Members of Gyro International gathered at a memorial and placed flowers in remembrance of those who served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War.
On Tuesday (June 4) members of Gyro, a menB次元官网网址檚 social organization, placed flowers at the memorial outside the BC Aviation Museum in North Saanich, along with the landscape architect who designed the memorial, Illarion Gallant.
The memorial first was specifically designed to be dedicated to Robert Hampton Gray, the last Canadian to die in the war when his plane was shot down after leading a successful attack against a Japanese ship.
The memorial features a wall with information about GrayB次元官网网址檚 journey, and has a number of maple leaves dedicated to others who fought in the same war.
B次元官网网址淪o I said, B次元官网网址榠f I do this, I want to do this wall for the other people who died,B次元官网网址 and [the museum] said yes, so that represented the other men from [Greater] Victoria who died in battle, thatB次元官网网址檚 what the flowers are about,B次元官网网址 said Gallant.
ItB次元官网网址檚 the second memorial he has designed dedicated to the air force. The first, built in 2017, is a row of Cooper Hawk feathers with the names of air force members listed on the sides at a popular spot for plane spotters near the Victoria airport.
B次元官网网址淭he Cooper Hawk, its range is from California and it goes as far as say the mid-island in the Winter and they are quite ferocious actually. [Scientists] found their chest bones have been always been broken because they just nail trees, so their these ferocious hunters who are always getting injured,B次元官网网址 he said. B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 why I chose the Coopers Hawk as a symbol of these people who were learning to be fighters.B次元官网网址
Since the first memorial was built, he has received numerous emails from the families of people whoB次元官网网址檚 names are listed on the feathers asking for him to place flowers at the memorial on their behalf.
Gallant visits his memorials every Remembrance Day, but invites people to visit and pay their respect any day of the year and place flowers for those who served.
Read More: