News and Events


Bomber Command Museum of Canada
2011 Fall & Winter Newsletter


President's Report                                                                                                          Editor/Curator Comments


Special Choir in the Museum
VE-Day Celebration 2011
Progress with the Beech 18
Planes Trains and Elevators
Area Rancher Award Ceremony
UK Bomber Command Memorial
On The Road Again
Yellow Wings Tour
Joe English Memorial Fly-In
Salute to 408 Squadron's 70th
Part from Baz's Lanc
Anson Project Update 		                                          Fred Sutherland Donates Prints
Free Books
Books In Progress
Lancaster Restoration
Halifax 57 Rescue New Find
CAPA Conference Report
Boly Wings to Greenwood
Nose Art for 25th Anniversary
Tiger Moth 4080 Rebuild
Miscellaneous Photographs
In Memoriam


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On Sunday, May 1, Spiritus Chamber Choir gave a unique performance at the Bomber Command Museum. Surrounded by an incredible array of historic planes, from the famous Snowbird to the museum's centrepiece, the Lancaster Bomber, the performance marked the start of a thrilling month for the choir.

Choir Director, Timothy Shantz said, "This is one of the most exciting times in the choir's history, with our first international tour. We were honoured to be invited to participate in the 40th Florilege Vocale de Tours International Choir Competition in France." Performing in Nanton was a way of promoting the choir and giving them a practice prior to going on tour. The performance was enjoyed by all.

Lancaster FM159 (F2-T) was rolled out of the museum hangar the morning of May 8, to start off the celebrations. Its two restored Merlin engines were to be run-up twice during the day. Also for the first time in a number of years, visitors were allowed to go through the Lancaster during the day.

During the day, the museum presented, Denny May, son of WWI fighter pilot, Wop May, with his fatherŐs lucky ring. The ring had been donated to the museum by the family of a young airman, Geoffrey Parker, to whom Wop had given it while instructing during WWII. Members of the Parker family were present.

Another special guest of the day was Don Hudson, Honourary President of the Bomber Command Museum and nephew of Roy Chadwick, designer of the Lancaster, Don spoke briefly to a crowd assembled at the museum of his Uncle Roy and the development of the Lancaster bomber. He pointed out this year was the 70th anniversary of the first flight of a Lancaster and how it played a major role in winning the war.

Wayne Bailey continues to work on this aircraft four or five days a week and sometimes more. During the summer the only thing that kept him from working every day was his golf schedule! Also during the summer he volunteered to haul the museum's traveling display to several air shows with his pickup.

He has the Beech 18's cabin floor boards made, the cabin stripped, and is painstakingly cleaning up every crevice inside the fuselage with rotary wire brushes and sometimes just plain elbow-grease!

Wayne has inventoried the parts on hand and has listed all items that are still needed and is actively looking for sources of missing parts.

On this page are a few photos from this year's event which was very well attended. Added this year to contributing venues was the newly opened Museum of Miniatures.

The main hangar of the museum was fully occupied with tables displaying many different types of models, not just aircraft. Former airline pilot and aviation historian and author, Chris Weicht, was on hand with a supply of his books about early Western Canadian aviation history.

For those who visited all four venues, plus the many antique stores, it was a full day.

Southern Alberta rancher, Reid Moynihan, was seven years old when a US Airforce F-106 crashed on his family ranch in June, 1977, in the Alberta foothills killing the young pilot. Reid has kept a monument at the site for 34 years.

Reid spent many years searching for answers as to why this happened and in so doing eventually contacted the pilotŐs family. He had also contacted the Montana National Guard for information. Due to this Chris and Ken Denning, family members of the pilot, Dave Denning, travelled from Montana last summer to the site of the crash on the Moynihan ranch where they placed a headstone.

In a ceremony on July 28, at the Bomber Command Museum, members of the Air National Guard presented Reid Moynihan with the Montana National Guard Patriot Medal for the part he played in bringing the story to light thus ensuring that the young US airman, Dave Denning, would be remembered.

