An 80-year-old promise made to a grieving mother across the ocean has not been forgotten.
Members of Royal Canadian Legion Branch 001 Middleton, every June, honour the fallen during a decoration of the graves wreath-laying service in the Commonwealth graves section of the Old Holy Trinity Cemetery in Middleton. This year, on the evening of June 8, 14 Wing Greenwood and 517 Flight Lieutenant Graham Royal Canadian Air Cadets joined the Middleton Legion to pay their respects to the 27 aircrew who died serving at the Royal Air Force Station Greenwood during the Second World War. 517 Air Cadets’ new Pipes and Drums Band also had the privilege of performing during both the parade’s marches and the Lament.
The decoration of the graves tradition originally began with the Rosemary Chapter of the I.O.D.E., who diligently maintained the soldiers’ graves, planting hostas and flowers until the chapter’s disbandment in 2022. Today, a 14 Wing honour guard places a single red rose at each of the 27 Commonwealth war graves in the cemetery during the service. The graves belong to aircrew members from Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom; all were training in Greenwood through the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Many were also combat veterans who had survived the Battle of Britain.
As part of the ceremony, 14 Wing Colonel Luc Vachon recited John Gillespie Magee Junior’s poem, “High Flight.”
“These memorial stones before us represent the lives of young souls who knew, and lived and died, as examples of the saying, ‘Greater love has no man than this, than to lay down his life for his friends,’” said Reverend Leon Langille during his address. “They were sent here to our Valley to train, so they could stand against the tyranny that was threatening the entire lifestyle of freedom and democracy.”
Middleton Legion president Andrew Bent thanked everyone for their attendance, a gesture that ensures these 27 soldiers’ love, bravery and sacrifice will always be remembered.
