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Forestell, Thomas Bernard (Sergeant)

Killed in Flying Accident 1944-March-20

Birth Date: 1923-November-21 (age 20)

Son of Daniel and Lena Forestell, of Coniston, Ontario. Brother of Bernard Lawrence Forestell.

Home: Coniston, Ontario

Service
RCAF
Unit
1 AOS- Air Observer School
Base
Malton, Ontario, Canada
Rank
Sergeant
Marshal
Air Chief MarshalA/C/M
Air MarshalA/M
Air Vice MarshalA/V/M
Air CommodoreA/C
Group CaptainG/C
Wing CommanderW/C
Squadron LeaderS/L
Flight LieutenantF/L
Flying OfficerF/O
Pilot OfficerP/O
Warrant Officer 1st ClassWO1
Warrant Officer 2nd ClassWO2
Flight SergeantFS
SergeantSGT
CorporalCPL
Senior AircraftmanSAC
Leading AircraftmanLAC
Aircraftman 1st ClassAC1
Aircraftman 2nd ClassAC2
Position
Pilot
Service Numbers
R/184192
Sgt Forestell was on a navigation exercise and made a slipping turn to the left on making his final turn before landing. He was killed when Anson aircraft 6626 crashed 300 yards north-west of the aerodrome at Muskoka, Ontario.

Canada Primary Source School Daily Diary Entry – 1944-03-20

BROTHER to Robert Samuel Forestell.

Canada Source Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Find-A-Grave.com Find-A-Grave.com

Canada Primary Source Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)

Burial
Google Map Lasalle Roman Catholic Cemetery, Canada
Family Plot Grave 2 Sec 1 Lot 726N

Avro Anson

Avro Anson Mk. V
Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
The Museum's Anson Mk. V was built by MacDonald Brothers in Winnipeg in 1944. It flew with No. 7 Photographic Wing and No. 414 Squadron in Ottawa on photo survey work until the late 1940s. In 1956, it was purchased by INCO and used for mineral surveying until 1980, when it was donated to the Museum. The exterior is painted in the yellow colour common to all BCATP trainers and is in its same wartime RCAF markings.

The Avro Anson was known by a number of nicknames including "Faithful Annie" or "Flying Greenhouse". It was the first aircraft to be flown by the Royal Canadian Air Force to have a retractable undercarriage, which was a comparative novelty in 1936. In 1940, a Canadian government owned company, Federal Aircraft Limited, was created in Montreal to manufacture the Anson for Canadian use. Nearly 3,000 Anson aircraft were produced and, in the early days of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), the Anson was the standard trainer for many pilots, observers (navigators), wireless operators and bomb aimers. More than 20,000 aircrew received training on the Anson. In Canadian service, the aircraft was substantially re-designed with the substitution of North American engines and many other airframe and equipment changes. Harold Skaarup web pages

General Harold A Skaarup Web Page

YouTube Avro Anson History

YouTube Avro Anson Construction

CASPIR Aircraft Groups:
RCAF On Strength (4404), RCAF 400 Squadron (6), Canadian Aircraft Losses (257)
last update: 2022-02-22 21:45:24

Anson Mk. I 6626

Ex RAF W2305. Winter conversion set installed during assembly. To No. 4 Training Command on 7 July 1941, for use by No. 3 Air Observers School at Regina, Saskatchewan. To Aircraft Repair for overhaul, 17 February to 17 July 1943. To No. 1 Training Command when completed. Category A crash on 24 March 1944. To workshop reserve at No. 6 Repair Depot that day.
1941-05-08 Taken on Strength MacDonald Brothers Aircraft 2019-08-20
1944-March-20 Accident: 1 Air Observer School Loc: Muskoka Names: Cummins | Forestell | Lawson | Mason | Stewart
1944-04-21 Struck off Strength Struck off, reduced to spares and produce by No. 6 Repair Depot 2020-10-05

1 AOS- Air Observer School (1 Air Observer School)

Air Observers were later called "navigators". For recruits in this stream, the training path after ITS was 8 weeks at an Air Observer School (AOS), 1 month at a Bombing & Gunnery School, and finally 1 month at a Navigation School. The Air Observer schools were operated by civilians under contract to the RCAF. For example, Nos. 7, 8, and 9 were run by CP Airlines. However, the instructors were RCAF. The basic navigation techniques throughout the war years were dead reckoning and visual pilotage, and the tools were the aeronautical chart, magnetic compass, watch, trip log, pencil, Douglas protractor, and Dalton Navigational Computer. They trained in the Avro Anson.
No. 1 Air Observer School. Dominion Skyways (Training) Ltd. Malton, Ontario.

The School was established at Malton, Ontario. The former school is now the Toronto (Pearson) International Airport.

More information on the RCAF Station at Malton can be found at

  • RCAF Roundel RCAF.info - RCAF Station Malton Ontario

  • General Wartime Canada - Wings presentation December 1943

    • 1940-05-27 Primary Location Malton ON Canada Now site of Toronto International Airport CYYZ

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