57th Fallen Jumper Ceremony - May 2025

May 8th marks the 57th anniversary of Canada’s worst peacetime training accident, which saw seven paratroopers drown as a result of severe wind blowing them into the Ottawa River.

When a contingent of 2 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group Headquarters & Signal Squadron (2 CMBG HQ & Sigs) and Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) paratroopers disembarked from three aircraft during the evening of May 8, 1968, they were caught in a sudden wind sheer and missed their drop zone on the Mattawa Plains.

20 of the 24 jumpers plummeted into the icy waters of the Ottawa River near Wegner Point, their heavy waterlogged chutes and equipment dragging them under. Despite rescue efforts, seven soldiers perished on that terrible dark night.

Their names are forever etched on the hearts and minds of their family members, friends, comrades, and survivors of that traumatizing night:

• Master Warrant Officer Reg Riddell

• Warrant Officer Mike McDonnell

• Corporal Bruce Chiswell

• Corporal Bob Knight

• Corporal Hugh Fields

• Corporal Dennis Clements

• Corporal Jim Misener

  
  

For 57 years, their tragic loss during Ex NEW SHAKEDOWN has been honoured at Garrison Petawawa with a memorial ceremony.

This year’s ceremony will take place on Sunday, May 4th, 2025 a top the hill that now houses the memorial cairn. For those wishing to attend the ceremony and have not yet been to this location, it is at the corner of Vimy Road and Arras Road on Garrison Petawawa.

The memorial cairn was moved from its original location near Wegner Point in 2019. Though its previous location was closer to where the tragedy occurred, having the memorial at the top of the hill on Vimy road near the Afghanistan memorial forest and Artillery Park is more accessible to everyone and helps consolidate our memorials and the history of service they represent.

RSVP by 25 APRIL 2025

• email Jennifer McCann - jennifer.mccann@forces.gc.ca

  • 613-687-5511, (ext: 6900)