RCAF memorial

Kyt · Sep 13, 2008

RCAF memorial honours those who served

Atholl Sutherland Brown's hairiest Second World War moment, scarier even than the time he was wounded, came while attacking a complex of Japanese airfields in central Burma.

He was flying a two-man Beaufighter, had just shot up four trucks, watched them explode, when his ammunition ran out during another run. Go south a bit before turning, his navigator said, but Sutherland Brown didn't listen, banked for home. Bad idea.

"The flak started coming up from all over the place." The aircraft was hit, hydraulic fluid pouring out of the port side. Sutherland Brown climbed to 3,000 feet, drew more big puffs of exploding anti-aircraft fire, dived for the deck again. A shell blasted the radio apart, right in the navigator's face.

A sitting duck, riddled with 39 holes, the Beaufighter limped to safety, 21/2 hours away. No flaps. Couldn't get the landing gear down. "I had to crash land at the base when I got there."

The unusual thing about this story is that it is not, in fact, that unusual, not among the aging veterans of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Go to an air crew association gathering -- the Victoria branch includes 140 veterans, Sidney has 70 -- and you'll hear these wrinkled, stiff-jointed octogenarians dredge up memories that would make lesser men turn pale and swallow their gum.

The RCAF didn't have a long life. Created in 1923, its name disappeared with the controversial unification of Canada's Armed Forces in 1968. But those who wore its uniform are keen that the name should live on, which is why an RCAF memorial cairn will be unveiled in Pioneer Square on Sept. 14, Battle of Britain Sunday.

Think of the memorial, says Victoria's David Adamson, as a stake in the ground, a permanent reminder that the RCAF once existed. Adamson, who rose from teenage sergeant pilot in 1940 to lieutenant-general by his retirement in 1978, was among the driving forces behind the cairn, as were Brown and retired colonel John Eggenberger.

The family of the late Reg Lane stepped up as major contributors. If you haven't heard of Lane, well, that's just proof of how badly the memorial is needed.

Lane was born in Victoria, served as an altar boy in Christ Church Cathedral, right next to where the cairn will sit. He went on to become one of the two or three most highly decorated Canadian pilots of the war, retired as Lt.-Gen. R.J. Lane, DSO, DFC and Bar, CD, LoM (USA). Again, if that alphabet has no meaning to you, then think of almost getting blown out of the sky while attacking the battleship Tirpitz in a Norwegian fjord, or coming back from another mission with 120 holes in the fuselage and wings, and you'll get a hint.

Lane's widow, Barbara Lane, will unveil the cairn at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 14, along with Lt.-Gov. Steven Point. Dedicated to all who served in aviation in the two world wars and beyond, the RCAF monument will join Pioneer Square memorials to the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Scottish regiment.

The sense of family among the RCAF Second World War veterans remains strong, even though only 40 per cent of the air crew flew in Canadian squadrons. The rest served in Royal Air Force outfits, albeit in RCAF uniforms; it wasn't uncommon to find Canadians, Brits, Aussies, Kiwis and South Africans, all in the same units.

Sutherland Brown flew in an RAF squadron on the Burma frontier, his navigator a British socialist who refused to call him "sir," which suited Sutherland Brown just fine.

The air force had a reputation for more informality than the other services (at least until the planes took off).

Part of the relatively relaxed approach to hierarchy was due to the mix-and-match makeup of the crews, where anyone from a sergeant to a wing commander could be found at the controls. (As a 19-year-old sergeant flying out of England, Adamson was outranked by his own navigator, an RAF officer, but was still the captain of his bomber.)

Part was due to the bonding effects of high-risk missions, where friendships were forged that remain strong almost 60 years later. "There was a lot of collegiality," says Sutherland Brown.

There was also a lot of pride, which is why, on Sept. 14, those aging veterans will place their stake in the ground, reminding the world that they were there.
Click to expand...

Amazon.co.uk: Silently into the Midst of Things: 177 Squadron Royal Air Force in Burma, 1943-1945 - History and Personal Narratives: Atholl Sutherland Brown: Books

Antipodean Andy · Sep 13, 2008

Good book and great news re the memorial.

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RCAF memorial

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