Halifax 57 Rescue (Canada)
RCAF HALIFAX LW170 Recovery
(424 Squadron)
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Halifax 57 Rescue (Canada)
RCAF HALIFAX LW170 Recovery (424 Squadron) |
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LW170 Recovery Phase I
Progress Reports
Halifax 57 Rescue
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Progress Report No.14 August 10, 2006 By Karl Kjarsgaard (Project Manager)
Registered Charity 84586 5740 RR0001
As we prepare to celebrate with our friends and partners the 20th anniversary of the Nanton Lancaster Museum and the first anniversary of the beautiful Bomber Command Memorial Wall, I wanted to let you know the latest on the developments to save RCAF Halifax LW170.
If you will notice the date above, this is the day some 61 years ago, in 1945, when RAF 518 MET. Squadron Halifax LW170 ditched west of Tiree, Scotland. I am sure the Peijus crew who flew her that day did not know of her previous exciting combat career with RCAF 424 Squadron in 1944 nor did they care. While sitting all day in their dinghy hoping for their rescue, which finally came as the “beautiful” banana freighter Jamaica-Producer pulled up beside them, they were just trying to stay alive.
They did all of Canada a favour with that textbook ditching of their Halifax, for while the scrapyard crews in England were busily cutting up all the Halifaxes, they had unintentionally saved Halifax LW170 from an ignoble end and gave us the wonderful opportunity of a lifetime to recover a mighty symbol of aviation history and sword of Freedom for all of Canada.
LW170 has the potential to be the most historic Canadian combat aircraft ever to have survived the war. What a wonderful tribute she will be to all those wonderful young warriors who flew, fought, and sacrificed for all our freedoms. Go look on THE WALL at the names and understand why we must save this Halifax.
For their sake, and for all our children to come, we must not waver in our efforts and aims to bring RCAF Halifax LW170 home.
“Press on regardless…” .
On to Business – These are the Hali-facts
In Progress Report 12A ( remember there is no such thing as a 13 in Bomber Command crew language) I was able to tell of the exciting and pending invitation of Halifax 57 Rescue (Canada) to attend the Air Venture 2006 week-long airshow at Oshkosh, Wisconsin on July 24-30.
Thanks to the kind invitation of EAA Canada representative and Oshkosh organizer Jack Dueck of the High River, Alberta chapter, our museum partners of the Nanton Lancaster Society and our group were invited to attend and provide hosting at a special warbird tent at the airshow. Our main function was as a support group for the CWH Lancaster aircraft flying in from Canada as one of the main themes of the airshow this year was the contribution of Bomber Command to victory in World War 2.
We think it was a great success with the EAA High River chapter people working with the Nanton museum people and 3 of our directors, Chris Charland, Jim Blondeau, and myself to support the heavy bomber star of the airshow, the CWH Lancaster. Much goodwill and Canada-USA relations were generated by our activities around the Lanc as we promoted the EAA sponsorship of the Lanc and the contributions of Bomber Command to Allied Victory.
It was one of the most stirring sights to see 3 B-17s, a B-24 Liberator, and the Lanc in formation together in the heavy bomber flypast at Oshkosh with several B-25 Mitchells also flying in formation. Truly a great gathering of “heavy metal” that is very seldom seen anymore. ( If we could have had a Halifax bomber in that formation that would have been the best of all – of course, if I had been flying that Halifax, I would have held the Halifax back at low power settings so as to allow the other aircraft to keep up).
To promote the Halifax Project and the aims of Halifax 57 Rescue (Canada) our directors were maximizing the opportunities to meet all of our American and international audience at the airshow. To promote the RCAF Americans, those Americans who flew, fought, and died in the RCAF we provided all kinds of information to the audience. This was in the form of combat data from the archives, names of Americans killed-in-action from the “They Shall Grow Not Old” master reference, and a special music video tribute to the RCAF Americans produced by our own multi-media expert, Jim Blondeau.
Further to this, Halifax 57 Rescue was allowed to show this wonderful music video tribute at the “Theater in The Woods” as the closing feature of their first night’s program, that is how well Jim’s video tribute was received by the Theater’s managers. We were also allowed to make a presentation at the Warbird pilots briefing room on the Tuesday of the airshow. Then on the Thursday night we were able to set up an outdoor theater at the re-enactors’ military campsite and give a full presentation of the Halifax Project telling all about the Bomber Command Memorial Wall and the great museum at Nanton, Alberta.