A royal Canadian Air Force C-17 Transport landed at Lethbridge, Alberta, on Remembrance Day to pick up 800 pounds of aluminum that was once part of a wartime RCAF Halifax Bomber. The metal will become part of a £6,000,000 Bomber Command Memorial currently under construction in Green Park, London.

The aluminum is being provided by the Bomber Command Museum of Canada to draw attention tot the fact that 10,000 of the over 55,000 airmen lost with Bomber Command during World War II were Canadians.

Halifax Bomber LW682 was part of 426 Squadron RCAF and was shot down in 1944, crashing into a swamp in Belgium. The seven Canadians and one Briton aboard were killed. The bodies of there of the Canadian airmen, missing in action and entombed in the Halifax bomber, were recovered in 1997 and given a full military funeral in Geraardsbergen, Belgium.

Recovered parts of the Halifax were saved and brought to Canada. Some parts were used in the restoration of the Halifax bomber currently on display at Trenton, Ontario. The unusable aluminum was saved due to the rarity and heritage of this RCAF metal and was melted down into ingots to be used in the future for Air Force Memorials, plaques, and statues by the Bomber Command Museum of Canada.

The design of the roof of the 8.5m-tall pavilion was inspired by the geodetic construction used in the Vickers Wellington bomber. This memorial will incorporate the aluminum ingots into the making of the roof panels that cover the Wellington geodetic pattern roof supports The pavilion will house a larger than life sculpture of seven aircrew, carvings and inscriptions. The memorial is to be dedicated June 2012.

Interestingly, the RCAF C-17 aircraft that transported this special shipment is part of 429 "Bison" Squadron which flew Halifax Bombers during World War II.

Thanks to museum volunteer Wayne Bailey and others, the museum's Travelling Display visited air shows at Cranbrook, B.C., Airdrie, and Lethbridge this summer. Thousands of young and not-so-young people had a chance to operate the integral mid-upper gun turret (with mock-up guns). Those volunteers with the display enjoyed visiting with many of our members and others at these spectacular events. A special thanks to Wayne and all volunteers who accompanied the display.

Four aircraft used to train pilots during the Second World War flew over the museum on July 10 as part of "Vintage Wings" cross-country tour to raise awareness of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. The Fairchild Cornell, North American Harvard, and Boeing Stearman from Vintage Wings took off from the Springbank Airport west of Calgary and were joined en-route by Gordon Jones flying his Tiger Moth. The aircraft flew over the museum and then over the former RCAF base east of Nanton that was the site of #2 Flying Instructor School and #19 Service Flying Training School prior to landing at Claresholm. The pilots and support crew were then driven to the museum for lunch, a tour of the museum, and a Lancaster engine start-up.

This event saw a great day for flying and the arrival of thirty some aircraft for the pancake breakfast, served up by the Nanton Lions Club. As usual there were quite a number of "drive in" visitors who came to look at the aircraft.

Several different aircraft types attended, some are shown in the adjacent photos. Of course, the regulars were there as well.

Members of the Joe English family were on hand as well to greet arrivals.

As part of our Twenty-fifth Anniversary Celebrations on August 20, the museum honoured No. 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron currently based at Edmonton Garrison.

2011 is the squadron's Seventieth Anniversary. Formed in 1941 it operated as part of Bomber Command, flew Lancasters in a variety of roles from 1949 until 1964 and has operated as a tactical helicopter squadron since 1971. Fourteen members of the squadron including Commanding Officer, Lt. Col. John Casey, flew to the museum in two Griffon helicopters on August 19. The following morning Squadron members spoke of their service in Afghanistan and showed a riveting video of their work. Later in the day they participated in a Remembrance Service at CanadaŐs Bomber Command Memorial Wall upon which squadron crests had been placed next to the names of the 425 squadron members who were killed.

