Field of Crosses Sunset Ceremony - Royal Canadian Airforce Day

Sunset is at 18:09

Today's Sunset Flag Lowering Ceremony is dedicated to recognizing the 1,023 fallen Airforce members within the Field of Crosses including and honouring the British Commonwealth Air Training Program. At the peak of the British Commonwealth Air Training Program’s presence in Alberta, a command headquarters was established in Calgary that was responsible for the network of training schools in the province. As the focus of a Commonwealth-wide effort to instruct aircrew, Canada made a major contribution to Allied air superiority during World War II. At the program’s peak, 94 schools operating at 231 sites across Canada, the ground organization numbered over 104 thousand men and women and three thousand trainees graduated each month. At a cost of more than $ 1.6 billion, 132 thousand pilots, navigators, bomb aimers, wireless operators, air gunners, and flight engineers graduated.

Participants and invited guests:

Each evening cadets, scouts, guides, etc. are invited and scheduled to perform the flag lowering detail. The sunset ceremonies also include choirs, buglers, pipers, flag detail, uniformed members of the community, including Calgary Fire Department, Calgary Police Services, EMS, Alberta Sheriffs and Military Members. Invited guests include civic, provincial, federal government officials, Lieutenant Governor of Alberta, Governor General of Canada, Consul Generals, uniformed members of the community, Veterans, community leaders and members of the public.

After the ceremony, members of the public are welcome to walk amongst the crosses all night long and into the morning dawn.

Susan Schalin (s.schalin@fieldofcrosses.com)

403-297-0555

www.fieldofcrosses.com