Bell, James Colin (Leading Aircraftman)

Killed in Flying Accident 1943-February-05

Male Head

Birth Date: 1910

Born:

Parents: Leo James Bell & Margaret Bell (nee Milligan), of Inangahua Landing, Nelson, New Zealand

Spouse: Rita Bell, of Hamilton, Auckland, New Zealand.

Home: Auckland, New Zealand

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RNZAF

Unit

9 AOS- Air Observer School

Base

RCAF Stn. St Jean, Quebec

Rank

Leading Aircraftman

Position

Service Numbers

422580

Home

Auckland, New Zealand

Final Burial

St James Cemetery
Plot 184 Row 5

Commonwealth War Grave Commission Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Find-A-Grave Finadagrave.com

Crew or Other Personnel

Anson 6650

Leading Aircraftman James Colin Bell RNZAF

Leading Aircraftman Bell, James Colin (RNZAF)

Killed in Flying Accident
1943-February-05
St James Cemetery, St Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada

Leading Aircraftman John Thomas Bowler RAFVR

Leading Aircraftman Bowler, John Thomas (RAFVR)

Killed in Flying Accident
1943-February-05
St James Cemetery, St Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada

Civilian Donald Still Civilian

Civilian Still, Donald (Civilian)

Killed in Flying Accident
1943-February-05
Park Lawn Cemetery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Civilian Andrew Darius Windsor Civilian

Civilian Windsor, Andrew Darius (Civilian)

Killed in Flying Accident
1943-February-05
St Thomas Cemetery, St Thomas, Ontario, Canada

Accident Card - Avro Anson Mk. I serial:6650

This accident involved 2 aircraft on 1943-February-05. They are: Anson I s/n 6650, Anson I s/n 6196.

This accident involved 5 people. Bell JC, Bowler JT, Crump ER, Still D, Windsor AD

This accident had 5 fatalities. Leading Aircraftman John Thomas Bowler RAFVR Killed in Flying Accident service no:1355815 Anson 6650, Leading Aircraftman James Colin Bell RNZAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:422580 Anson 6650, Civilian Donald Still Civilian Killed in Flying Accident service no: Anson 6650, Civilian Andrew Darius Windsor Civilian Killed in Flying Accident service no: Anson 6650,Leading Aircraftman Edward Reginald Crump RCAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:R/142171 Anson 6196

Unit Desciption

9 AOS (9 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.