THUNDER BAY - A former Thunder Bay resident will travel to France to play a memorable role when one of the most significant battles in Canadian military history is celebrated on April 9.
Al French, now living in the Vancouver area, will pilot a replica Sopwith Pup biplane in a flypast for the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
Historians describe Canada's victory over a German force as a defining moment in the country's development as a nation.
French was born and raised in Thunder Bay where he was a member of the 66 Royal Canadian Air Cadet Squadron.
He subsequently became a fighter pilot with the RCAF, and later captained passenger planes for Air Canada before retiring 10 years ago.
The aircraft that French will fly at Vimy is a replica of the Sopwith Cub biplanes which Canadian pilots used over the battle.
It's one of two built from scratch by volunteers at the Canadian Museum of Flight in Langley, B.C., and will be transported to France along with five other biplanes in the belly of an RCAF C-17 transport.
French told tbnewswatch.com that he's "pumped" to be playing a role in the Vimy ceremony.
"I'm really honoured to be part of this. It's the heritage that came down to me. I really honour these guys. They knew very little about aerodynamics...They didn't know they needed oxygen to go up to 18,000 feet. They were really pioneers of aviation," he said.
French noted that Canadian pilots were particularly valued by Britain's military hierarchy during the First World War.
"Most British officers were more part of the aristocracy and didn't really have a technical education...The 'colonial' gentlemen were a little more technically adept and a little more open to new ideas...So the Canadians and Australians were a big part of the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service."
All the pilots who participate in the memorial flypast at Vimy will be veterans of the RCAF or the Royal Canadian Navy.
Prime Minister Trudeau and a representative of the royal family are expected to attend the commemoration, which is also being held in conjunction with Canada's 150th birthday celebrations.
