RCAF Remembers Pilots Who Fought in Pivotal Battle of Britain 86 Years Ago

MOOSE JAW, Sask.—Saskatchewan-born airman Camille Robespierre Bonseigneur was one of 117 Canadians who flew in the Battle of Britain in 1940, but he died before the pivotal three-month battle ended.

Bonseigneur, 22, was killed on Sept. 3, 1940, when a German plane shot down his Hurricane. He was one of 23 Canadian pilots killed during the battle.

His sacrifice, along with those of his fellow Canadian and Allied airmen, was remembered on Sept. 20 at 15 Wing Air Base in Moose Jaw, Sask., during a ceremony marking the 86th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

The ceremony took place near the runway, with an older CT-156 Harvard II trainer and the new CT-102B Astra II trainer serving as the backdrop.

“Though [Bonseigneur’s] life was cut short, his courage and commitment earned him a place amongst the few,” Lt.-Col. Craig Cloete, the acting base commander, said during the ceremony.

Cloete said the airmen’s determination helped defend freedom during one of Britain’s darkest periods, and continues to inspire today’s pilots.

Their example “reminds us that courage is not the absence of fear; rather, it’s the willingness to act despite fear,” he said.

Cloete compared the Battle of Britain pilots to firefighters protecting a city from a major fire and preventing it from spreading.

Although the world has changed dramatically in the 86 years since the battle, he said the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) can still learn from those who fought in it by “staying ready, remaining agile, and being adaptive.”

He also said today’s training programs build on the heritage established by the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan during World War II.

Trainees have inherited a responsibility to remain ready, uphold the public’s trust, and help ensure future generations inherit a nation that is strong, free, and secure, Cloete said.

“To the heroes of the Battle of Britain … know that your sacrifice has not been forgotten,” he said. “Your courage inspires us, your legacy still endures, your example still lights the way for those who serve.”

Cloete also quoted former British prime minister Winston Churchill’s famous description of the Battle of Britain: “Never, in the field of human conflict, was so much owed by so many to so few.”

“More than 80 years later, the legacy of ‘the few’ lives on in every generation of aviators who choose service before self and in every Canadian who enjoys the freedoms they help preserve,” Cloete said.

Second Lt. Maxime Blouin, a student pilot, told reporters after the ceremony that remembering the airmen who fought in the battle is important, particularly because the need for courage remains relevant to pilots today.

Flying can be dangerous, risky, and sometimes paralyzing, he said, but fear cannot prevent pilots from doing what is required.

“We have to do what the mission requires of us because there’s a lot of people that count on us,” Blouin said.

Blouin has trained on the Harvard II for more than a year and described it as “a wonderful machine” that demands a lot from him as a pilot. He added that he will complete his training on the Harvard II, making the RCAF’s transition to the Astra “slightly bittersweet.”

Second Lt. Rhea Panashtia, another student pilot, said the ceremony was emotional as it honoured the Canadians who made the “ultimate sacrifice” during the battle.

She said such ceremonies also help her focus on “the bigger picture” during her training and before her next flight.

“You remember why you’re here, why you’re in uniform,” Panashtia said. “And to me, that’s a very special reminder. This is something I’ve wanted to do my whole life.”

Panashtia said she is working to uphold the responsibility Canadians have placed on her while emulating the selflessness that previous generations of pilots have demonstrated.

She said it is difficult to comprehend that many of the young airmen who died in past wars were roughly her age.

“It’s almost unimaginable,” she said, reflecting on how people so young had committed themselves to a cause much bigger than themselves.