Plaque unveiled to honour late veteran, fallen cadet

Daughters of late veteran Raywin Raaflaub, Lisa Day (mid-left) and Debbie Leach (mid-right) and cadets at the Fairmile monument in Orillia, Ont. on Sun., Oct. 13, 2024 (CTV News/Mike Lang)

A plaque was unveiled at Veterans' Memorial Park Sunday morning to honour the friend of a cadet who died in a historic Orillia tragedy.

October 13, 2024, marked 81 years since Stanley Peacock died in the Fairmile Q116 explosion. The 16-year-old served as an electrician's helper apprentice in Orillia's Royal Canadian Air Cadet 99 Squadron, helping build Fairmile warships during World War II.

On October 13, 1943, Peacock was performing maintenance on the Fairmile Q116 when a gas leak led to an explosion that killed him, burned three men and injured six others.

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Late Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) veteran Raywin Raaflaub was a close friend of Peacock's and made a big push to recognize the fallen cadet.

"He went to the MP, the MPP went to Ottawa, went all over the place to get somebody to recognize that [Peacock] was a member of 441 (Huronia)," said Rick Purcell, president of Orillia Legion Branch 34. "The fact that a volunteer, a citizen of Orillia, died, we thought was very important. So we fought for this for three years."

A monument commemorating Peacock was unveiled at Veterans' Memorial Park this past June, and on Sunday, a plaque was unveiled in front of it to commemorate Raaflaub.

"Ray Raaflaub went to cadets with Stan Peacock, went to school with Stan Peacock and joined the Air Force," added Purcell. "He was really the driving force of us getting this monument done."

Sunday morning's remembrance ceremony to unveil the Raaflaub plaque was attended by members of the Orillia Legion, other veterans, and Raaflaub's daughters, Lisa Day and Debbie Leach.

"My dad and Stanley Peacock were best friends," said Day. "He always wanted Stanley to be recognized for his service, and so for him, this would be such a great honour."

Day and Leach unveiled the Raaflaub plaque and laid wreaths at the site.

"I just respect how long [he served]," said l Leach. "The dedication and hours that he put in – volunteer hours – I admired that."

There will be a second memorial on Tuesday at the gravesites of Raaflaub and Peacock, which will be attended by additional members of the RCAF.