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Bonin, Ernest Donald (Pilot Officer)

Killed in Action 1943-August-25

Birth Date: 1915-May-22 (age 28)

Born: Les Cedres, Monteregie Region, Quebec, Canada

Son of J O Bonin, and of Irene Kennedy Bonin, of Ville St. Laurent, Quebec.

Home: St Laurent, Quebec

Service
RCAF
Unit
519 Sqn- Squadron
Base
RAF Wick
Rank
Pilot Officer
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
Navigator
Service Numbers
J/17220
Prev: R/93822

Hampden Mk. I P5334

Meteorological 1943-August-25 to 1943-August-25

519 (Met) Sqn (RAF) RAF Wick

519 Squadron (Undaunted by Weather) RAF Wick. Hampden I aircraft P 5334 lost without a trace during a meteorological flight over the North Sea. A distress signal was received at 13:25 hours and a final message ten minutes later. No further contact was made and no trace of the aircraft or crew was found. A second Hampden I aircraft P2118 was lost later that night when it flew into high ground during a thunderstorm at Ben Loyal, Sutherlands, Scotland. There was only one survivor from the crew of P2118

Pilot Officer ED Bonin (RCAF), Flight Sergeant DL McNichol (RCAF), Pilot Officer FD Findlater (RAAF) and Pilot Officer R Rowe (RNZAF) were all missing presumed killed in action. The missing have no known grave and all are commemorated on the Runnymede Memorial

General [Royal Air Force Serial and Image Database]...

General Hampden P5334 - Aircraft Details - Aviation Directory

519 Squadron. Hampden aircraft lost.

Canada Source Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Commonwealth War Graves Commission Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Find-A-Grave.com Finadagrave.com

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

Pilot Officer Ernest Donald Bonin has no known grave.

Home
Google MapSt Laurent, Quebec

Google MapRunnymede Memorial Surrey
Panel 175

Hampden P5334

Handley Page Hampden

(RCAF Photo via Chris Charland)(Source Harold A Skaarup Web Page)
Handley Page Hampden (Serial No. P5428), of No. 32 Operational Training Unit at RCAF Patricia Bay, British Columbia, in the torpedo-bomber training role between May 1942 and February 1944.

Handley Page developed a modern stressed-skin mid-wing monoplane, powered by Bristol Pegasus radial air cooled engines, with its first flight in 1936. It had the most advanced wings available at the time, giving it a remarkably low landing speed of 73 mph for an aircraft of its size, with a top speed of 265 mph. The Hampden had a short, narrow but tall main fuselage with a very slender tail unit. This configuration led to the nicknames "Flying Panhandle" and "Flying Suitcase". At the end of the war, no complete or partial Hampden aircraft were retained for museum display.

The Hampden served in the early stages of the war, bearing the brunt of the early bombing war over Europe, taking part in the first night raid on Berlin and in the first 1000-bomber raid on Cologne. In Canada, Hampdens were built by six companies that formed Associated Aircraft. There were three in Ontario and three in Quebec, hence they were identified as the Ontario Group and Quebec Group. They supplied all the the components to the two assembly plants. The Ontario Group's assembly plant was at the Malton Airport, while the Quebec group's assembly plant was at the St. Hubert Airport. Canadian Museum of Flight and Harold A Skaarup web page

YouTube Handley Page Hampden in Flight

Wkikpedia Wikipedia Hampden Bomber

General Harold A Skaarup Web Page

Kestrek Publications Hampden - Kestrel Publications

last update: 2022-01-13 21:37:22

Hampden Mk. I P5334

EQRAF RoundelQ
Served with No. 408 (B) Squadron, RCAF in the UK, 1941 - 1942, coded "EQ*Q".

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