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McCatty, Winston Alexander (Leading Aircraftman)

Killed in Flying Accident 1943-October-25

Birth Date: 1917 (age 26)

Son of Dr. Alexander J. McCatty and Alice F. McCatty, of Toronto; husband of Elizabeth Shirley McCatty, of Toronto.

Husband of Elizabeth Shirley McCatty, of Toronto.

Home: Toronto, Ontario

Service
RCAF
Unit
1 AOS- Air Observer School
Base
Malton, Ontario, Canada
Rank
Leading Aircraftman
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
Bomb Aimer
Service Numbers
R/182040
Anson aircraft 6132 was engaged on a routine navigation exercise when it crashed three miles south of Chatsworth, Ontario. LAC McCatty was the only casualty.

Canada Primary Source School Daily Diary Entry – 1943-10-25

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 Prospect Cemetery, Canada
Naval and Mil Plot Sec 1 Grave 535

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 6132

Ex RAF W1510. To No. 1 Training Command on 11 November 1940. To No. 6 Repair Depot n 15 November 1943, following a Category A crash.
1940-10-12 Taken on Strength No. 6 Repair Depot 2019-08-20
1942-March-01 Accident: 5 Service Flying Training School Loc: Aerodrome Names: Beckwall | Laird | Wright
1942-March-25 Accident: 5 Service Flying Training School Loc: Aerodrome Names: Mansker | Pickett
1943-August-30 Accident: 1 Air Observer School Loc: Milton Heights Names: Huntington | Huras | Johnson
1943-October-25 Accident: 1 Air Observer School Loc: Chatsworth Names: Conkwright | McCatty | Patterson | Sanders
1943-11-19 Struck off Strength Struck off, reduced to spares and produce 2019-08-20

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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