Funeral of Lt. Colin Coleridge, Deseronto, Ontario, July 1918. Lt. Coleridge was killed in a plane crash July 23, 1918 at Camp Mohawk, near Deseronto as he trained for service during the First World War. He was buried with full military honours in the local cemetery.(Photo/8 Wing Trenton)
On Saturday, June 9, members of 8 Wing Trenton joined Royal Canadian Air Cadets, 418 (Belleville) Wing Royal Canadian Air Force Association, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and officials from the town of Snettisham, England for a special commemorative ceremony in Deseronto marking the wartime sacrifices of several men, including Lieutenant Colin Coleridge of the Royal Air Force.
Lt. Coleridge was killed in a plane crash in July 1918 at Camp Mohawk, near Deseronto as he trained for service during the First World War. Buried with full military honours in the local cemetery, he was one of 45 men from Snettisham killed in the First World War, a town that would lose one in six of its men by the time the war was over.
Members of 8 Wing Trenton join the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, 418 Wing RCAF Association, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and officals from Snettisham, England for a commemorative ceremony marking wartime sacrifices. Photo taken on June 9, 2018 at the Deseronto Cemetery, Deseronto, Ontario, Canada. Photo By: Corporal Ryan Moulton, 8 Wing Imaging © 2018 DND-MDN Canada
The Deseronto commemoration is held every year, but 2018 holds special significance. This year marks not only the 100th anniversary since the end of the First World War, but also the 100th anniversary of the Royal Air Force. The RCAF has a long relationship that dates back to the very beginnings of the air forces, when Canadian ground crew and air crew like Lt. Coleridge, joined the Royal Flying Corps. To a great extent, the two air forces’ shared history, heritage and traditions were established at that time.
