Timmins and Austria are teaming up for a hero’s welcome.

The city is set to honour the 70th anniversary of the last bomber shot down during World War 2 next month at the Timmins Museum.  MP Charlie Angus is helping spear head the commemoration and says if they’re honouring one of our own war pilots, we should be doing the same.

“The pilot who flew that plane was from Timmins, 24 year-old Wilfred DeMarco.  They were on their last mission, if they’d survived they’d have gone home heroes.”

“He kept the plane straight, the back gunner was killed, another gunner was killed.  He kept trying to keep is straight to the rest of the crew could escape.”

Angus says they got involved after receiving  a letter from a British artist, Kevin Ruane, looking to share a painting with DeMarco’s family.

“On April 24th we will be holding a ceremony in conjunction with the small Austrian village.  We’ve been in contact with survivors of the 619 RAF commemoration society and this is a great chance at reconciliation.”

“A lot of people don’t know about the huge sacrifice bombers crews had to make, there was a 50 per cent casualty rate.”

The Timmins Museum is in tern using the black gallery space promoting World War 2.  We’re working with a local model maker to recreate some of the equipment and vehicles used during the war.