A new statue of a Canadian World War I flying ace was unveiled in Toronto Wednesday afternoon, the latest effort to breathe life into his memory, which his grandson said was nearly lost to time.
A crowd gathered at Scrivener Square Park to watch as a new bronze statue of Lt.-Col. William G. Barker was displayed on Yonge Street for the first time.
Barker is Canada’s most decorated military aviator, according to the RCAF Foundation, and flew alongside fellow Victoria Cross recipient, Billy Bishop, in World War I.
His grandson, Ian Mackenzie, said his family is “tickled” to see the statue make its debut.
“It’s much more exciting than I thought, particularly since the statue is so good,” he told CBC News.
A 1998 profile of William Barker, flying ace and forgotten hero
A new Ottawa park in honour of a WWI flying ace.
The statue is the latest in a series of memorials dedicated to Barker, who is also honoured with a plaque at the Mount Pleasant Cemetery mausoleum, a statue at Billy Bishop Airport and a statue in Ottawa.
Wednesday’s ceremony started around 1:30 p.m. and featured a commemorative Lancaster airplane flyover, martial music and a series of speeches.
Along with being the first leader of the Royal Canadian Airforce (RCAF), Manitoba-born Barker was the first president of the Toronto Maple Leafs and established the first commercial airline run out of the Toronto Island airport, with Billy Bishop.
Mackenzie, now in his 70s, said his grandfather was a household name and “as famous as a rock star” when he was young. But nowadays, not many people know of him, he said.
“We watched him, like, gradually just disappear from memory,” he said at the ceremony. “It’s kind of exciting that people are hearing about him again.”
Barker was one of Canada’s top World War I flying aces and is the country’s most decorated aviator. (Mount Pleasant Group)
John Wright, founding chair of the RCAF Foundation, which facilitated the creation of the statue, said it is meant to celebrate Barker’s military success as well as his contributions to Toronto and Canada.
“When we unveiled the statue today, we’re celebrating all of that and our veterans across the country,” Wright said.
Wright said the new statue is the only one in the country where Barker is depicted wearing his Canadian Air Force (CAF) uniform, which was the forerunner to the RCAF which Barker led. Barker would have worn his CAF uniform after the military branch was established post-World War I.
“It was pretty tough to get the different buttons and things to make it up, but it is historically accurate,” Wright said.
Wright said the statue also memorializes the uniform and bridges the gap between the two eras in Canadian military history.
