A photograph of a young woman with silver wings on her dress led to a poignant search for the family of a World War II pilot. The woman in the picture was May Mackie, who passed away on May 29, 2024, at the age of 99. The image, taken when she was 19, was displayed on her dresser in a nursing home in Qualicum, British Columbia. It was only after her death that her child noticed the wings, which prompted questions about their significance.

May's daughter, intrigued by the discovery, asked her sister Dianne about the wings. Dianne revealed that they belonged to May's first fiancé, Hubert Smith, who was killed after the war. This revelation shocked May's daughter, who had believed her mother was only engaged to her father, Bill Mackie. Determined to learn more about Hubert, she began her search.

May was a multifaceted individual—an accomplished violinist, golfer, and baker known for her legendary shortbread. However, her past with Hubert was largely unknown to her family. Friends from Qualicum Beach provided some details about their relationship. In 1944, May reluctantly attended a dance with a friend, where she met Hubert. He was smitten and told a friend, "See that girl in the green coat? I’m going to marry her." Although they danced, May initially brushed him off, claiming she was seeing someone else. Regretting her decision, she later spotted Hubert outside her office and rushed to reunite with him. They quickly became inseparable and became engaged.

As the war escalated, Hubert was assigned to the HMS Implacable, a British aircraft carrier. He fought in the Sea of Japan and survived his tour. However, on March 7, 1946, during a training mission, his plane crashed, and his body was never recovered. Discrepancies about the circumstances of his death troubled May. Years later, she confided in her friend Jennie Homer about her lingering pain. While watching an Australian Open commercial featuring the coastline near where Hubert died, May became visibly upset, exclaiming, "Why do they keep showing those damned rocks!" When pressed for details, she simply said, "There’s a lot you don’t know."

May learned from a co-pilot friend of Hubert that he did not die from engine failure but rather in a flying accident caused by a rock striking his plane. This revelation fueled her family's quest to return Hubert's golden wings to his surviving relatives.

In December 2024, May's daughter enlisted the help of her cousin Philip Mackie, an amateur historian living in England. Philip discovered a war memorial in Portsmouth bearing Hubert's name and began to piece together his history. Hubert Fuller Smith was born in Bournemouth, England, in the summer of 1925, and his death date was confirmed as March 7, 1946. Philip's research led him to a Commonwealth war graves site where he found a man named Alan Smith, who had also been searching for information about Hubert.

After reaching out to Alan, May's family learned that he was a military historian with extensive knowledge of Hubert's life. Coincidentally, Alan lived in Hamilton, Ontario, just 50 kilometers from May's daughter Dianne's home in Guelph. They discovered that Hubert had visited Hamilton before his deployment, highlighting the small circles their families had traveled in.

May eventually married Bill Mackie in 1947, but she rarely spoke of her past with Hubert. Her husband, who had served in the British Army during the war, never discussed his experiences either. The couple appeared to have a happy marriage until Bill's death in 1998.

In the 1960s, while looking through old photos, Bill confronted May about a picture of Hubert. She explained that Hubert was deceased and could no longer hurt him. The extent of Bill's knowledge about Hubert remains unclear, but it is believed that May kept details to herself to protect her husband.

As the family reflected on May's life, they considered whether she would want her story shared publicly. Jennie Homer, a close friend of May's, expressed confidence that May would appreciate the sharing of her story, especially the interest shown by Alan Smith in Hubert's life.

On November 6, 2025, May's family returned Hubert's wings to his relatives at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, just in time for Remembrance Day. A memorial will be established at the museum to honor the relationship between May and Hubert, providing a lasting tribute to their love and the sacrifices made during the war. The family hopes this gesture brings solace to Hubert's descendants after nearly 80 years.