Skip Navigation
Mount Pleasant Group logo
  • Home page navigation iconHome
  • Info iconAbout Us
  • News iconCondolences & Services
  • Find A Grave search tool iconFind A Grave
  • Contact iconContact
  • About Us

    About usOur purpose, vision and values, governance, by-laws, etc.

  • Find a Funeral

    Find a FuneralCondolences & Services

  • Immediate Help

    Immediate HelpA Death Has Occurred

  • Direct Cremation

    Simple CremationCremation - No ceremony or services

  • Locations

    LocationsCemeteries & funeral centres

  • Plan Ahead

    Plan AheadPreparing for the future

  • Products

    ProductsExplore your options

  • News and Events

    News and EventsItems of interest

  • FAQs

    FAQsAnswers to your questions

  • Price Lists

    Price ListsCurrent cemetery and funeral prices

  • Multilingual services

    Multilingual InformationFor a diverse GTA

  • Cemetery Application

    Cemetery AppSearch for grave locations, historical people & our arboretum

  • Resources

    ResourcesBy-laws, support, brochures, maps and more

  1. Home
  2. Our Monthly Story
  3. Story Archives
  4. Beechwood
  5. Alston

Lieutenant Brian Alston

Section 3, Lot 374
Beechwood Cemetery, Vaughan


Lieutenant Brian Alston died in July, 1969 at the tender age of 23. Brian Alston was a Red Knight. He was, in fact, the youngest person to become a Red Knight. Who were the Red Knights? They were a band of Canadian Forces pilots (one was appointed each year) who performed solo aerial acrobatics at exhibitions across Canada – the forerunner of today’s Snowbirds. Brian Alston died when his armed forces plane crashed at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. He was attempting to land when his jet flipped and crashed. His full military service here at Beechwood Cemetery included an air salute by a T33 training aircraft and a Tutor jet, the same type of plane in which Alston died. Lieutenant Alston leaves behind a special legacy, for he was one of that select few who “…have slipped the surly bonds of earth…and reached out and touched the face of God.”  (From High Flight by Flying Officer William Gillespie.)

 Story Archives »

Copyright 2025 © Mount Pleasant Group

  • Seasonal Recall
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • Sitemap
  • Instagram Icon
  • Facebook link
  • Linked Icon
  • Twitter Icon
  • YouTube Icon
  • accessibility logo
  • BAO Consumer Information Guide