Plaque unveiled to honour late veteran, fallen cadet
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.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
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 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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Biden and Trump will meet in the Oval Office on Wednesday, the White House says
U.S. President Joe Biden will host President-elect Donald Trump for a postelection meeting in the Oval Office on Wednesday, the White House said Saturday.
Qatar is suspending its role in talks between Israel and Hamas, sources say
Qatar is suspending its role as a mediator in talks between Israel and Hamas after concluding that the two sides are no longer negotiating in good faith, two sources familiar with the situation tell CNN.
No injuries after series of collisions involving moose: Sask. RCMP
Saskatchewan RCMP is urging motorists to exercise caution after a series of five collisions involving moose occurred on Friday evening.
Cynics not only lose out on friendships, love and opportunity — they're also wrong about human nature
Cynicism is on the rise. Should that come as any surprise given today’s divisive global conflicts and our fraught political landscape? Even the weather seems like it’s out to get us.
Man charged with participating in march with flaming torch has pleaded guilty to lesser charge
Another man charged with carrying a flaming torch with the intent to intimidate during a 2017 rally at the University of Virginia campus has agreed to a plea deal.
Rafael weakens to tropical storm over Gulf of Mexico after barreling through Cuba as a hurricane
Rafael weakened to a tropical storm and is expected to dissolve over the Gulf of Mexico soon, after barreling across Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane.
Remembrance Day: What's open and closed in Canada?
While banks and post offices will be closed nationwide on Remembrance Day, shops and businesses could be open depending on where you live in Canada.
Tourists in Rome now have a walkway to visit the Trevi Fountain but can't toss coins
Tourists in Rome won't be allowed to toss coins into the Trevi Fountain. A walkway now gives limited access to the monument during maintenance work.
Opinion Was music really better when you were younger? Or is your mind deceiving you?
As I see other generations of music lovers say music was so much better when they were younger, I wondered why. We can’t all be right — or maybe we are? I talked to experts in how music influences our brains to find out.