Aims and Intent of 500 (City of Winnipeg) Wing, Air Force Association of Canada
(Republished from the 29 April 1998 issue of The Voxair)
This memorial is our plan to make a final salute to those Men and Women who, in the tumultuous years 1939-1945, put their lives on hold, whilst they banded together to fight a foe so ruthless and dangerous that, had he succeeded, the world would have become as Sir Winston Churchill said “More perverse by the thoughts and deeds of perverted men and science”. These young men came from all parts of the British Commonwealth, and from those countries overrun and occupied by the Nazis. They came to the only part of Commonwealth that was able to firstly comprehend and then have the available resources to build what again Sir Winston Churchill called “The Aerodrome of Democracy”. There were no previous plans to work from, only the skill, knowledge and fortitude to get the job done. What started as a trickle eventually developed into a raging tide of humanity, turning young boys into men. The whole free world owes a debt of gratitude to these young persons, many of whom were destined never to see their homes and families again.
We, the members of 500 (City of Winnipeg) Wing, Air Force Association, wish this memorial to be a tribute in perpetuity of those generations, not only those who were trained, but also to those who did the instructing and to the civilian population of this Province who assisted in many ways to make it work – the Nurses, Cooks, Clerks, Typists, Telephone Operators, Shop Assistants, etc., and to the families who made these young men welcome in their homes. We wish this memorial to be a reminder to future generations of the sacrifices made for the freedoms we now enjoy.
It is our hope that we can raise sufficient funds that will allow us to set up a Trust Fund that will provide for the upkeep and ongoing maintenance of the memorial without all levels of authority needing to contribute. It is also hoped that our “Garden of Memories” will serve as a constant reminder to all people as to what a Nation and it’s peoples, especially of this Province of Manitoba, can do when called upon. We are the last generation who remember those days, and we must do it now, or it will be forgotten. And finally, to uphold and remember the glorious traditions of the Royal Canadian Air Force.