‘A great amount of pride’
14 Wing Greenwood pilot leads fly-by for Battle of Vimy Ridge centennial
It’ll be hard for Lt. Col. Bruno Baker to ever top his latest homecoming adventure.
Based at 14 Wing Greenwood, the military pilot recently flew a CP-140 Aurora over his hometown near Vimy-ridge, Que., April 9 as part of a commemorative fly-by for the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
“(I felt) a great amount of pride to be able to go to my hometown area that I grew up in and help them commemorate this, and show them what the Royal Canadian Air Force has, and what we do for Canada,” said Baker during an interview with Kings County News.
Baker worked as a reporter in the area from 1984 to 1990, and noted some of the journalists he used to encounter on assignments were watching the fly-by.
“There were a few relatives, many friends and my father was also the master of ceremonies of that day.”
Baker’s crew made three passes over the ceremony at varying speeds. Flying at an altitude of about 500 feet, he could tell there were about 200 people watching from the ceremony below.
“We could see the people very well on the ground waving at us as we were going by,” he recalled.
He knew there’d be familiar faces on the ground and an added bonus – his father’s voice in his ear.
“To be able to talk to my father as we were co-ordinating this fly-past is something I would have never thought I would do in my dreams, so that made it extra special,” said Baker, commanding officer of 404 Long Range Patrol and Training Squadron.
The deadly Battle of Vimy Ridge occurred during the First World War, and began on April 9, 1917.
“The Battle of Vimy Ridge proved to be a great success, but it only came at a heavy cost. The some 100,000 Canadians who served there suffered more than 10,600 casualties, nearly 3,600 of which were fatal,” states a post on Veterans Affairs Canada’s website titled “The Battle of Vimy Ridge.”
Baker was honoured to play a role in the fly-by paying tribute to the brave Canadians who travelled to France to fight in the crucial battle 100 years ago.
“Everything is exciting about flying but this is special because that’s where you get the feedback of how truly the population appreciates what you’re doing and how important it is,” said Baker, reflecting on the Vimy Ridge fly-by. “It sort of re-emphasizes that what you do is right, and it’s something to be proud of.”