Guest speaker for the event was Chris Terry, a long-time supporter of our museum and the former Director-General of the Canada Air and Space Museum. Chris congratulated the museum on its anniversary saying, "This museum attempts, and does so well, to bring them (Those who served with Bomber Command) to life, to give them an essence more than that of earnest young faces looking out of black and white photographs. In this respect I think the Bomber Command Museum of Canada stands four-square among the practitioners of the museum profession in Canada and far beyond. It's one of the reasons why I have been such a devotee. It could teach its lessons to many others interested in similar outcomes. So my wish is for the continued success of the Bomber Command Museum of Canada. It deserves the high regard it has earned as a museum with a clear mission and the ability to carry it out. Given what has happened in the last 25 years we can only wonder at what the next 25 will bring. It will be a delight to see this story continue to unfold.

As part of our celebrations on August 20, a special twenty minute video documenting the museum's history was shown. A grateful thanks to Jim Blondeau for his fine work.

A beam from the wing of Lancaster (ND811) is now on display at the museum. S/L Bazalgette was the only Albertan awarded the Victoria Cross during World War II and our museum's Lancaster has been dedicated to his memory. On August 4, 1944, S/L Bazalgette crash-landed his flaming aircraft near the French Village of Senantes in occupied France in an attempt to save two wounded crewmembers. Sadly the aircraft exploded and all three were killed.

Prior to the enemy removing the wreckage, nine-year-old Simeon Desloges brought a two metre long piece from the wing home because it had lots of nuts and bolts in it that could be used on the family's farm. The enemy removed the remainder of the aircraft and the wing part was placed in the family's barn.

Through the efforts of Simeon and his family, museum member Alain Ducatel, director Karl Kjarsgaard, and Air Canada, this special artifact was delivered to the museum.

During Nanton's Remembrance Day Services, the wing part from S/L Bazalgette's bomber that Simeon took home during the war was officially placed on display at the museum.

The Town of Nanton and the Village of Senantes were "twinned" in 2009 and this is just one of the ways that the two communities are working together to honour the memory of this Calgary hero.

Old '7481' is certainly starting to look more like her old self. She still has a way to go for sure but looking at the old girl it's becoming easier to picture what she must have looked like while she was sitting on the ramp at either Fort Macleod or Pearce.

As you look at her old airframe you'll notice that John Maze has made fabulous progress with the rudder. It is now ready for covering and should have some if not all of its plywood covering on before Christmas. Carl Orde has her escape hatches ready for Plexiglas. Once this is installed they will be ready for fitting into "Annie." The fuselage is filling out a little more each day as Doug Bowman works on the former's back by the rear turret ring. Gary Amundrud and Terry Moynihan, have been working to bring the electric system back to life. New components have been found for the electrical regulators which will help move their portion of the project ahead. Terry also does wood work.

As for yours truly, I have been busy rebuilding the port side of the tail plane's trailing spar. About 70% of the original spar bridging has been restored and hopefully, and perhaps a bit optimistically, the port side will be ready for its covering before Christmas.

F/S Fred Sutherland flew as front gunner on the Dams Raid in the Lancaster piloted by F/L Knight. Later in the war on Sept 16, 1943, his bomber was shot down but he evaded and returned to England.

On October 21, 2011, Fred delivered five framed, very special limited edition prints that he has donated to the museum. Included are a small print of the Tirpitz by Coulson, and one of Leonard Cheshire's Lancaster entitled, "Limping Home" by Robert Taylor. This print was signed by Leonard Cheshire and Bomber Harris. Another print shows "Dingy" Young's Lancaster bombing the Mohne Dam. This was also a Robert Taylor painting.

The prints are presently displayed in the museum library, but will be placed later in a more prominent location. We extend a grateful THANKS to Fred Sutherland for adding to our aviation art collection.

Would you like to enhance your knowledge of the history we honour at the museum? Go to: www.bombercommandmuseum.ca You can get free copies of three books related to the history of Bomber Command. They are:

(1) "Baz" - The Biography of S/L Ian Bazalgette VC by Dave Birrell.

(2) "None but the Brave" - The Essential Contributions of RAF Bomber Command to Allied Victory during the Second World War by David Bashow.

