One of the special but often overlooked chapters that enrich the life of York, and make it so distinctive, sadly closed recently with the death in Canada of veteran Second World War flier, Douglas E Sample.

He was a local hero of the city, albeit at a distance; an adopted son of York, to which he made an annual pilgrimage from his home near Montréal.

A president and chairman of Yorkshire Air Museum (Canada), he was uniquely connected with this city, the more so as he served as a Halifax bomber air gunner in No 415 RCAF Squadron (“Swordfish” Squadron), at East Moor aerodrome near Sutton-on-the-Forest, in 1944.

Doug Sample raised large sums of money in Canada for the Elvington project, to which he was totally committed.

His unstinting efforts and campaigning zeal helped to fund the big hangar and the Halifax restoration at the museum.

In Canada he addressed umpteen groups, from schoolchildren to veterans, about the Yorkshire Air Museum, the Halifax aircraft and No 6 bomber group (RCAF).

Virtually every press article relating to the Yorkshire Air Museum, RAF Linton-on-Ouse, etc, would be carefully cut out and airmailed to Doug.

On one occasion I got Doug airborne over York and environs so he could see his old base of East Moor from the air, as well as other landmarks of significance to the Canadians such as York Minster, Allerton Park and Beningbrough Hall. He made landfall beaming from ear to ear.

The icing on the cake for Doug that time had been that his aerial jaunt had been in the cockpit of a Canadian designed and built aeroplane – the Chipmunk trainer.

Doug, who died the day before Remembrance Sunday, having survived a full tour of operations in the war, we will remember you.

Derek Reed, (Hon life member of YAM Canada), Middlethorpe Drive, Tadcaster Road, York.