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Brereton, Gilbert William (Flying Officer)

Killed in Flying Accident 1944-June-12

Birth Date: 1921-February-13 (age 23)

Son of Arthur William and Rose Brereton, of North Vancouver .

Home: North Vancouver, British Columbia

Service
RCAF
Unit
7 SFTS- Service Flying Training School
Base
MacLeod, Alberta, Canada
Rank
Flying 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
Pilot
Service Numbers
J/23406
Flying Officer Brereton and Leading Aircraftman M. Zuback were engaged in standard beam approach training and were killed when their Anson aircraft 11528 was in a mid-air collision before it crashed near the aerodrome at MacLeod.

This incident involved multiple aircraft:

  1. Anson Mk. II Serial: 11528
  2. Anson Mk. II Serial: 11456

All the aircraft in the above list are referenced in this report.

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)

Home
Google MapNorth Vancouver, British Columbia
Burial
Google MapCapilano View Cemetery
Sec C Plot 35 Lot G

Anson 11528

Flying Officer Brereton, Gilbert William (RCAF)
Pilot
Killed in Flying Accident
1944-June-12
Capilano View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Leading Aircraftman Zuback, Morris (RCAF)
Pilot
Killed in Flying Accident
1944-June-12
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada

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,

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 (259), Canadian Manufactured (3956), Canadian Museum(1)
last update: 2022-02-22 21:45:24

Anson Mk. II 11528

Delivered to storage on 13 April 1943. Issued from storage on 8 May 1943, for use by No. 7 Service Flying Training School at Fort McLeod, Alberta. Delivered there on 19 May 1943. To No. 10 Repair Depot for salvage on 20 June 1944, following a crash at Fort MacLeod. Approval to scrap requested on 13 July 1944, approved on 19 July 1944.

Canada Primary Source RCAF - Accident Investigation File



1943-03-17 Taken on Strength No. 4 Training Command 2019-08-20
1944-June-12 Accident: 7 Service Flying Training School Loc: R2 Standoff Names: Brereton | Hunt | Pool | Waters | Zuback
1944-08-09 Struck off Strength Written off, reduced to spares and produce 2019-08-20

Anson 11456

Anson Mk. II 11456

Delivered to long term storage. Issued from storage on 8 May 1943, for use by No. 7 Service Flying Training School at Fort McLeod, Alberta. Still with this School in fall of 1943. To No. 10 Repair Depot at Calgary on 26 June 1944, following a Category C crash. Scrapped there without being repaired.

1943-02-26 Taken on Strength No. 4 Training Command 2019-08-20
1944-June-12 Accident: 7 Service Flying Training School Loc: R2 Standoff Names: Brereton | Hunt | Pool | Waters | Zuback
1944-09-14 Struck off Strength Struck off, reduced to spares and produce 2019-08-20

7 SFTS (7 Service Flying Training School)

Graduates of the EFTS "learn-to-fly" program went on a Service Flying Training School (SFTS) for 16 weeks. For the first 8 weeks the trainee was part of an intermediate training squadron; for the next 6 weeks an advanced training squadron and for the final 2 weeks training was conducted at a Bombing & Gunnery School. The Service schools were military establishments run by the RCAF or the RAF.

There were two different types of Service Flying Training Schools. Trainees in the fighter pilot stream went to an SFTS like No. 14 Aylmer, where they trained in the North American Harvard or North American Yale. Trainees in the bomber, coastal or transport pilot stream went to an SFTS like No. 5 Brantford where they learned multi-engine technique in an Airspeed Oxford, Avro Anson or Cessna Crane.

Avro Anson Training Flight

For More information on RCAF Station Fort McLeod see here

RCAF Roundel RCAF.info - RCAF Station MacLeod AB

RCAF Roundel RCAF.info - Relief Landing Field Granum AB

RCAF Roundel RCAF.info - Relief Landing Field Standoff AB

Museum Bomber Command Museum Of Canada

Museum Vintage Wings - Ghosts Of Southern Alberta

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