STEPHEN J. THORNE

The Calgary Mosquito project: Resurrecting a WW II legend in Nanton, Alta.

STORY BY STEPHEN J. THORNE

Deep in the recesses of a packed airplane hangar in Nanton, Alta., retired aeronautical engineers, aviation techs, carpenters and plain old aircraft enthusiasts are bringing a legendary warbird back to life, one wooden rib, brass screw and copper strip at a time.

Theirs is a meticulous labour of love, conducted by volunteers whose collective experience amounts to hundreds of years of pouring through voluminous manuals, amassing specialized tools and scrounging elusive parts.

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The many sides of Arthur Currie

STORY BY PAIGE JASMINE GILMAR

Arthur Currie just didn’t seem military enough. Labelled as “embarrassingly unassuming,” he didn’t fit the make of the moustachioed, macho general. Instead, he was pudgy, pale and prone to tantrums, especially when sleep deprived. He didn’t have a lot of friends, but he did have a couple of fierce enemies. Worse, he had a fraudster past, having once embezzling more than $10,000—about $255,000 today—of his reserve militia’s funds.

Currie didn’t seem like he had the build to become a great commander, but with the onset of the First World War, he strode onto the military scene, a dark horse presenting unique leadership that facilitated Canadian success in such famous battles as Vimy Ridge, Mons and Passchendaele. Hailed by politicians and officers alike for his tactful strategy and military knowledge, Currie created his own legend.

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