A great day on July 30 as the RCAF C-17 arrived at RCAF TRENTON base with our precious wings and wing tip for the Halifax restoration. 54 feet of Handley Page heaven courtesy of a 429 Squadron giant C-17 from Prestwick, Scotland!
How appropriate, —  as 429 Squadron flew HALIFAXES in WW2 and came to the rescue of Halifax 57 Rescue in their hour of need on this most special 100th anniversary of the RCAF in 2024.
I am thinking back to over a year ago, when we located the 2 outer wing panels in the UK and started to realize we could acquire these Handley Page “honeys” for our HALIFAX rebuild for the Bomber Command Museum of Canada and her Halifax bomber.
BUT HOW to get them to the colonies, you say!??
This is where it has become most heart-warming to realize people from all over the world – our friends, supporters, and families of our Halifax Bomber Boys made THIS airlift operation work, man-o-man — talk about wingin’ it!
SO our most special thanks to:
– Yorkshire Air Museum – Rachel Semlyen and Gary Hancock and Team for the left wing
– ROYAL AIR FORCE Museum – Harry Raffal and the Museum Team, for the right wing
– Patrick Smart of “Maddison 4X4” and Giles Potter of “Potter Plant Hire” of Thirsk, Yorkshire for the wing storage, prep, and 300 miles transport in 18-wheeler lorries to Prestwick
– Major General Colin Keiver RCAF for his sponsorship and military support to get the RCAF airlift for this historic HALIFAX cargo across great waters.
– RCAF Prestwick Detachment for their prep and planning to receive, clean, and load the Halifax wings on their C-17. With honourable mention for Sgt. Matthew Giguere RCAF for all his hard work and initiative  to finalize the air cargo details in Scotland.
– RCAF 429 Bison Squadron for their C-17 cargo services to Canada of this most unique cargo of RCAF history for our Halifax.
– RCAF Trenton for the great reception of our wings and paperwork with timely unloading and assistance to prepare our civilian trucks with the precious cargo.
– Duff Heavy Equipment of Arnprior, Ontario for their expert hauling of the wings to our REBUILDSHOP
at the Arnprior airport.
Too many people to properly thank for this successful mission of delivery of this highly unique precious cargo for our Halifax. But we thank you, all of you profusely, for this effort and care to help us. Bravo to you, each and every one.
So to all our H57RC members and supporters here is my report in frenzied sequence, one logistical domino after another, falling at just the right moment to make the wings appear as if by magic in Canada. My nerves were tested and our bankbook was stretched to the limit for 8 days last week.
But as is the motto of the BCMC Nanton team, “convert the impossible to the difficult and git ‘er done” Sooo, we done did it!
See the first photos showing the huge wings in steel cradles, Patrick Smart style, and being loaded on the big lorries – Giles Potter style, in Thirsk.
Then see the wings below being loaded on the giant C-17 transport in Prestwick, carefully lads, we do not have shoe-horns for Halifax wings!
Next 3 Photos courtesy of Sgt. Mathew Giguere RCAF
Watch now at bottom of Report, with this action-jackson VIDEO (loaded on this site) of all the commotion when the wings arrived at RCAF Trenton after crossing great waters, as you will see the cool way, in 30C. temps, that the wings came off our C-17, onward bound for Arnprior, Ontario and Nanton, Alberta – in due course.
I wish I could have gloated at the arrival of our treasure but I was busy, as always, jumping around making dominos fall at the right time to get our wings home.
Due to the over-height of the wings in shipping cradles (over 14 feet vertical when loaded on the trucks) we had to de-mount the wings from cradles on site and use (2) 53-foot trailers to get all our treasure on the 2 trucks. All fit just right on our trailers and DUFF Heavy Equipment X 2 was on its way to Arnprior.
One cool shot below, was of the 18 wheeler loaded with 50+ feet of TWO wings, symmetrically, on truck No.1, probably the first time these wings have traveled in unison in maybe 50+ years.

And the final shot below, our whole team of H57RC and Knox Tech, our rebuilders, as they swarmed over the wings in Arnprior upon arrival Tuesday night with our new aluminium treasure.

Then it started to dawn on me, as I stood there by the hangar —  we had done it, with hardly a glitch, to bring our Halifax wings to the land that flew 70% of its bomber combat in Halibags. There will be no better home than Canada for this beautiful beast of Freedom.
Now in all this success and furor, I did not tell you how much I was forced to spend, on your behalf, to get the wings here.
First there was the cleaning of the wings to RCAF shipping standards in Prestwick, Scotland – cost was $2,100. Canadian. Then there was the craning and trucking costs and that was $4,300. On top of that the costs of my trip to the UK to assist with the wings (and arrange other Halifax parts coming in September) the cost was $3,100. TOTAL $9,500.+ in 1 week.
Remember, I said we are living a champagne dream on a beer budget and it is working, but the “beer” was expensive this time and there was lots of costs that only hard cash would cover.
I hope you know we are worthy, (if you dont see the evidence now  – then you may never)  — SOOO, now would be a great time to support – donate – send in funds to keep us going!
I am always surprised how you, me hearties and stalwarts, always help support us — well done to you all — and so hope to hear from you soon.
Remember, we have miles to go before we sleep, for our honoured Bomber Boys, those often neglected warriors who flew the Halifax to Victory and Freedom.
Let us continue in our progress and memorial efforts. Freedom in not free, somebody paid for you.
WE LEAVE NO HALIFAX BEHIND
Regards, Karl