Relatives and descendants of a World War II pilot are set to gather on Saturday to take part in a ceremony near the site where he died after his plane crashed in Cape Breton 80 years ago.
A local association will unveil two commemorative plaques in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, honoring Montreal-born aviator William Arthur James Bennet, who died at the age of 21.
On August 6, Officer Bennet was piloting a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) training plane with three other aviators. Enveloped in thick fog near Cap-Rouge, Nova Scotia, the aircraft, a twin-engine Avro Anson V, crashed on Mount Jerome, northeast of Cheticamp. It had taken off from Summerside, Prince Edward Island.
The injured passengers were rescued the next day, but after two days of searching, a team found Bennet’s body on a densely wooded slope of the mountain.
At the time, an RCAF investigation determined that the aircraft was flying well south of its planned route over the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The cause of the navigational error is unknown.
The event planned at the Mkwesaqtuk/Cap-Rouge campground is organized by Les Amis du Plein Air, a group of outdoor enthusiasts who collaborate with Parks Canada.
Relatives of the team members who survived the accident are expected to be present.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
