The True Story Behind the Hudson

You may remember from a few months back, Dave O’Malley wrote an article about a Hudson Bomber going down in a field near the small town of Wakefield, just north of Ottawa. The article stipulated that a truck towed the broken aircraft from the field and through Wakefield. Vintage Wings has, however, uncovered the REAL story of how it all went down and how the legendary Black Sheep Inn got its name........

“Regarding the WWII incident, local legend has it that the truck sent to tow the Lockheed Hudson out of the pasture broke down, totally stuck in that muddy field. And that M. Martineau, under conditions of great secrecy, in a patriotic effort to augment the war effort, hitched up a team of his mysterious yet locally renowned "Wakefield Black Sheep" to the bomber, and it was they, not the truck, that moved that vital airplane down the Millstream road. To cries of, "Avaunt, mes croutons-moutons","Marche, mon agneaus-de-Gatineau!", and "Pull, mes floconneux-inconnu", they effortlessly hauled the stricken bomber down the road -- and then went back and got the truck too!!!
This of course was so embarrassing to the local military establishment, and potentially disastrous if word leaked out to the Hollywood film crew filming "Captains of the Clouds" at Uplands nearby (film audiences were supposed to cheer the war effort, not laugh at their lamb chops), that all mention of those mighty-muttoneers was officially erased under the authority of the War Measures Act.
No word ever leaked out until now... but the locals, and those in the know, remember that night very well, and when they hoist a glass at the Black Sheep Inn, they nod and wink in the mutual understanding of the close-held local secret -- THAT WAS HOW THE BLACK SHEEP INN GOT ITS NAME!
You can quote me,
Dave H”

By Dave Hadfield, Vintage Wings volunteer pilot

Photo from the public domain