I've created and maintained hundreds of military tribute Webpages since 1996. A major site that I've edited and hosted since 2000 has been that for the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum in Brandon.

In preparation for a 4-hour reality documentary on the training and exploits of the Commonwealth airmen and aircrews during WWII, Frantic Films phoned me to ask if I knew of relatives of RCAF members who had gone through the BCATP and WWII experiences. They were looking for a young man of recruitment age to appear in their documentary along with other descendents of a bomber crew.

I mentioned that I had three uncles who had lost their lives overseas in bomber crashes in Germany, Italy and England and we had two sons in their twenties. They were very interested in our younger son Robin, who was closest to the age they required. Before long the film crew came to our Brandon home and also to Brandon University where I worked and from where Robin had just graduated. 

Next, they filmed him in "basic training" on a former BCATP base in Ontario. Cameras recorded the bomber-crew-to-be in classrooms, shooting ranges, hangars, barracks, canteens, and flying in a Tiger Moth and Lancaster. The easiest part for Robin was the drill training since he had spent many years as an Air Cadet. 

After this "reality" training they flew the crew to England and Europe for further filming as they visited military locations, veterans, and grave sites. They even filmed Robin kneeling by the monument at his uncle Bill's crash site. 

It was a great adventure for our son and he had many memorable experiences to share with us. We've viewed the videos many times and I did a series of screen captures that I thought might be of interest to our readers.