P.E.I. men who died on the same plane during WW II honoured with new monument
CBC
Two Island families say they're grateful to see the names of their loved ones on a permanent monument recently unveiled at a Second World War crash site in Germany.
Frederick (Bob) Gates and Cyril Sutherland of P.E.I. were among 23 men killed when a Royal Air Force Douglas C-47 plane was shot down by the Germans in 1944.
In recent years, a group of historians has been working to uncover details of the crash and recover artifacts from the site in Neulingen, in southern Germany. In September, a ceremony was held to establish a permanent memorial.
"I'm really glad they recognized him like that,'' said Lloyd Gates, a veteran whose brother Bob was on the flight. "They should be recognized."
Members of the Canadian, British and German military were among the 100 people who attended the event — as well as descendants of the men killed and the sons of the German pilot who shot down the plane. The procession to the site included military vehicles from the 1940s and a bagpiper.
There were speeches, and a fly-by by three military aircraft performing the "missing man" formation.
After the unveiling of the memorial marker, which includes the story of the crash as well as the names and photos of all those who died, the Last Post was played.