Pat Bay ceremony gives new wings to fallen Second World War pilot’s legacy

“He was an ordinary guy,” said Sooke’s Jay Hammond, recalling the uncle he never met, Pilot Officer Wilbur Bentz (nicknamed “Wib”).

Yet, the items excavated from the crash site in Belgium told a different story. Watches, a signet ring, and even a wallet, perfectly preserved in the muddy ground for over half a century, brought Wib’s wartime sacrifice vividly to life.