C-47 Ready 4 Duty, pictured, will be met on the tarmac today by the family of Sub-Lieutenant Sylvester ‘Sly’ Kenneth Rabey from Guernsey, who was evacuated aged 16 and went on to serve in the US. He joined the air training corps from his new home in Oldham, and later joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve as a sub-lieutenant and was sent to learn to fly in the US.
All his family knew for many years was that he was killed in an accident in Maine on 26 January 1944.
Volunteers from the Commemorative Air Force are honouring 423 British servicemen who were killed while training in the US during the Second World War and were buried on American soil as part of their Bringing the Boys Home campaign. They have taken hundreds of British gravestone rubbings and will deliver these to relatives and museums in the UK for preservation.
Sub-Lieutenant Rabey’s niece, Deputy Sue Aldwell, will be receiving his grave rubbing with her family.
‘US and British forces trained and fought valiantly together during World War II,’ said CAF President and CEO David Oliver.
‘We’re honoured to commemorate their sacrifices and to help ensure their memory endures for future generations.’
Built in 1944, Ready 4 Duty is a Douglas R4D-6S, the US Navy’s version of the legendary DC-3 and C-47. The last of its kind still flying, the aircraft is a centrepiece of the Dallas/Fort Worth Wing of the Commemorative Air Force, a non-profit organisation dedicated to preserving and celebrating the history of World War II aviation.
It began its transatlantic flight on 17 April for its victory tour.
On Liberation Day, the aircraft will complete two laps of Guernsey shortly after 2.30pm.
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