Many Americans had no idea of the extent of the American participation in the RCAF so we really tried to spread the word about our activities and that of the Bomber Command memorial activities at the Nanton Lancaster Society.
I must mention the great job done by Director Chris Charland to gain support for our cause by recruiting radio, TV, and newspaper interest for the Halifax Project and our group. We had 2 radio interviews which also went out on an internet broadcast with a half-page newspaper article on our RCAF Americans story. On top of the this Jim Blondeau’s musical tribute to Tom Withers, our RCAF American air gunner killed-in-action on a 405 Squadron Halifax, was broadcast several times that week on those radio stations. All of this thanks to the efforts of Chris to gain support for our group.
I must point out at how the internet has helped, as shown by our July website figures, to tell the story and raise support for the Halifax Project. Due to the newspaper article written by reporter and keen supporter of our project, Michael Hammond, our project news went out all over Canada in early July in the national press. Along with the press generated at the Air Venture airshow, which also went all over the world, we had a new record for visitors to our official website in July, over 15,000 people in 1 month. That is 500 per day!!
I have reported all of the preceding information and progress to all our supporting government officials and executives to keep them fully up to speed on the positive way things are going for us. I will be meeting with Laurie Hawn MP and briefing Senator Anne Cools in September to further our strategies to get the full funding we need to complete Phase 1 of the Halifax Project. Standby for further on these critical issues of funding.
With regard to donations, fund raising, and support it has been brought to my attention by Paul Downey of Newton and Company, our registered charity advisors, that there is a very special way we could raise significant funding for the Halifax Project. For those persons who believe in our cause and project and wish to make a donation to our charitable group, they can donate, instead of cash (which sometimes is in short supply !), the company stock which they hold.
I know that some of our supporting families and persons hold company stocks and securities which they know are of good value. The tax benefits and tax laws now allow for donation of these stocks to a registered charity with the same tax benefits as those people who donate cash.
Considering all our efforts and difficulties over these past months to find the funding we need and the critical timing we have now to get started in the summer of 2007, I ask you now to please consider the following.
I ask that these stocks which you hold, but have not decided where or to whom they would be passed on, that you would please consider donating them to Halifax 57 Rescue (Canada). I do not normally nor would I casually bring up this issue but we must find the funding soon if we are to succeed in our mission. Please contact me at our headquarters if you have ideas on these urgent matters of donations and funding.
I would like to thank all the Royal Canadian Legions for their renewed support of our group by the purchase of our exciting Halifax Limited-Edition signed prints of LW170, “INVINCIBLE ITEM”. We have over 25 Legion branches from all over Canada who have purchased this special signed print of our RCAF Halifax painting which they are displaying in their branch.
Considering almost all the branches have had a Lancaster image on display for years it is high time they had an image of the Halifax also. It would be very appropriate for all branches to have this Halifax painting as over 70% of all bomber operation done by the RCAF were on the Halifax aircraft ! We hope to hear from every single branch across our great land willing to buy “INVINCIBLE ITEM” as they will be supporting our cause in saving Canada’s last Halifax.
We are very keen to tell you about the pending release and sale of the exciting new CD-ROM, the digital encyclopedia of the Handley Page Halifax, called “HALIFAX EXPLORED” by Flying Zone Publications. With over 2000 pages of text, photos, and coloured diagrams of the history of the Halifax bomber as well as stories all about the 3 surviving Halifaxes this promises to be the definitive source of all data and information on the famous bomber. Bryan Atkinson and his group have worked like blazes to make this be the best source of information on the Halifax. We hope to see it released sometime this fall. Standby for release dates and prices which will be announced very soon.
We will be leaving soon to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Nanton Lancaster Society which we believe is the best Bomber Command Memorial in all of Canada. We thank them for their past support and wish them all the best, as our partners and friends, as we proceed in our mutual and honourable cause to pay tribute to the great sacrifice and victory of Bomber Command .
Best wishes to all, 212 - 2980 Colonial Road Sincerely, Sarsfield, ON Karl Kjarsgaard K0A 3E0 Project Manager Halifax 57 Rescue (Canada) phone 613 835 1748 email: 57rescuecanada@rogers.com
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