The public is invited to a memorial service Sunday, Nov. 13, 2022, at Mesa Cemetery in Mesa, Arizona, to honor British cadets who died while learning to fly at Falcon Field (KFFZ) during World War II.
The annual memorial is open to the public and is a tradition for Mesa residents, who view the wartime presence of the British as a vital part of Mesa and Arizona history, according to officials with CAF Airbase Arizona Flying Museum.
Eight decades ago, as World War II escalated in Europe, several thousand young British cadets arrived in the U.S. to learn how to fly in combat, then returned to battles in progress to win the war, officials explained.
A large number of British cadets went to an airfield in Mesa, Arizona, to begin primary training in biplanes, and then moved up to single-engine fighter-trainers, such as the AT-6 Texan. The British Royal Air Force organization named the facility Falcon Field, which is still in operation today.
According to officials, 23 of the Falcon Field cadets lost their lives in training mishaps and were buried in a special area at Mesa Cemetery.
“The support by Arizonans toward the war effort and its many allied airmen, soldiers, and war workers is legendary, and is very well-regarded by family members of the cadets and British organizations who return every year for the ceremony,” museum officials noted.
The one-hour program, which begins at 10:45 a.m., will include remarks by Mesa Mayor John Giles, a performance by the Mesa Caledonian Pipe Band, a gun salute, a wreath laying by the British Consulate, representatives of the Royal Air Force and Daughters of the British Empire, and a missing man fly-over with the customary two minutes of silence at 11 a.m. There is no admission charge.
The annual memorial is organized by RAF Memorial Partners. In addition to CAF Airbase Arizona, the group includes representatives from the Falcon Field Association Next Generation, the No. 4 British Flying Training School Association, the Mesa Caledonian Pipe Band, and St. Mark’s Episcopal Church.
CAF Airbase Arizona Flying Museum, a unit of the Commemorative Air Force, has operated from Falcon Field for more than 44 years.
Every year at the 11th hour of the 11th day in the 11th month … Canadians remember …“Lest we Forget” … the sacrifices of those who gave their lives so that we can live in freedom.
The time and date of the occasion goes back to the time and date that World War
One came to an end.