From 1941 to 1944, 35 pilots and instructors with the Royal Air Force were killed in Central Alberta. They were not killed in battles raging over war-torn countries in Europe or Asia; they died in Penhold and Bowden, while training for those dangerous assignments.
In 1941, the British Royal Air Force established the No. 36 Service Flying Training School in Penhold, just south of Red Deer. At its peak, up to 1,400 people trained in Penhold, with another 800 in training at Bowden. During day and night training fl ights, a variety of accidents occurred, claiming the lives of 35 airmen – students and instructors from Canada, Britain, Australia and New Zealand. The names of all 35 individuals are listed on the grey granite monument in the Penhold Field of Honour. However, only 22 of these men are buried in Red Deer Cemetery, and the remaining 13 are interred in Innisfail. The Penhold Field of Honour is maintained with funding from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
