Remembering Private Hayden Lykkemark of Langley, and the three soldiers who died with him
A Langley Secondary grad, rugby player and Boys and Girls Club volunteer, Hayden Lykkemark was 19. He died on October 17 with three fellow soldiers in a fire at CFB Wainwright. This is who they were.
On the Monday after the fire, flags came down to half-mast at Township facilities and parks and at City of Langley facilities, and the Legion in Aldergrove lowered its flag too. The Township’s notice named the reason plainly: Private Hayden Lykkemark, from Langley, was one of four Canadian soldiers killed on Saturday, October 17, during training at Canadian Forces Base Wainwright in Alberta.
He was 19, the youngest of the four.
Hayden
Hayden went to Langley Secondary School and played rugby for the T-Birds. His senior-year coach, Trevor Plater, remembered a player who wasn’t afraid to make the tackle or do his part, and who “wasn’t necessarily somebody who talked a lot but he had a big impact when he did.”
He grew up with the Boys and Girls Club in Langley and later gave his time back to it as a volunteer. Friends describe a quiet, funny young man who listened, who loved the gym, hiking and sport, and who looked out for the people around him. Caden Orr, a friend since Grade 9 English, put it simply: “He was a great friend.”
After graduation he and his friend Kane Lewis walked into the recruiting office together. They went through training together and ended up in the same platoon. Hayden saw the army as the first step toward the job he really wanted, which was police work. Kane said Hayden “was always looking out for everyone,” and wrote that in the army Hayden became “more than just a friend; he became a brother.”
In the House of Commons on October 19, the Prime Minister spoke about each of the four soldiers by name. He said Hayden was known for “his gift for lightening a hard day,” and that he and Private Shaun Farrell were best friends who were seldom seen apart.
The Langley Rugby Club said Hayden’s “legacy of service, friendship, and compassion will not be forgotten.” We won’t forget it either.
The three who served beside him
Private Shaun Farrell, 23, of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. Born in South Africa, he moved to Prince Albert with his family in 2017 and graduated from Carlton Comprehensive. His family says he wanted to serve from the time he was a child, that he never let a label or a low expectation decide what he could do, and that in the army he was living his dream. In the battalion he was known as the Grand Master of Chess. He hoped to take the reconnaissance course next.
Private Aidan Goulding, 23, of North Vancouver. A trained mechanic, he left that work to join the army. He was a keen athlete, and he was looking forward to deploying to Latvia. His mother, Sonia Monk, said he loved his army family as much as he loved his own, and that he’d rather people pray for his injured friends than dwell on his death. The Prime Minister said he met every hardship with a joke.
Sergeant Morgan Wong, 26, of Edmonton. A reservist with the Loyal Edmonton Regiment serving with 3 PPCLI, he joined in 2017, and served in Latvia on Operation REASSURANCE from October 2024 to June 2025. Away from the army he held a commerce degree from the University of Alberta, worked as a financial analyst for the Government of Alberta, and volunteered as a medical first responder with St. John Ambulance. His family said he “was always there whenever anyone needed him.”
What happened
National Defence says the fire started at about 4 pm on October 17, during live-fire training on Exercise APOLLO SHOOTER. The soldiers were members of Charlie Company, 3rd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, with attached reservists and medical staff, training ahead of a deployment to Latvia with Canada’s NATO brigade. A fire that began on a nearby range was being monitored; a shift in the wind drove it into the area where the soldiers were. Four soldiers were killed and 39 were injured.
As of October 22, National Defence said 27 soldiers were still in hospital and 12 had been released. On October 21, Alberta’s premier said 13 were in critical condition. Burn-care specialists were flown in from Ontario to help.
The cause has not been determined. Military police are investigating together with Alberta’s Chief Medical Examiner and the RCMP, the Canadian Armed Forces Fire Marshal is carrying out a review, and a separate Board of Inquiry is being set up. The Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jennie Carignan, has committed to releasing its findings publicly. We’ll report what the investigations find, and nothing before.
Flags on federal buildings across the country, including the Peace Tower, are at half-mast until further notice.
How Langley can honour them
- Stand at a cenotaph on November 11. Langley has four public ceremonies. Our Remembrance Day guide has the details.
- Give through the channels the Army recommended. The commander of 1st Canadian Division pointed people to Support Our Troops and Soldier On, which help serving members, veterans and their families.
- Be careful with appeals online. At least one fake fundraiser using a soldier’s name has appeared. If you want to give, give through an established registered charity or the official programs above.
- Give blood. Burn patients need a lot of it. Canadian Blood Services lists donor clinics near you.
- Look after each other. If this has hit you hard, and especially if you serve or have served, the Canadian Armed Forces Member Assistance Program is at 1-800-268-7708, 24 hours a day, and the Family Information Line is at 1-800-866-4546. Anyone can call or text 9-8-8.
Funeral and memorial details have not been announced for Hayden. When they are, and if his family chooses to make them public, we’ll share them here.
To the families of Private Hayden Lykkemark, Private Shaun Farrell, Private Aidan Goulding and Sergeant Morgan Wong, and to the injured soldiers and everyone who serves with them: Langley is thinking of you.
We will remember them.