A small town in County Fermanagh is the final resting place of 82 young airmen.

They lie in neat rows of Commonwealth war graves, both in the Roman Catholic church cemetery and in the Church of Ireland cemetery at Irvinestown.

It is the largest group of Second World War Air Force graves in Northern Ireland.

More than half of the dead were buried thousands of kilometers from their homes in Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

So how did they get there?

This is reminiscent of the role the region played in the Battle of the Atlantic between 1941 and 1945.

Lough Erne was the base for RAF Coastal Command flying boats protecting Allied transport convoys in the Atlantic.

Secret agreement with the Republic of Ireland

A secret agreement with the Republic of Ireland allowed the planes to fly in Irish airspace.

They flew along a route known as the Donegal corridor, a shortcut connecting Lough Erne to the Atlantic Ocean, extending the aircraft’s range.

To celebrate the centenary of the Royal Canadian Air Force, young army and air cadets from Enniskillen and Omagh placed a small Canadian flag and a poppy cross on each of the 38 Canadian graves.

The teenagers are only a few years younger than the pilots, sailors, air gunners and wireless operators whose names and ages are inscribed on the tombstones.

Air cadet Oliver Irwin, from Omagh, said: “When you see a Canadian dying here you wonder ‘what happened?’ ” you think and you want to know his story.”

Jacob Woods, a cadet from Enniskillen, was unaware that so many airmen serving in Northern Ireland came from Canada.

“As a young person, I think it is important to remember all these young people who served their country, died and made the ultimate sacrifice,” he said.

Valeriya Baderdinova, an air cadet originally from Ukraine, was also surprised by how many Canadian graves were found here.

“It’s really important to remember everyone who died for us and served their country,” he said.

Polish air cadet Torin Aleksanderek attended a commemoration ceremony for the first time.

He said: “I think it’s really important for the new generation to learn about these things, the tragedies, the brave men that were lost.”

In reality, the 82 graves represent only a fraction of the total number of people lost at the bases.

A few of the crew failed to return, while others are thought to still be below the surface of the swamp.

Wreckage of a plane thought to be Catalina discovered in 2018 and is protected as a war grave.

Canada’s Honorary Consul in Northern Ireland, Ken Brundle, also laid a wreath at the ceremony held in Irvinestown.

“The Canadian government is very reliant on local people carrying out acts of remembrance and also tending to war graves,” Mr. Brundle said.

St. One of the pilots buried in the Church of Ireland cemetery at Tighernach is Terence Ramsay Hailstone.

Aged just 20, he was killed when his plane crashed into a nearby swamp at Knocknagore in February 1945.

Years later, Pat Keenan of Irvinestown found the bracelet at the crash scene.

He sent photos of the find to Canadian newspapers, and a journalist at the Vancouver Sun knew the pilot’s sister.

“I got a call from this lady one morning and she was so excited,” Mr. Keenan recalled.

“He would send me ten Canadian dollars to come here and put flowers on the grave, and I still do that.

“They are young men who came from a foreign land and died for our freedom.

“Since Irvinestown is a town, it’s just part of Irvinestown.”