More than 72 years ago a military training plane collided in mid-air with another aircraft and went down in Lake Muskoka, killing the two airmen inside.

Last week, the Department of National Defence announced it had recovered their bodies; Leading Aircraftsman Theodore (Ted) Bates of the Royal Canadian Air Force and Flight Lieutenant Peter Campbell, a member of the British air force.

Tom Bates remembers the day.  It was December 13, 1940, when the plane carrying his brother Ted went down in Lake Muskoka during a search-and-rescue mission.

“The family was devastated because it was just two weeks before Christmas.” Bates says.  Tom was 14-years-old at the time.  “My brother was my idol.”

For decades Ted’s body remained in the underwater wreckage.  The plane’s location was unknown until a group called the “Lost Airmen of Muskoka” helped identify it in 2007.  Military and police divers have explored the wreckage a few times.  It was during a dive last fall they recovered the two men’s bodies.

Bates and Campbell went missing during a search-and-rescue operation involving another airman who had disappeared during training the previous day.  Their plane collided with Nomad 3512, another aircraft that had been searching for the same pilot.

Matthew Fairbrass, who is the co-founder of Lost Airmen of Muskoka project, discovered the missing wreckage using a side-scan sonar.  “A tremendous amount of effort went into searching for the remains and it was just great to have it finally brought to a close.”

Divers recovered personal items among them Ted Bates’ wings found inside his pocket.  Tom says Ted had promised to give them to his mother.

The Department of Defence presented them to Tom a few months ago.

The men will be laid to rest in Guelph on Tuesday with military honours.  Tom feels that this final chapter brings a sense of closure for him.

“I think it’s a pretty good ending after what all they’ve been through,” Bates says. “I’m really happy that he’s finally coming home to rest.”

The Royal Canadian Air Force said it’s now working out the logistics of pulling the plane wreckage from the lake.

 

With files from CTV Barrie and CTV News