Remembering and celebrating my 103-year-old Bomber Pilot friend Reg "Crash" Harrison

The Nightingales is a female vocal quartet from Regina, Saskatchewan, with a Wartime Tribute concert that honours veterans and others who served. This Remembrance Day, November 11, 2026, the group chose to honour the late Reginald "Crash" Harrison, whose story I wrote in the award-winning book Crash Harrison: Tales of a Bomber Pilot Who Defied Death.

I was invited to attend the concert and was particularly delighted to sit with Reg's daughter Laurie and Reg's sister Sylvia. We reminisced about this man we all loved and we shed a few tears when parts of his wartime story were shared with the sold-out audience at Darke Hall in Regina.

Reg left the farm at Lorlie, Saskatchewan, in search of adventure. He became a bomber pilot, flying Halifax and then Lancaster bombers, and he survived four plane crashes. When he returned home, he met his future wife in an airport while he was offering condolences on the loss of his friend and her fiancé. Reg returned to Saskatchewan to work with Veterans Affairs, honour other veterans at various Remembrance Day ceremonies, and become an Honorary Snowbird with the Canadian Forces aerobatics squadron.

There is much more to Crash Harrison's story and much more to this man, who became a cherished friend of mine during the time we worked together to create his biography. You can watch videos with me and Reg on my YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@deanajdriverwriter) and search for more details online, but here are some snippets of this special Remembrance Day that my new husband, Marlowe, and I had with The Nightingales and Reg's daughter and sister...

I recently retired from book publishing, so I donated the remainder of my
Crash Harrison book stock to the Royal United Services Institute to sell
at The Nightingales' War Tribute concert. One of the RUSI
volunteers kindly posed with me and my books. Nov. 11, 2026 

The stage was set for The Nightingales' Wartime Tribute concert,
Darke Hall, Regina, SK, Nov. 11, 2026

Reg Harrison's daughter Laurie (left) and his sister Sylvia (right) 
 posed with me (centre) before the concert, Nov. 11, 2026

The concert program

The song list, The Nightingales War Tribute concert,
 Nov. 11, 2026

The Tribute to the late Reginald "Crash" Harrison

The Harrison women pose with The Nightingales -
Left to right: Diane Burrows, Suzanne Williams, Sylvia Acton,
Laurie Harrison,  Carolyn Speirs, Marlene Hinz - Nov. 11, 2026 

The Nightingales with the Harrison women and Captain Ed Soyes, who 
flew Reg Harrison in the Tiger Moth in 2021 when Reg was 101 years old!
Captain Soyes is a military training captain, a historian, and writer.
He joined the CF Snowbirds aerobatic team in 2023, becoming Snowbird 10.
Nov. 11, 2026 

Marlowe and I enjoyed a wonderful visit over supper
with Sylvia and Laurie Harrison. This family
has welcomed me and my new husband. Reg met Marlowe
in December 2024, when Reg received the King Charles III Coronation Medal 
 in honour of Reg's contributions to the community.
"You got a good one," Reg pronounced about Marlowe. Yes, I did.     
Nov. 11, 2026

Note: Copies of the Crash Harrison book are available at the Saskatchewan Aviation Museum, Saskatoon, SK.