Frankss asks me to post the following:
I did a UN tour with Canadian 116 Air Transport Unit in Ismailia Egypt back in the 70's.
We supported UNEF2 between Egypt and Israel and UNDOF between Syrian and Israel and supported the UN in Cyprus.
We flew a short take off and landing aircraft the DeHavilland Buffalo. People from the Vietnam war may remember the Caribou, well the Buffalo was the replacement, and had turboprop engines a T tail and greater payload.
A scheduled UN flight #51 flying a Buffalo with tail number 461 was shot down by three Syrian SAM's as it crossed over from Lebanon to Syria on its way to Damascus.
Nine Canadians were killed, it was the greatest loss of Canadian lives doing UN service in one incident.
The aircraft was shot down on 9 August 1974. (August has been officially declared Peacekeepers Day in Canada.)
The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (CWHM) at Hamilton Airport, Ontario, restores aircraft to flying condition. The actually have a flying Lancaster Bomber.
They obtained a crashed Sudanese Air Force Buffalo in North Carolina and trucked it home. Over seven years working outdoors in all season they rebuilt it in the UN colours of Buffalo 461. Though she is not in flying condition at this time.
On 9 August 2009, they held a Dedication Ceremony on the 25th anniversary of shooting down of 461.
CWHM a civilian organized a parade in the military sense for the dedication.
It was a fantastic occasion. The aircraft was on the tarmac, a colour party of over 60 flags parade in front of the aircraft. Two flights of veterans of 116 ATU and Canadian Veterans of UN Peacekeepers formed the two sides of a 3 sided box off the colour party. There were two pipe and drum bands and a brass and reed band.
There was the Governor General of Ontario plus the usual group of politicians. But there family members of the deceased. A Chaplain gave a great sermon/speech about how back then there were no Ramp ceremonies nor Highway of Heroes, which is so true. I had a friend die in Cyprus and it took twenty plus years before she received from the Government her paperwork on being a Silver Cross Mother.
It was a very emotional parade, many tears were cried. A Dakota DC 3 did a fly past and later a Hercules from 424 Squadron which trained and supplied members to 116 ATU.
When the CWHM was looking for information on the Buffalo and its UN paint scheme, they found enough interest to have a 116 ATU reunion dinner at their hanger on the night of the 8th.
Most Canadians don't know about the loss of this aircraft, as it was the same time Nixon was stepping down and Ford became President, so it dominated the news.
But I think that – TMP being a place of wargamers who are history buffs – you may just like to hear about this bit of remembrance.
