In Texas fields, no poppies blow; “forgotten” Canadians and Britons

Posted on | 10 November 2008 | Comments Off

 

 In Texas fields no poppies blow: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (373)

Please note that there is an update to this post, and details are below.

During World War I, thousands of  Royal Flying Corps officers and men came to Texas for flight training.  However, many came only to die without ever facing the enemy and never returning home to Canada or the UK.

This video is about eleven of those.

My mother says in World War II, a Canadian cousin ( a real cousin by blood) came to Fort Worth for flight training.  He then went to Liberal, Kansas, for advanced training and was lost in a crash.   My mother says they first suspected Nazi sabotage, but eventually blamed the government.  Wayne washed out of pilot school and became a navigator.  Mother says the kids decided it was the government’s failure to make Wayne a pilot that cost his life and the lives of his crew.  Not sure which government she meant.

The graves in the video are at Greenwood Cemetery.  Every other year, the cemetery hosts a commemoration at the site on Memorial Day, the American holiday honoring war dead.

UPDATE – 7 July 2009 – The new post is up and details honors that are given the graves.  The Friends of the Royal Flying Corps Graves holds biennial services.  More information and a look at their latest service can be found here – http://tiny.cc/WDYC918.  Please feel free to leave any comments or contact me personally.

UPDATE – 6 July 2009 – As there has been a lot of activity on ths site of late, I want to announce there is an update on this event and a long overdue new post will be up by the end of this day.  Recently, a Royal Canadian Air Force squadron (also in Texas for training) held a ceremony honoring their fallen comrades.  I will have information on that and more at the new post.  Please pass the word. ld

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