"Via Ad Astra Per Ardua Est"- by Steve Tournay
Lancaster
II DS791 of 408 Sqn, beginning its final descent into the mountains of
Swabia, southern Germany. Painted for Westdale Secondary School on the
occasion of its 75th anniversary. DS791 was downed by a nightfighter in
February 1944. A Westdale alumnus, Cyril Ridgers, was among the crew.
Decades later his class ring was found at the crash site, and it came
back to the school in 2007 courtesy of the Ridgers family. Westdale's
motto is "Alius alia via ad astra ascendit" ("Each finds
his own way to the stars", approximately); the title of the painting
blends that motto
with that of the RCAF ("Per Ardua Ad Astra"). I graduated from
Westdale
also, in 1982.