ESTEVAN, Sask. — A plane crash that killed 21 airmen south of Estevan on Sept. 15, 1946, continues to leave an impact on the community and on family members of the survivors.
A presentation and speeches took place at the Estevan branch of the Royal Canadian Legion on Sept. 13, and then wreaths were laid at a cairn near the crash site. The commemorative events happened two days before the 80th anniversary of the plane crash.
Capt. Craig Bird, a local military historian and the founder of the South East Military Museum, discussed the circumstances that led to the crash, including the establishment of the Royal Air Force's No. 38 Flying School that was located near Estevan during the Second World War. The school was disbanded in 1944, Bird said, due to the reduced need of pilots for the war.
"Although the school was run by the Royal Air Force, others considered it an extension of the British Commonwealth Training Plan, and it was officially incorporated in 1942," said Bird.
Approximately 3,000 airmen came through during the war, he said, plus the people who stayed in Estevan to carry out the training. Between 1,100 and 1,300 people were stationed there in 1943.
Accidents occurred at the site, he said, and 12 people died during training mishaps. Most of them were with the Royal Air Force.
Plans were made to convert the aerodrome into a navigation school but didn't materialize, Bird said, and instead they turned to a holding unit, which was established towards the end of the war.
It became a No. 4 surplus equipment holding unit in April 1945, just weeks before the end of the Second World War.
"They started disposing of all the surplus equipment that was stationed here, because it was not economically viable to start hauling stuff around," said Bird.
As for the 1946 crash, 20 pilots and one groundcrew member of the 124 Ferry Squadron died. Bird said they were all veterans who were serving overseas. Several were decorated with a distinguished flying cross or a distinguished flying medal. They took a job after the war to help disburse equipment, and Bird said they died in a "tragic accident that was 100 per cent preventable."
Bird told the crowd they were aboard a Dakota aircraft that travelled to Minot, N.D., for the purpose of transporting Cornell training aircraft leased from the U.S.
They spent the night in Minot, loaded their plane and were returning to Estevan. Bird noted the flight would have taken 45 minutes and they were to transport more Cornell planes to Minot that day.
"They were doing this multiple times during the day and throughout the week," Bird said.
He told the crowd that the crash itself was one of the deadliest involving the air force at that time on Canadian soil. The victims ranged in age from 20 to 34.
An investigation followed the crash. Bird noted witnesses testified two men had signs of life after the crash but they never regained consciousness. Many of the victims were on fire when they were found after impact.
Investigators found one of the control locks was still on the airplane when the crash occurred. Bird said they didn't have adequate control when they tried to land because the control lock was still in place, and they might have tried different measures to combat the problem, leading to a crash on the airport runway. Bird said a proper pre-flight check didn't take place.
"If they would have done the steps according to the manual, they would have removed the control locks and the accident wouldn't have happened," Bird said.
The crash and the funeral procession to Estevan's railway station a few days later gained national attention, Bird said. The bodies were returned to their home communities.
"All of the coffins were loaded onto trucks. They had an honour guard there and basically were escorted off the base, and then the trucks drove them into Estevan," said Bird.
On Fourth Street, a parade occurred with all of the RCAF personnel stationed in Estevan. Citizens lined the streets.
On Sept. 30, 1946 the 142 Ferry Squadron was officially disbanded. An inquiry occurred and measures were enacted to reduce the chance of this happening again.
Bird noted the widow of one of the pilots had his two-week leave cancelled, and they were fatigued from the work, which led to the control lock oversight.
Six of the pilots were from Saskatchewan. Others were from across the country and one was from the U.S.
After Bird was finished, several other speakers offered reflections, including Estevan Mayor Tony Sernick, Lt.-Col. Carl MacDonald from 15 Wing/CFB Moose Jaw and Major-Padre Linda Tomlinson-Seebach.
MacDonald said the 21 airmen's story reminds people that military service is not risk-free because peace has been declared.
"From the day we put on the uniform until the day we retire, we accept a commitment to serve wherever duty requires," he said.
In war, peace, operations, training and routine missions, the duty to serve remains the same, he said.
"Military service often requires individuals to place themselves in challenging conditions to support something greater than themselves," he said.
MacDonald described the ferry squadron's mission following the war as an important one, as it fulfilled Canada's post-war obligations.
Wayne Younghusband, the nephew of Flight Officer Henry Cowan, and Diane Primeau, the niece of Flight Lt. Bill Weicker, reflected on the tragedy that killed their family members. While Younghusband was speaking, three framed collections of photos and memorabilia were unveiled. One of them reflects on the crash itself, a second has the photos of the 21 airmen and the third reflected efforts to remember. (A later story will have more on Younghusband and Primeau's speeches).
Additional photos of the 21 airmen were displayed in the legion.
Once the presentations were finished, the people in attendance travelled to Boundary Dam Reservoir, where wreaths were laid by representatives of 15 Wing Moose Jaw, the City of Estevan and the Estevan branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.
The event was organized by the Together Forever in the Clouds committee, which is comprised of several people working to preserve the memory of the airmen. A monument, Forever in the Clouds, is now located at Bird's residence northeast of the city that is one of the sites for the Southeast Military Museum.
