D-Day Commemoration

To mark the 68th anniversary of D-Day, the Bellingham Heritage Flight Museum arranged a flypast by three WWII fighter planes today -- a P-51 Mustang and two Supermarine Spitfires. This was an opportunity I would have been very sorry to have missed, and I almost did. I didn't find out about it until I was reading the Bellingham Herald while enjoying my morning coffee.

I arrived at the Flight Museum early, and had plenty of time to touch and photograph the Spitfires in the hangar without finding other people in my viewfinder.

While waiting for the planes to taxi out and fly, I met a friend, Myra, whose 89-year-old mother Grace was visiting from Virginia. I'd noticed Grace getting a lot of attention from the newspaper and TV reporters, and when I was introduced to her, she told me why. She was born in England, and during WWII had been conscripted to help the war effort by helping build Spitfires.

Myra found out about the event the same way I did. I think Grace would have been even more disappointed to have missed it than I would have been. It was a wonderful coincidence that she was in Bellingham today, and I enjoyed meeting her. Here's a photo of Grace with her daughter.

Aviation buffs can view more photos here.