Rheinberg, Germany –

Members of the media are invited to attend the military funeral of Flight Sergeant John Joseph Carey on July 9, 2014.

When: Wednesday, July 9, 2014, starting at 10 a.m. (Central European Summer Time)

Where: Rheinberg War Cemetery, Am Englischen Friedhof, Rheinbergerstrasse, 47495 Rheinberg, Germany

What: The military funeral of Second World War airman, Flight Sergeant Carey.

Flight Sergeant Carey was the front air gunner for the Royal Air Force bomber Halifax BB214. The flight took off from Royal Air Force Station Elsham Wolds in the late evening of August 28, 1942, but no further communications were recorded for the flight. The bomber was shot down by fighter aircraft and crashed in Laacher See, a lake south of Bonn, Germany.

Flight Sergeant Carey’s remains were discovered by a team of German explosives disposal divers who were conducting an assessment of the stability of the aircraft’s cargo in 2008, and identified through genetic testing in February 2014.

In the presence of family members, representatives from the Directorate of History and Heritage, the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and Canadian and European dignitaries, Flight Sergeant Carey will finally be laid to rest with the honour he deserves.