The Corporal Michael William Simpson Plaque was dedicated on 9 August 2022. Corporal Simpson enlisted in the Canadian Army in 1965, aged 16.
In late 1973, Canadian Forces took part in the Second United Nations Emergency Force, to supervise the ceasefire between Egyptian and Israeli forces. Included in Canada's commitment to the mission were two Canadian Forces Buffalo aircrafts and crew. The unit was stationed in Ismailia, Egypt, a small city next to the Suez Canal.
The single highest loss of Canadian lives since Canada began to participate in international peace missions involved their presence in Syria. Nine Canadian Armed Forces members with the United Nations peace mission in Egypt were killed on 9 August 1974 when their Buffalo aircraft 115461 was shot down in a Syrian missile attack while making a routine supply run to the mission in the Golan Heights. For this reason, August 9 has been declared National Peacekeepers' Day in Canada. Corporal Simpson, 26, was one of the nine Canadian Forces members killed.
