CANADIAN airmen have flown halfway round the world to honour their comrades from a previous generation at Teesside Airport.
They paid their respects and laid their wreaths this morning at the memorial stone outside the officers' mess at what was RAF Middleton St George where thousands of their countrymen served during the Second World War.
And where hundreds of them died: 1,266 airmen flying out of the Bomber Command airfield gave their lives during the war.
They included Flying Officer Andrew Mynarski of the 419 "Moose" Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force who was awarded a Victoria Cross for his self-sacrificing efforts to save his crewmate from a burning Lancaster bomber. His statue stands outside the officers' mess, and the annual ceremony is held as close to the anniversary of his death - June 13, 1944 - as possible.
Col Ron Walker and Lt-Col Ryan Keen of the RCAF with Rev David Haslam, of RAF Leeming, and the statue of Andrew Mynarski
"This is where our squadron came into being during the Second World War and this ceremony is deeply entrenched in our squadron history," said Lt-Col Ryan "Moose" Keen, the commanding officer of 419 "Moose" Squadron. "It is important we keep that connection going with our squadron's history and between our two countries.
"If we don't carry on this legacy no one else will, so it is important that we continue with events like this memorial."
Deputy Lord Lieutenant Pam Royle with the Canadian airmen and Group Captain Gareth Prendergast, commanding officer of RAF Leeming, to her left. Geoff Hill, chairman of the RAF Middleton St George Memorial Association is on the right
Lt-Col Keen followed Deputy Lord Lieutenant Pam Royle, the Queen's representative, in laying a wreath. They were followed by the mayor of Darlington, Cllr Jan Cossins, two local MPs, Peter Gibson and Paul Howell, and the mayor of the Tees Valley, Ben Houchen, making his first public appearance since being made a lord in Boris Johnson's resignation honours.
Tees Valley mayor Ben Houchen lays a wreath
Other wreaths were laid by members of the Royal Air Force Association, Royal British Legion, local cadet forces, Middleton St George Parish Council and the airport.
"We were blessed with good weather which has helped the ceremony go very well," said Geoff Hill, chairman of the MSG Memorial Association which organised the event.
The Canadian contingent arrived in the country yesterday and fly out on Monday morning.
Local cadets and Canadian airmen at the Mynarski statue
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