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Visit+the+Commonwealth+Air+Forces+Ottawa+Memorial+on+your+long+weekend+getaway+for+Remembrance+Day+near+Toronto%2C+Canada
 
Interesting. Back story?

The interweb sez:

This image depicts the Ottawa Memorial, a monument honoring Commonwealth air force members who died in the Second World War.
  • Location: Situated on Green Island in Ottawa, overlooking the Rideau Falls and the Ottawa River.
  • Structure: The centerpiece is a bronze globe supported by three beavers, topped with an eagle.
  • Purpose: It lists the names of nearly 800 personnel who have no known grave, unveiled by Queen Elizabeth II in 1959.
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That RCAF/RAF/RNZAF/RAAF/RSAAF lifestyle was glamourous as hell in WW2, but a hard gig. You'd sleep dry and warm most nights and eat pretty well, but if you were in Bomber Command, you likely knew the odds. I've read up on the wartime commonwealth air force experience, and they certainly deserved whatever monuments we can erect for them.

Strongly recommend Peden's A Thousand Shall Fall, Brickhill's The Dam Busters, and Wellum's First Light. All worth your time.

Speaking of Steely Eyed Aviators, here's Neil Armstrong and Dave Scott just chilling after Neil managed to unfvck Gemini VIII and save both their lives and the spacecraft:

1920px-Armstrong_and_Scott_with_Hatches_Open_-_GPN-2000-001413.jpg


Scott said this: "The guy was brilliant. He knew the system so well. He found the solution, he activated the solution, under extreme circumstances ... it was my lucky day to be flying with him."

More info here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_8
 
That RCAF/RAF/RNZAF/RAAF/RSAAF lifestyle was glamourous as hell in WW2, but a hard gig. You'd sleep dry and warm most nights and eat pretty well, but if you were in Bomber Command, you likely knew the odds. I've read up on the wartime commonwealth air force experience, and they certainly deserved whatever monuments we can erect for them.

Strongly recommend Peden's A Thousand Shall Fall, Brickhill's The Dam Busters, and Wellum's First Light. All worth your time.

Speaking of Steely Eyed Aviators, here's Neil Armstrong and Dave Scott just chilling after Neil managed to unfvck Gemini VIII and save both their lives and the spacecraft:

1920px-Armstrong_and_Scott_with_Hatches_Open_-_GPN-2000-001413.jpg


Scott said this: "The guy was brilliant. He knew the system so well. He found the solution, he activated the solution, under extreme circumstances ... it was my lucky day to be flying with him."

More info here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gemini_8
My step father was a tailgunner in a Lancaster. When I got a chance to go inside one, I crawled into the tail section. It must have been terrifying. - dan
 
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