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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1988-10-04, Page 33MOUNT HOPE It was history in the making here on Saturday, Sept. 24 and it exceeded all expectation. Instead of the 2,000 to 3,000 antici- pated for the event, from. 14000to 17,000 people arrived to ..see the launching of the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum's Avro Lancaster. In fact, due to the traffic, police ell on air- port by 2:30 p.m., with the result that many parked their vehicles as far as three miles from the site and walked. 0044 earl two o •. . • .•- , Tel a closed all tranises te Hamilt Besides the "launching" of th Lancaster, the day featured an ai show of mainly World War II air craft. Among these attending wer many CWH supporters from the Lis towel, Wingham and Mount Fores areas. It was a day none will forget. A day of achievement and of elatio touched with sadness. As the big bomber took off at 3:3 p.m., its four Packard Merlin (RR engines surprisingly quiet after the booming departure of a CF -5 Free dom Fighter, there were nearly as many tears as there were smiles on the upturned faces. Throughout the day the •public ad dress system announced mini reunions of wartime squadrons and as small groups recalled the old days, there were the inevitable me- mories of comrades who •didn't make it. The purpose of the CWH museum in restoring the Lancaster is to have it as a "flying memorial". And while many Canadians too young to remember the last 'Great War' will view it as a- flying relic of a bygone era, certainly veterans, those ac- tively involved in the project and people with a sense of history will see the Lancaster as just that — a flying memorial to all the bomber crews of World War II. One of the highest casualty rates of the war for Canadians was that of bomber crews. Nearly 60 per cent of all crew members were killed in action. The loss of Lancasters was nearly as high. A total of 7,366 Lancasters were built during WW2. Of these, more than 3,600 — just under 50 per cent were lost on operations. Each of the bit bombers carried a normal crew of seven airmen. An example of the horrendous loss is. evident in the history of No. 419 (Moose) Squadron, the same squad- ron whose wartime colors are now worn by the CWH Avro Lane. This squadron alone lost 129 air- craft, more than five times its normal complement. And the lives of 695 airmen, of whom 539 were Canadians, were lost with them. Little wonder that George Sober- ing, a director of CWH and the man credited, along with his wife Irene, with the founding of the Support the Lancaster Club, a group within the CWH, had tears in his eyes when he recalled the work of the wartime bomber crews when he spoke during the lauching program. Quoting from Laurence Binyon's familiar fourth verse of "For the Fallen", Mr. Sobering said, ". . Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun. . — hey, that's when the night bombers went out. Damn right we wanted to remember them." Despite the terrible losses, the Lancaster was considered a sue.. UB . In the • RESTORATION The MU Avro Lancaster is only the second aircraft of its kind flying in the world today. The other flying Lanc is in Britain e The restoration of - the vintage ✓ bomber has occupied about a hun- - dred dedicated volunteer workers at e the museum's hangar here for nine years. Nine short years of full-time : t activity for some retired men and women and nine long years of hours squeezed into evenings, weekends n and holiday time for many volun- teers who made the restoration a 0 priority outside their regular jobs. ) In the beginning the project was unknown to most Canadians not - directly involved in the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum at Mount Hope. Many people in avi- ation didn't even know about it. - However, the news got out. At first - it spread by word of mouth and then, about four years ago, the media started to pay attention. By launch day; membership in the LancaSter Support Club, formed in . 1984 to assist the project, numbered over 4,000, and included people around the world. These members through donations have raised over $150,000 for the project. ThiS individual support is highly vakied by the CWH Museuit. -How- ever, a number of corporations, (Air Canada especially), have carried the bulk of the financial burden in restoring the aircraft. While Air Canada will not publish either the amount of money, or hours the project has consumed, it is certain the CWH Avro Lancaster would not now be in the air without the assistance of the crown cor- poration. All mechanical parts were safety checked at Air Canada's base at Dorval. Replacement parts no longer available were also machined t there. According to Norm Ethridge, f chief engineer for the CWH Lan- caster, without the initial and con- a timing support of the likes of Roily Roberge of Air Canada, Montreal, "this project -never would have got- fi ten off the graind." sqUadroft manku ore. The "Lanc Crew" included: Flt. Lt, Larry h Melling k22), the skipper. A IWO °Mort Mr. Wiling to attend who pow lives, in Burlington was a Pilot with 102 and 635 squadrons and The. -- flew 61 operations, including 30 with the -40 . , Pathfinder. Frn e It ' uie ftavFrreneomkedbbeiticowyOa,a:ndo, eteneeireo.niraglittwfiaslner at' Both port eagities were set On fire and the hydraplie lines to the rear ianekt a -4 thgt icro for the CWH Lanc on ,ttgelattngtfiiight Were Stu Brickenden,,chiefpilot, and Bob Hill. Also on -board were Mr. Sober- ing and Mr, Etheridge, _ Mr. Brickenden of BPampton.has been a Ming* ''With -Ma -sliw i.i Now - a cop o.! te pilot with Innotech Aviation, betas over -18,000 flying hojs, hued in morethan40 types of aircraft. , Mr. l3rickenden was involved m pilot training with the RCAF frottl. 