Veteran finally given medals, 66 years after conflict ends

Leading Aircraftman 1st Class Alan Holgate, 88, was yesterday treated to a visit back to RAF Linton-on-Ouse, near York, as part of a family reunion with relatives who had travelled across to Britain from Canada, where he grew up.

And his daughter, Maureen Dowson, who lives in Sherburn-in-Elmet, had secretly organised for her father’s war medals to be presented to him.

Mrs Dowson had contacted the Canadian government to get the medals produced after Mr Holgate had never collected them for his time serving with 426 Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

The squadron was based at RAF Linton-on-Ouse during the conflict, and Mr Holgate served there between 1942 and 1945 as a flight line mechanic.

He said: “We were all friends, with the British and Canadians working together. I enjoyed my time at Linton, but I did not like it when my plane didn’t come back. That was terrible.”

The great-grandfather-of-six met his wife, Sheila, while in Yorkshire and they both went to live in Montreal after the war. However, they returned to the UK a few years later, and the couple still live in York.