Funeral flyby to honour memory of Saskatchewan WWII veteran

The funeral for a Saskatchewan veteran of the Second World War will include an aerial tribute by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).

A pair of CT-156 Harvard II trainers from 15 Wing Moose Jaw will be flying low over Moose Jaw on Thursday afternoon – as long as weather permits – to honour the memory of Allen Cameron, who served as an aircraft mechanic during the Second World War.

Cameron died Aug. 29 at age 98.

Cameron, who joined the air force in 1941 and completed his basic training in Moose Jaw, was an active and patriotic member of the community until his final days, even singing the national anthem at a Moose Jaw Warriors game in February. His performance received a standing ovation.

“It doesn’t matter what you’re going to do in life; you have to have some encouragement or satisfaction from it,” Cameron said after his singing performance.

Cameron said he was even a singer during his military service, and recalled a story about his time serving in Italy with the 417 Spitfire Squadron.

“I was walking between two Spitfires and I was singing the song ‘I Don’t Want To Set The World On Fire,’ and then I heard a voice saying, ‘Don’t worry, you won’t,’ ” he said.

The flyby Thursday will take the two aircraft over the Moose Jaw Funeral Home on Mulberry Lane at approximately 2 p.m. The planes will fly no lower than 500 feet, the air force noted.

(Canadian Forces Snowbirds/Facebook)

In addition to the flyby, Cameron’s funeral will be attended by Col. Dan Coutts, commander of 15 Wing, along with other dignitaries.

“Flybys by RCAF aircraft are carefully planned and closely controlled for public safety and are dependent upon weather and flying conditions,” 15 Wing noted in a statement.

— With files from Discover Moose Jaw