Largely due to the effort of the RCAF Foundation Chair John Wright, a monument honouring First World War flying ace W/C William G. Barker, VC, one of Canada’s most-decorated war heroes, stands at Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto. The monument is meant to raise awareness of Barker’s heroics, which include downing 50 enemy planes and being shot three times while in a dogfight with 15 opponents.

Barker received the Victoria Cross for bravery, but is relatively unknown among modern Canadians, his successes often overshadowed by fellow plane-wrangler Billy Bishop. Other accomplishments of W/C William G. Barker, VC’s life included the founding of the Toronto island airport, the first commercial airline in Canada and becoming the first president of the Toronto Maple Leafs. More than 50,000 people attended his funeral in 1930, the largest in the city’s history at the time.