1943 to 1945. Between 1951-072, flew with training Comniancl, Air Defence Command, Air Division Europe, Transport Canada. While with Search and Rescue he flew the Avro Lancaster and Grumman Albatross. Because of his Lanc experience, Mr. Brickenden took over as chief pilot for launch day when Bob Hill who had been test flying the aircraft with British pilot Tony Banfield, was unable to acquire the required number of hours in the bomber. When Mr. Brickenden climbed into the CWH Lane onthe day before the official launching, it was the first time he'd flown the bomber in about 25 years. But as the airshow an- nouncer noted to the thousands of onlookers, as the plane smoothly took off, "It didn't take hint long to get the feel of it." Mr. Hill of Oakville has been a CWH member for three years. He is employed with Air Canada as manager of flight,standards as well as commanding DC -8 Freighters. He served with the .RCAF as a flying irtStrimtor-.frox. 1906 and has :accumtilated over 11,000 flying hours. To pay tribute to bomber crews hroughout Canada, the CWH named a "typical" wartime crew for its Avro Lancaster. The seven airmen chosen, wearing heir WW 2 uniforms, were intro- duced from the platform by CWH ounder and president Dennis Bradley who later thrilled the crowd t the controls of a Mustang during the air show. Mr. Bradley, who chaired, the of- cial launch prograM, ,g0*--- the rew members' war age and • - Flying Officer FredColeman (22), navigator. Now living in Hamilton he flew 23 operations with " 514 • Squadron. Flying Officer Roy Freckleton (21), bomb anner. Now of Dundas he flew a. total of 33 operations with No. 420 (Snowy Owl). Fit. Sgt, Miliaria Grenville (20), flight engineer. Now -living in Hamil- ton, he flew 19 operations with 427 (Lion) Squadron. WO1 Robert Hide (21), wireless operator. A member of 199 and 7 ,squadrons, on his 10th operation he "hit the silk" and -wears the "cater- pillar", significant of a Prisoner Of War. Now living in Ancaster, he also flew on the Berlin Air Lift with the RAF. Pilot Officer Fred Passmore (19), air gunner. A resident of Dundas, he flew 34 operations with 428 Squadron.. WO2 Wilf Larsen (24), air gunner. Now living in Medicine Hat, Alta., he flew 27 operations with 427 Squadron. Other platform guests included Maj. Gen. Brian Smith, Chief of Fighter Command, CFB North Bay, and Rev. Charles Beaton of Olivet United Cfmrch, Mount Hope, who had' dedicated the aircraft fear • years ago to the memory of Pilot Of- ficer Mynarski. Maj. Gen'. Smith Who paid tribute to the courage and dedication of' wartime air force crews and to cur- rent personnel received loud ap- plause when he drew attention to the fact that members of Canada's air force units "are back in bluest ORIGINAL CREW Besides the big bomber itself, the main attractions of the day -- as they have been at so many special events marking the Lancaster project — were the surviving mem- bers of the wartime 419'Squardon. The CWH Lancaster has been dedicated as the Mynarski Me- morial Avro Lancaster in honor of Pilot Officer Andrew Mynarski of 419 Squadron. Pilot Officer Mynarski was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross "in recognition of most con- June t$ n:rof the e .04‘1 1.440 ,fP§ the bomi. AkcISTat Cam Shortly,after ems*. turret were severed. The -fluid Was ignited, creating44 mom in the 41 rear fUselage., • • Tail gunner Pat Brophy was tiaw. --ped in the -rear -turret with riteatV of escape. Mynarski, the Mid -Upper gunner was on his way out of the gtir-, craft when he noticed his chum's plight. By this time the other crew members had parachuted from the bomber which was out of control. On his hands and knees, Mynarski crawled through the fire to Brophy and in vain tried to free him from the jammed turret. Finally, his flight suit in flames, he Obeyed Brophy's orders to save himself and backed through the rear door to exit. Prior to jumping, Mynarski stood up and saluted the trapped gunner. The Lancaster hit the ground at a - • shallow angle, jarring loose the turret and throwing Brophy clear, • without injury. After evading enemy troops for five weeks, Brophy returned to England only to learn that Mynarski had been found by the French but hadheen so severely -burned -that he - died a few hours later. Mynarski's VC was the only one awarded to a member of the RCAF in -RAF Bomber Command during WW2. Besides Pat Brophy, .other mem- bers of the "Mynarski" crew at - ten. 4.44490,4amtitntof the CW Land' w'ere':- 'Art deBreyne, pilot; Ken Branston, the mid-upper gunner of the crew who due to being injured was replaced by Mynarski; Jim Kelly, wireless operator:, Roy Vigars, flight engineer; and Bob Bodie, navigator. The crew's bomb aimer, Jack Fri- day, was the only member unable to attend; he was ata family wedding. Throughout the morning the Mynarski crew patiently posed for photographers and made them- selves available to the media and to anyone else who wanted to meet them. ..•.**A"")5r.P.S.”.$94.4, CWH AVRO LANC — A WW2 Lancaster bomber, fully Fettored by the 'Canadian Warplane H• eritage Museum at Mount Hope, waits for its official launch flighton ept. 24. The aircraft was purchased by •.° the museum from the Goderich branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, and the restoration took nine years of volunteer labor.