War hero honoured in highway renaming

A section of Highway 10 will be renamed after a Dauphin-born war hero, the province announced Friday.

Lt.-Col. William G. (Billy) Barker, a First World War fighter pilot, was credited with 50 aerial victories and is the most decorated military member in Commonwealth history.

Signs marking the renaming of the highway, between Dauphin and the north boundary of Riding Mountain National Park, were unveiled at a ceremony at the Dauphin airport, which also bears Barker’s name, a Friday news release from the province stated.

“This tribute stands as a reminder of the deep respect Manitobans hold for those who served and the importance of preserving their stories for generations to come,” Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor said in the release.

Barker was born on a farm near Dauphin and enlisted in the Canadian Mounted Rifles in 1914 and later transferred to the Royal Flying Corps.

He was awarded the Victoria Cross, the Distinguished Service Order, the Military Cross as well as medals from the Italian and French militaries.

He died in a plane crash near Ottawa in 1930. He was 35.