Ferry Command
The monument “Ferry Command – 1940-1946” was dedicated in a ceremony at Gander Heritage Memorial Park on Sunday September 17 2017. new monument honours those brave civilian and military pilots. During the Battle of the Atlantic ceremony held on September 17, 2017, the monument was dedicated by the Reverend Wesley Oake.
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Ferry Command, a collaborative effort of civilians, the Royal Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force, and other allies, was an ambitious effort to transport combat aircraft manufactured in Canada and the United States to WWII operational airfields in the United Kingdom, and other theatres of war.
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To avoid catastrophic losses incurred by sea transport, the plan was to fly the aircraft across the North Atlantic Ocean. Given that there had been fewer then 100 successful air crossings of the Atlantic Ocean, the transatlantic flights of Ferry Command were an exercise in ingenuity, determination, and immense bravery.
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Over the course of the War, almost 3500 civilian and military personnel from 23 allied nations (including 1500 Newfoundlanders) played roles in Ferry Command. Of the 10,000 aircraft designated for trans-Atlantic delivery, an unanticipated 95% arrived safely. A significant number of flights across the North Atlantic departed Gander at night and during the winter months. At least 560 personnel lost their lives in these efforts.
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On the evening of November 10, 1940, seven Lockheed Hudson bombers, led by Captain C.T. Bennett, departed Gander to attempt the 2100 mile crossing of the Atlantic to Great Britain. Eleven hours later all seven aircraft landed successfully in Northern Ireland.
Inscription
Atlantic Ferry Command 1940-46
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Better not be at all than not be noble
Ferry Command
The monument “Ferry Command – 1940-1946” was dedicated in a ceremony at Gander Heritage Memorial Park on Sunday September 17 2017. new monument honours those brave civilian and military pilots. During the Battle of the Atlantic ceremony held on September 17, 2017, the monument was dedicated by the Reverend Wesley Oake.
_x000D_
Ferry Command, a collaborative effort of civilians, the Royal Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force, and other allies, was an ambitious effort to transport combat aircraft manufactured in Canada and the United States to WWII operational airfields in the United Kingdom, and other theatres of war.
_x000D_
To avoid catastrophic losses incurred by sea transport, the plan was to fly the aircraft across the North Atlantic Ocean. Given that there had been fewer then 100 successful air crossings of the Atlantic Ocean, the transatlantic flights of Ferry Command were an exercise in ingenuity, determination, and immense bravery.
_x000D_
Over the course of the War, almost 3500 civilian and military personnel from 23 allied nations (including 1500 Newfoundlanders) played roles in Ferry Command. Of the 10,000 aircraft designated for trans-Atlantic delivery, an unanticipated 95% arrived safely. A significant number of flights across the North Atlantic departed Gander at night and during the winter months. At least 560 personnel lost their lives in these efforts.
_x000D_
On the evening of November 10, 1940, seven Lockheed Hudson bombers, led by Captain C.T. Bennett, departed Gander to attempt the 2100 mile crossing of the Atlantic to Great Britain. Eleven hours later all seven aircraft landed successfully in Northern Ireland.
Le texte de l’inscription figure dans la section anglaise.