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Estevan's legion donates to commemoration of plane crash

Donation will support efforts to pay tribute to victims of 1946 plane crash.
Estevan Royal Canadian Legion donation
From left, Estevan Royal Canadian Legion Sergeant at Arms Willie Forrest, plane crash of 1946 commemoration committee members Allison Holzer and Marie Calder, and legion donations committee chair Tyson Wilhelm.

ESTEVAN - The Estevan branch of the Royal Canadian Legion has shown its support for a committee preserving local history.

The legion presented a cheque for $2,500 to the group that is paying tribute to the victims of the plane crash of 1946 that occurred south of Estevan. Allison Holzer and Marie Calder accepted the cheque on behalf of the committee.

Twenty-one airmen, including 20 pilots and a ground crew member, died in an airplane crash south of the city on Sept. 15, 1946. All were members of the Royal Canadian Air Force. 

A community event is scheduled for July 8 and 9 to honour the victims. 

In recent years, there have been efforts to honour the victims. Calder was part of a separate committee involved with the Forever in the Clouds wooden monument, which was carved by Alberta sculptor Darren Jones. It has the faces of each of the airmen. And Calder released the book Together Forever in the Clouds last year, with profiles on each of the people who died.