This plaque is dedicated to the memory of Captain Alfred Edwin "Eddie" McKay, Royal Flying Corps.
Alfred Edwin McKay was born in December 1892 in Brussels, ON, a small town approximately 80 km north of London, ON. After completing his schooling in Brussels, he moved to London to enroll in a Faculty of Arts program at the University of Western Ontario. While at Western, McKay excelled at sports and was an important member of their 1915 Canadian Junior Championship rugby team.
By March 1916, McKay had joined the military and completed his flight training before starting his service with the Royal Flying Corps where he was assigned to 24 Squadron. By January 1917, he had scored four victories, was promoted to Captain and transferred as a flight instructor. After several months as an instructor, he returned to operational flying with 23 Squadron and had the distinction of being pursued by Manfred von Richthofen (the “Red Baron”) during a dog-fight with Oswald Boelke, Richthofen’s mentor. He survived this encounter and by mid-December 1917, had scored a further 6 victories and earned the title of “flying ace”. On 28 December 1917, the day after his 25th birthday, McKay was shot down behind enemy lines in Belgium. He is commemorated on the Arras Memorial honouring those who have no known graves.