(3) "Soldiers Blue" - How Bomber Command and Area Bombing Helped Win the Second World War by David Bashow.

The museum has published a number of books over the years and two more are in progress. Available this winter will be, "Big Joe McCarthy -The American Dambuster."

As well, we are pleased to report that author Anne Gafiuk had written an article about Gordon Jones, our High River member who is celebrating his Seventieth Anniversary of flying Tiger Moths this year. The article will appear in an up-coming issue of Airforce Magazine. Anne is planning on turning Gordon's story into a book that will be published by the museum.

On September 17/11 we had our last engine runs of the summer season. We had engine run-ups six times through the last few months and all of them went very well. Our Lanc crew training program also ran well. Merrill became a very proficient flight engineer and Fred soloed as engineer towards the end of the season. I had the privilege of moving from engineer to pilot duties for engine starts this year and enjoyed it thoroughly. Thanks go to Greg and John for the training and in having faith in us to handle FM159.

This year we gave Lanc cockpit tours after each engine run. This turned out to be a huge hit with the public. It is exciting for us as well to educate the public about Bomber Command and the role of the Lancaster in the Second World War. I must say that it is very intimidating when an ex-Lancaster pilot comes through the cockpit. I always take the time to ask them about flying the Lancaster so that we become more knowledgeable about operating it.

We now have the port inner engine back on the aircraft and are waiting for the propeller to come back from Winnipeg. The carburetor for this engine had to be sent to Vintage V12 for repair work so we also sent the carb for the port outer and a water pump as well. John Phillips is changing the intake magneto wire harness to accommodate automotive plugs since these can be challenging to change without skinning your fingers or inducing the use of colourful language. This engine will be up and running for the 2012 season.

In the last month we have pulled the port outer engine off and have begun to dismantle it. Our goal is to have this engine ready for 2013...where is that runway?

Thanks again to all of the Lancaster crew for another great season. We are all much easier to identify now that we have our Lanc crew shirts. I think they gave us a more professional look.

I almost forgot - we are also looking into making the nose turret operational during engine runs ..sounds like a good job for Shane, our hydraulics expert.

Found! A huge cache of Bristol Hercules engines with spare parts! Halifax 57 Rescue (Canada) is pleased to announce that, in its world-wide search for all things Halifax for placement in the Bomber Command Museum of Canada it has found four Bristol Hercules engines and several tons of spare parts. These were discovered and in a bunker, built in WWII at Terrace, B.C.

Due to the generosity of HAWKAIR AVIATION SEVICES LTD., the four Bristol Hercules engines, parts, and tools have been donated to the Bomber Command Museum! This is a major contribution to the museum's Halifax project. We extend a GRATEFUL THANKS to the management and staff of HAWKAIR.

The Halifax 57 Rescue recovery crew made three trips to Terrace to gather, box, and prepare these rare engines and parts for shipment to Nanton, Alberta. This shipment has now arrived and has been unloaded at our museum.

I was indeed worried that due to the state of finances of Halifax 57 Rescue (after the many costly charges of shipping the container of the Malta parts to Ottawa and Nanton that there was no way we could cover all these costs of acquiring these rare engines and parts from Hawkair. Halifax 57 Rescue has had very few donations in the last few weeks and we could not, after the Malta Project, pay the shipping charges to get these engines and parts home to our parent museum!

A speedily called September meeting of the Directors of the Bomber Command Museum of Canada had some positive results. It was agreed that Halifax 57 Rescue would pay the logistical costs of the shipment (processing, packing, and boxing of the four engines and all the parts in Terrace). This ultimately cost ($1700) and was paid by Halifax 57 Rescue. We are now, as of the date of this report, down to our emergency funds and the lowest level we have been in years.

I must point out that honourable mention must go at this time to John Phillips, one of the directors of the Bomber Command Museum of Canada. John, realizing the value of the Hercules engines to the Halifax project, stepped forward to pay for the entire truck shipping charges ($2500) on his own!! John is to be complimented to the max for his help in our time of need! MORE FUNDING IS URGENTLY NEEDED to keep this project alive.

