Eloise Ogden/MDN This was the front page of The Minot Daily News on September 16, 1946, when a story was published about 21 Royal Canadian Air Force men killed in a crash while attempting to land at Estevan military airport in Estevan, Saskatchewan. The aviators will be remembered during a presentation ceremony at the Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot.
Seventy-six years ago, 21 Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) pilots were killed in a DC-3 Dakota crash near Estevan, Saskatchewan, while they were returning to Estevan from Minot.
The accident was one of the worst accidents involving the peacetime RCAF.
On Monday, May 29, the Dakota Territory Air Museum will host a presentation ceremony at 11a.m. the anniversary of the September 15, 1946, Dakota RCAF DC-3 crash near Estevan. This ceremony is open to everyone.
That morning in September 1946, RCAF pilots were assigned to return Cornell trainer aircraft from airfields in Canada to Fargo and Minot as part of the Lend Lease Agreement between Great Britain and the United States during World War II. From #124 Squadron (Ferry), Rockcliffe near Ottawa, Ontario, they were stationed temporarily at the former #38 Service Flying Training School in Estevan.
The Forever in the Clouds Memorial Committee in Estevan spent over two years searching for members of the aviator family and planning three days of memorial activities for July 2022. Marie Donais Calder gathered historical information and communicated with members of all 21 families and wrote “Together Forever in the Clouds,” the story of the crash and each aviator.
On July 9, 2022, family and community members gathered to honor the aviators and dedicate a memorial at the crash site. Of the 21 families, 14 were represented by more than 60 people from Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Crete and Mallorca.
As part of follow-up events related to the accident, the Dakota Territory Air Museum and the Forever in the Clouds Memorial Committee have jointly produced a framed photo of the Cairn memorial plaque to be presented to the air museum on Monday in hopes of preserving the story. this dedicated aviator lives by bringing him to a wider audience.
Calder, author of “Together Forever in the Clouds,” will attend the presentation. the video, “Together Forever in the Clouds,” has been nominated for an award at the Yorkton Film Festival (Saskatchewan) and can be seen on Facebook. Those interested can join a private Facebook group: Forever in the Clouds 75th Memorial.
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