North Saanich’s BC Aviation Museum will be taking part in the April 9 commemoration of the Battle of Vimy Ridge in Victoria.
The Museum is one of six included in the program of displays, activities, music and more at Victoria’s Bay Street Armoury — and part of a larger group of 30 to 35 organizations marking the anniversary that day.
John Lewis, President of the BC Aviation Museum (BCAM) says their display will feature memorabilia, pictures and information from their archives about First World War aircraft.
“Vimy is seen as a defining moment in Canadian history,” Lewis said, “and we are very happy to be part of this anniversary.”
BCAM plans to have replica flight suits and aviator uniforms based on what pilots wore during the First World War.
They have helmets and goggles, maps and a variety of artifacts from that period to put on display.
In the Museum itself, located near the Victoria airport — which was built in the 193os as a training facility for Canadian and British aircrews during the Second World War — Lewis said they have on display a pair of First World War-era airplanes. The British-made S.E.5 and French-made Nieuport they own are seven-eighths scale replicas and cannot fly.
For information about the BC Aviation Museum, visit bcam.net.