See photos and videos of the recovery of the treasure from the "Bristol Bunker" at: [www.archerphotoworks.ca/museum] Below are a few photos to do with the Halifax project and the unloading of the items from Terrace on October 14.

Bomber Command museum directors Brian Taylor, John Phillips and Bob Evans attended this event, which was held October 12-16 in Windsor, Ontario, and hosted by the Canadian Historical Aviation Association (CH2A). This group is the custodian of Lancaster FM212. They also have a De Havilland Mosquito project.

There were delegates from nine museums in attendance plus some associate members. As there are some 20 actual members, this attendance was quite low.

However, the CH2A volunteers had done a first class job of organising the conference. The seminars with speakers from Revenue Canada, Crown Assets, etc., were very informative.

I would encourage those museums who did not attend to send delegates to next year's conference. CAPA is a voice that can help us all. Let us all revitalize it!

The day after the twenty fifth anniversary celebration, a military semi-trailer arrived from the Greenwood, N.S., museum to load two Boly wings donated by our museum for their project. Loading Boly wings in the semi was a bit tricky, but was finally accomplished. In the photo above the Greenwood crew are, L-R: Malcolm Uhlman, Dan Daigle, Cpl. Billy Hannaford and Cpl. John Mayhew.

As part of celebrating the twenty fifth anniversary of the society, two artists to whom the museum had given pieces of aircraft aluminium skin for their personal use, agreed to donate reproduced nose art that was representative of one of 408 Squadrons wartime bombers. The art chosen was "Notorious Nan."

Dave Houbrechts, who had procured aircraft panels for his artist friend, Carmina Trsic, of Calgary, contacted her and she agreed to paint "Nan" on a small panel to be given to 408 Squadron during the event.

Todd Lacharite, to whom the museum had given vintage aircraft aluminium for artists in Lethbridge, convinced airbrush artist, Mike OŐBrien to recreate the same nose art on a large Lanc wing panel, this to become a permanent display in the museum.

The Bomber Command Museum of Canada extends a GRATEFUL THANKS to Carmina Trisc and Mike O'Brien for their reproductions of "Notorious Nan".

Early in the year the museum board of directors had contracted with AME Greg Morrison to recover the restored Tiger Moth wings during the past summer. Greg's proposal was more than generous and was a great step forward with this, the museum's only airworthy aircraft project.

To date both upper wings and the lower starboard wing are completed, painted with the registration letters and roundels applied. Due to a change in Greg's teaching schedule at SAIT the fourth and last wing has yet to be painted. He hopes to have this done in the near term.

This Tiger Moth will likely be exhibited next summer as static display. The engine, while it was major overhauled several years ago, has to be recertified by an approved engine shop. Funds to the tune of about five grand will need to be raised to cover this.




George Harry Booth
Ladner, B.C.
Went to his maker October 19, 2010.

Peter Guest
Abbotsford, B.C.
Died November 8, 2010.

J. Clement Corbiell
Strathmore, Alberta
Passed away on September 11, 2011.

Gordon L. Diller
High River, Alberta
Passed on July 3, 2011.

Harry Marston Craven
Vancouver, B.C.
Died September 14, 2011.

Jack Carter
Calgary, Alberta
Passed on May 1, 2011.

Jack Graham
Point, Edward, Ontario
Passed away in 2011.

Jim Duncan
High River, Alberta
Passed away in 2011.

Barbara Lane
Victoria, B.C.
Passed away 2011.

Winnifred Gray
Calgary, Alberta.
Passed away April 27, 2011.

Henry Matus
Vancouver, B.C.
Passed on to his maker, June 10, 2011.

Douglas (Duke) Warren
Comox, B.C.
Passed away August 27, 2011.
"Duke" was a special friend of the museum and very involved with its development over the first two decades.
He will be sadly missed by all who knew him.

The Nanton Lancaster Society extends deepest sympathy
to the families and friends of these former members and supporters.
May God Bless.



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