Another lovely day. Our major plan for the day was to go into Trenton to visit the Air Force Museum. It somehow seemed appropriate that as this is the Canada Day weekend, we should explore some of the history that has given us one of the best countries anywhere in the world to live in.
As soon as we entered we met a volunteer who told us about the recovery and restoration of a Halifax Bomber. The plane had been used in WWII to take supplies and ammunition to the resistance in Norway who were fighting against the Germans. It was shot down by a German soldier, who had never shot an anti aircraft gun before and one of the 5 bullets he fired hit a main spar in the wing which ruptured and set fire to the adjacent fuel tank. The Halifax subsequently was ditched in a nearby lake (with one survivor).
For more about the amazing Halifax (click here)
There was a move by a Norway historical group to have it recovered and because of the Canadians flying the plane a group of Canadians were very interested. I guess this was not an easy task. However, the parts came to the museum and it took 10 years to complete the restoration. A lady in Norway heard about this project. She then contacted them and told them that she thinks that roof of her chicken coop looked like it might have been part of an airplane. When they checked, it turned out to be the portion of the upper part of the rear fuselage that was missing. They couldn’t believe there luck when the rivet holes still lined up perfectly. The Halifax was then moved to its current location and the museum building was actually built around the airplane, (which of itself was a major challenge).
(things that make you go hmmm?).
For more about the Avro Arrow (click here)
There obviously were all sorts of other planes on display both in and outside; the C130 Hercules, CF101, Sable, Spitfire and many others……. What was moving to me was the memorial that was inside the building for all those who died in Afghanistan . There was a book with all their pictures; all so young. It reminded us of the grave yard at the Bridge on the River Kwai where the marker for the oldest soldier we found was a 22 soldier from Holland. Outside the building were many different memorials to the members of various air force groups who died in many of the wars in which we were involved. Turns out that our friend Christian was one of the volunteers looking after the outdoor memorials.
Another part that really caught our attention was the area dedicated to the “Great Escape”. We have probably all seen the Hollywood version with Steve McQueen and his epic motorcycle jump over the fence. Of course the real version is somewhat different. Of the 76 who escaped that night, 73 were recaptured. 50 of the recaptured were executed and included 6 Canadians. Included in the 23 who remained alive 3 were Canadians who had joined either the RAF or the RCAF. What brings it really close to home is when you read that the Canadians were from Jasper, Stony Plain, Winnipeg, and other Canadian cities. The amount of coordination and stolen items to pull this off was enormous.
The following passage is an extract from the Real Great Escape (click here) “…Following the escape, the Germans took an inventory of the camp and found out just how extensive the operation had been. 4,000 bed boards had gone missing, as well as the complete disappearance of 90 double bunk beds, 635 mattresses, 192 bed covers, 161 pillow cases, 52 20-man tables, 10 single tables, 34 chairs, 76 benches, 1,212 bed bolsters, 1,370 beading battens, 1219 knives, 478 spoons, 582 forks, 69 lamps, 246 water cans, 30 shovels, 1,000 feet of electric wire, 600 feet of rope, and 3,424 towels. 1,700 blankets had been used, along with more than 1,400 Klim cans…”
Following the museum we did some mundane chores like grocery shopping. We did manage to find an ice-cream and candy store near the Sobeys we visited. As the ice-cream was a brand we didn’t know (Kawartha Dairy located in Bobcaygeon, Ontario), we had to try it. But only one tiny scoop in a bowl. After this we came back “home” and put up our Canadian flag (which we got at Home Hardware in Brighton). Never though to bring the one we have at home with us. Nice day!
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>