world that contain the names of Canadian aircrew with no known graves
The Malta memorial honours those who died in the Mediterranean area, including campaigns in Tunisia, Italy, Austria and Yugoslavia. There are 283 Canadian aircrew named here.
The El Alamein memorial, in Egypt, commemorates those lost in the various parts of the Middle East, including 213 Canadian airmen
In the Far East, the Singapore Memorial includes the names of 191 Canadian aircrew missing over the whole of Southern and Eastern Asia and the surrounding seas and oceans.
Closer to home, the Halifax memorial is mostly dedicated to losses in the Royal Canadian Navy and others buried at sea, but is reported to also contain some RCAF names.
The Commonwealth Air Forces Ottawa Memorial is located in front of the Ottawa City Hall, and is inscribed with 809 names of Commonwealth men and women who gave their lives in Canada, the United States and the neighbouring lands and seas, 470 Canadian names are on this beautiful memorial, along with many from the RAF, RAAF, and RNZAF who trained in Canada. This includes several Hampden and Anson crews lost at sea from No. 32 OTU at Patricia Bay, the crew of Stranraer 951 (lost far out in the Pacific) and several Hurricane, Expeditor, etc. crew members who lie still undiscovered somewhere along the BC coust.
The Ottawa Cremation Memorial, in the large Beechwood Cemetery, lists the names of 20 Canadians cremated in Canada and the US. Logic dictates that surely many of these probably were
There is an excellent reference book, “They Shall Not Grow Old, compiled by the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum at Brandon, Manitoba, which lists the names and short biographies of 18,000 Canadian airmen and airwomen, and other nationals wearing the uniform of the RCAF, who lost their lives in various ways between 03 September 1939 and 12 August 1945. The short item on each individual also includes details on the circumstances of death, aircraft type and serial number, the names of other crew on board and the place of burial, if any, in hundreds of graveyards worldwide in 75 different countries.
Not all of the 18,000 deceased were aircrew, of course, some having died in motor vehicle accidents, by drowning, weapons accidents, etc.
A summary shows over 2,000 buried across Canada. These were generally those killed within Canada, who were returned to their home town or province for burial, while those killed overseas were generally interred in large Allied military cemeteries or left in churchyards near where they had fallen.
In the U.K., there are over 670 Canadian Air Force dead buried at Brookwood, 666 at Harrogate and a further 2,000 odd scattered at many small cemeteries around the country, usually near a wartime airfield. Those that fell in operations over enemy-held territory lie in war graves or churchyards in France (1,263), Belgium (551), Holland (1,048), Germany (3,139) and Italy (117), while a further 700-plus are distributed around the world. These figures continue to change, as for example the recent case of the missing RCAF Dakota transport crew recovered and buried alongside their comrades in Mynamar (Burma).
I have a copy of this book, and have helped a number of people locate details about their husbands, brothers, uncles, cousins or fellow crew members and squadron mates. I would be pleased to look up details if anyone wishes to call me at 420-6065.
FlashBacks
- Twenty-Five Years Ago (1973)
- 3 May: The Airbus A300B prototype makes the type’s first fully-automated landing.
- Fifty Years Ago (1948)
- 23 January The RCAF began to take delivery of DeHavilland Vampires, Canada’s first jet fighter.
- 30 January Orville Wright dies at the age of 76.
- 30 January: A British South American Airways Avto Tudor IV disappears over the Bermuda Triangle never found!
- 17 March First test runs of the first Canadian jet engine, the Avro Chinook.
- Sixty Years Ago (1938)
- 20 January Air to air refuelling experiments, by Flight Refuelling, take place in the UK, passing fuel through a hose to a 4-engined flying boat.
- A DeHavilland DH.88 Comet completes the 26,500 mile round trip, U.K.- New Zealand – UK in 10 days, 21 hours.
- Seventy-five Years Ago (1923)
- 27 June Air to air refuelling is demonstrated in the U.S., using a pipeline between two DeHavilland DH.4 biplanes.
- 27 June Laurentide air Service makes the first use of radio by a Canadian civil aviation company, at Sudbury.
- Ninety Years Ago (1908)
- 10 February The US Army signal Corps carries out accep tance tests on its first airplane, the Wright flyer
- 06 March: Michelin offers a 100,000 franc prize for the first Paris to Puy-de-Dome flight (250
- 12 March FW. (Casey) baldwin makes the first flight of a powered heavier-than-air craft by a Canadian, in New York State.