Royal Canadian Legion branch in Windsor, Ont. celebrates Air Force centennial

A wreath has been laid inside a Windsor branch of the Royal Canadian Legion to commemorate the centennial of the formation of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

A ceremony was held Sunday inside Royal Canadian Legion Branch 255 in Windsor’s Riverside neighbourhood, bringing together Air Force veterans and showcasing the military branch’s history.

Lt.-Col. Ronald Holden joined the Air Force in 1950 and was a member for 32 years.

He was 19 years old when he joined. Today he is 92.

“Over the years, I’ve logged over 20,000 hours of flight time in all different sorts of airplanes. I spent many tours in Europe, all across Canada and down in the United States,” said Holden.

His best memory, Holden added, is meeting his wife.

“She was a nursing sister in the RCAF,” Holden said with a laugh.

Windsor-Tecumseh MPP Andrew Dowie spoke during the ceremony Sunday of his family’s military past.

“Both my grandparents on my father’s side were part of the RCAF,” said Dowie.

His grandfather, Charles Dowie, served on multiple missions overseas, the MPP said.

“At one point, his plane was shot and he was able to glide it to safety and save his crew,” said Dowie, adding his grandfather met his grandmother when she was serving at the Rockcliffe base in Ottawa.

“Ultimately, it led to me being here today,” said Dowie.

Click on the video at the top of this story to hear Holden's biggest concern for the future of the Air Force