World War II RCAF Memorial - Jackson Park - Windsor, ON
N 42° 17.677 W 083° 01.338
17T E 333289 N 4684468
World War 2 Memorial in Jackson Park, Windsor, Ontario.
Waymark Code: WMYZN
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 11/18/2006
Views: 174
This memorial display is in Jackson Park, in Windsor, Ontario. It consists of a large cenotaph with all the names of those from Essex County who served in the RCAF in WW2, and two replicas of airplanes that were used in World War 2 - a Spitfire and a Hurricane. The cenotaph and airplane displays are relatively new. The original display included a cenotaph and a Lancaster Bomber, FM212, that was constructed in 1945, just a little too late to be used in combat.
It was stored for a time, and was later pressed into service to become the first Lancaster ever to be converted to photo-map the Arctic regions of Canada. It was retired in 1962, and was purchased by the city of Windsor as a Memorial in 1964. It was deemed too expensive to fly it to Windsor, so it was floated by barge down Lake Erie and installed on a special concrete pedestal.
It was dedicated on July 4, 1965.
It stayed on display for 40 years, when it was finally removed to an indoor facility for restoration after an extensive evaluation that determined the Lancaster could not withstand much more exposure to the elements before being completely destroyed.
It is currently undergoing extensive restoration, and even has its own website:
http://www.lancasterfm212.freeservers.com/.
This monument / memorial is especially significant to us, as we have a relative, Otto Molzan, who is memorialized on this cenotaph, having given his life in the service of his country in France.
