PHOTO ESSAY: Members of 12 Wing Celebrate the Heroism of WWII Air Force Personnel
Sept. 28, 2006
Captain Sonia Dumouchel-Connock
12 Wing Public Affairs Officer
Photos by MCpl Carrie Roy
DARTMOUTH, N.S. - In a ceremony held at the Dartmouth Cenotaph at Sullivan's Pond on Sept. 17th, members of 12 Wing Shearwater gathered with veterans, Air Force Association of Canada members, Air Cadets, and members of the public to remember and celebrate the brave contributions made by Air Force personnel during the Battle of Britain.
 | Members of 12 Wing Shearwater stand in formation before the Dartmouth Cenotaph at Sullivan's Pond during a ceremony celebrating the bravery shown by Air Force personnel during the Battle of Britain in 1940. |
Members of the maritime helicopter Wing, including a Colour Party and the 12 Wing Pipes and Drums, paraded along King and Ochterloney Streets to Sullivan's Pond. Col. Alan Blair, the Commanding Officer of 12 Wing, acted as the Reviewing Officer, and the Honourable Mayann E. Francis, the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, was the honoured guest at the ceremony.
 | Col. Alan Blair, the Commanding Officer of 12 Wing Shearwater, lays a wreath in memory of the Air Force personnel who bravely fought during the Battle of Britain, at the Sept. 17th Battle of Britain ceremony that took place at the Dartmouth Cenotaph. |
| | The Honourable Mayann E. Francis, the Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, was the honoured guest at the Sept. 17th Battle of Britain ceremony that took place at the Dartmouth Cenotaph. |
The historic Battle of Britain took place in the summer of 1940. Approximately three thousand pilots took to the skies to fight an aerial battle against the German Luftwaffe. The Battle of Britain, which was the only World War II battle fought entirely in the air, lasted almost four months.
 | A CH-124 Sea King helicopter from 12 Wing Shearwater conducts a fly-past during the Battle of Britain ceremony held at the Dartmouth Cenotaph on Sept. 17th. |
 | Brigadier General Rick Parsons, the Commander of Land Forces Atlantic Area, receives a salute from a veteran of the Canadian Air Force during the Sept. 17th Battle of Britain ceremony that took place at the Dartmouth Cenotaph. |
The Battle of Britain was meant as a prelude to the German invasion of Britain - an invasion that subsequently was abandoned because of the dedication and courage of the Air Force personnel who participated in this aerial contest. Though the Allies won the Battle of Britain, it was not without a cost - 544 pilots were killed or were missing in action during the four months of fighting.
- 30 -
