As the Royal Canadian Air Force C-130 Hercules flew overhead, the smile on Richard Earl’s face grew wider. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * As the Royal Canadian Air Force C-130 Hercules flew overhead, the smile on Richard Earl’s face grew wider. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? As the Royal Canadian Air Force C-130 Hercules flew overhead, the smile on Richard Earl’s face grew wider.
“I’ve never experienced a fly-by until today. It was in my honour and it’s very, very humbling,” said Earl, an RCAF veteran, as he celebrated his 100th birthday with friends, family and air force personnel on Wednesday. The RCAF is honouring 100 years of service, having been formed on April 1, 1924.
Ruth Bonneville / Free Press Richard Earl with his daughter and members of the RCAF celebrate his 100th birthday, Tuesday. To mark both occasions, the Hercules flew over Earl’s assisted-living centre in Fort Garry as partygoers cheered and applauded. Earl, who was born on July 3, 1924, was one of the first members of 435 Squadron, which was established in India in 1944 and disbanded in 1946, after the Second World War.
While he was stationed in India and Burma (present-day Myanmar), he flew supplies to the British army so they could fight the Japanese. He remembers how thick the forests were as he flew over Burma. The squadron was later reactivated in Edmonton and relocated to 17 Wing in Winnip.
