A Memorial cairn at Wegner Point in memory of the paratroopers who died. Photo: Bruce Forsyth.
August 2019
On 8 May 1968 at around 8:30 pm, the worst peacetime Canadian military training accident occurred at Camp Petawawa, 100 miles north-west of Canada’s capital city, Ottawa, Ontario.
It was a cold and windy day that 26 paratroopers from the 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment from Wollseley Barracks in London, Ontario, and 2 Signals Squadron, were participating in a training jump over Camp Petawawa.
Taking off in three Buffalo transport aircraft from the Bonnechere Airfield, an Air Defence Command auxiliary field, the paratroopers were expected to land in the designated landing zone on the Mattawa Plains within Camp Petawawa. The weather was good and a test dummy dropped earlier indicated no issues for the jumpers.
In a tragic fluke, an unexpected wind shear at around 600 feet carried 22 of the paratroopers into the nearby Ottawa River, 1000 feet off shore near Wegner Point.
Weighted down by their heavy equipment and tangled in their parachutes, the soldiers struggled to make it out of the water. Rescue efforts saved all but seven of the soldiers.
Some of the bodies weren’t recovered until days later, still entangled in their parachute harnesses.
A memorial cairn was erected at Wegner Point the following July, with the name of paratroopers lost etched on the monument.
A wreath-laying ceremony is held each May at the memorial cairn, led by the Canadian Airborne Regiment Association. Serving members of the 1st and 3rd Battalions, Royal Canadian Regiment, and 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group (2CMBG) Headquarters and Signals Squadron, gather alongside retired members and survivors of that horrible day to remember their comrades who never came home.
The seven paratroopers who died on 8 May 1968:
- Master Warrant Officer Reginald Riddell (1RCR London)
- Warrant Officer Michael McDonnell (1RCR London)
- Cpl. Bruce Chiswell (1RCR London)
- Cpl. Hugh Fields (2 Sigs Sqn)
- Cpl. Bob Knight (2 Sigs Sqn)
- Cpl. Dennis Clements (2 Sigs Sqn)
- Cpl. Jim Misener (2 Sigs Sqn)
For more information about the annual ceremonies, contact Dennis Stow at 613-732-4477, or email dennis_stow@hotmail.com. Donations are also gratefully accepted to cover the cost of service programs and lunch.
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- Close-up of the Memorial cairn at Wegner Point. Photo: Bruce Forsyth.
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- Stone that was added on the 50th anniversary. Photo: Bruce Forsyth.
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- A Memorial cairn at Wegner Point in memory of the paratroopers who died. Photo: Bruce Forsyth.
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- The Ottawa River seen from south of Wegner Point. Photo: Bruce Forsyth.
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- Members of the 2nd Airborne Signal Troop pose for a photo shortly before the jump. Historical photo.
Sources: www.petawawapostlive.ca/stories_site/may2018/may17/wegnerpoint.html, https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/remembering-a-military-tragedy-50-years-later, http://www.rcsigs.ca/index.php/2_Signal_Squadron, https://www.pembrokeobserver.com/2013/05/12/remembering-wegner-point/wcm/72f01edf-2cde-e952-e623-45dfb87e15e0, https://legionmagazine.com/en/2018/05/into-icy-waters.
https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/remembering-a-military-tragedy-50-years-later
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