Celebrating the Lancaster at Nanton’s Bomber Command Museum of Canada
So what are you doing May 8th? Do you live in Alberta and are looking to experience a fun day out? May I suggest heading down to one of my favourite museums, the Bomber Command Museum of Canada in Nanton, Alberta. Nanton is a beautiful town south of Calgary and just west of Vulcan. For many years, this town has been the site of a world class museum dedicated to Canada’s participation in Bomber Command from 1939 to 1945. There are many planes on display including the iconic Avro Lancaster, which was built here in Canada. The Bomber Command Museum of Canada is one of this country’s true gems in honouring the strong Air Force tradition that Canada has developed.
I was happy to have received the following press release from the folks at the Museum to let my Alberta readers know about this upcoming event. If you are available on May 8th, this Museum is putting on a special VE Day celebration and it will definitely be worth a visit. Once you have been, you’ll want to keep coming back again and again for their various events throughout the year. Below is the press release with more information including contacts. My thanks to Dayna at the Bomber Command Museum of Canada.
MEDIA RELEASE
Commemorate VE Day 2011 with a “Wop” (bam) VROOM!!
April 26, 2011, Nanton, Alberta – Commemorate VE Day this year, by joining the Bomber Command Museum of Canada’s celebration of the AVRO Lancaster Bomber, on the 70th Anniversary of its maiden flight and salute Canadian aviation pioneer and visionary, Captain Wilfrid “Wop” May, OBE, DFC.
On May 8, the Bomber Command Museum of Canada, located in Nanton, Alberta, will celebrate the AVRO Lancaster by honouring the memory of aircraft designer Roy Chadwick and all who were involved in the plane’s design and manufacture. The occasion will be marked with a special appearance by the museum’s honourary president and Roy Chadwick’s nephew, Don Hudson, in the cockpit of the museum’s own Lancaster when it fires its engines in the first engine run of the year. (VroomVroom!!)
The AVRO Lancaster and the RCAF played a significant role in making VE Day happen, by leading the Bomber Command attacks that became what Hitler’s armament minister, Albert Speer, called “the greatest battle that we lost.”
Also on May 8, pay tribute to Canadian aviator Wilfred R. “Wop” May with a “Returning the Ring” ceremony, when the museum transfers custody of a notable artifact from Canadian aviation history to his son, Denny May. Captain May led an adventure-filled life, and among other actions:
- Was a First World War flying ace, who survived an encounter that led to the defeat of Baron Manfred von Richtofen (aka the “Red Baron”);
- Assisted in the manhunt for Albert Johnson, the Mad Trapper of Rat River in 1932, locating his hidden tracks from the air, and reporting the location back to the RCMP;
- Served as Commander and Supervisor of Western Schools in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) during World War Two;
- Conceived the idea of aerial rescue crews in bush areas, developing a trained parachute squad that was later to taken over by the Air Force to become the first Search and Rescue (SAR Tech) unit
Come out to the Bomber Command Museum of Canada on May 8 to hear harrowing stories about real bomber command missions; mingle with WWII veterans and their families; get up close and personal with some very significant artifacts from Canadian Military and Aviation history; and be on hand for the season’s first loud and memorable Lancaster Engine Run.
The Bomber Command Museum of Canada (formerly known as the Nanton Lancaster Bomber Museum), is located 45 minutes south of Calgary on Highway 2, in Nanton, Alberta. The Museum is proud home to a large collection of aircraft, artifacts, library, archives and displays, as well as Canada’s Bomber Command Memorial, that includes the names of the 10,656 Canadians who were killed serving on bombers during WWII. It’s the only Memorial of its kind in the world.
For more information about the Bomber Command Museum of Canada’s VE Day Celebration, visit: http://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/event2011veday.html
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For more information about this event and the Bomber Command Museum of Canada contact:
Rob Pedersen, President
Bomber Command Museum of Canada
Box 1051,
Nanton, Alberta, Canada T0L 1R0
Mobile: 403-336-3444
[email protected]
For general information about the Bomber Command Museum of Canada contact:
Visitor Services:
1529 – 21 Ave., Nanton, Box 1051
Nanton, Alberta, Canada T0L 1R0
Telephone: (403) 646-2270; Fax (403) 646-2214
[email protected]
Website: www.bombercommandmuseum.ca
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