Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum logo

Campbell, Archibald Burton (Flight Sergeant)

Killed in Flying Accident 1944-May-20

Birth Date: 1922-October-18 (age 21)

Born: Virden, Manitoba

Samuel Campbell & Lilian Allan Lindsay

Margaret Aline Patrick

Home: Medicine Hat, Alberta

Enlistment: Vancouver, British Columbia

Enlistment Date: 1942-07-30

Service
RCAF
Unit
5 (BR) Sqn- Squadron (RAF)
Frangas Non Flectas Thou mayest break but shall not bend me
Rank
Flight 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
Wireless Air Gunner
Service Numbers
R/181104

5 Bomber-Reconn Sqn RCAF, Torbay, Newfoundland.

Aircraft failed to return from depth charge practice after take-off from Torbay, Newfoundland. One of the four passengers was a Lt. G. Garand (Can. Army). It was later discovered that the Canso carried 50 lbs dynamite and unserviceable pyrotechnics for disposal.

Killed includes Campbell: F/Lt Alan Gordon Byers RCAF C/1612 KIA Ottawa Memorial Panel 3. Column 3. Warrant Officer Class 1 Charles Bernard Everett Clow RCAF R/72674 KIA Ottawa Memorial Panel 3. Column 4. Flight Sergeant Donald Lawrence Herman RCAF R/71231 KIA Ottawa Memorial Panel 3. Column 5. Flying Officer Leo James Murray RCAF J/10106 KIA Ottawa Memorial Panel 3. Column 4. Sergeant Bruce Reginald McGimsie RCAF R/78943 KIA Ottawa Memorial Panel 3. Column 5. Flight Sergeant Walter Francis James Nolan RCAF R/174786 KIA Ottawa Memorial Panel 3. Column 5. Flying Officer Joseph Basil Poole RCAF J/22439 KIA Ottawa Memorial Panel 3. Column 4.

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)

Flight Sergeant Archibald Burton Campbell has no known grave.

Home
Google MapMedicine Hat, Alberta

Google MapOttawa War Memorial
Panel 3 Column 5

Canso 9773

Consolidated Canso Catalina PBY PB2B A-10 OA-10 Black Cat

RCAF Canso A (Serial No. 9754), No. 162 Squadron, F/L David Ernest Hornell aircraft.

The Consolidated Catalina and Canso were close cousins. The Canso was the true amphibious version of the design and therefore included a conventional undercarriage to allow for either water or land use. The Canso provided more than two decades of valuable service to the RCAF. The Catalina variant came first and was produced beginning in 1935 for the United States Navy. The amphibious version, designated PBY-5A, came in service early in 1941 and the RCAF began using the aircraft on anti-submarine patrols that same year. After the Second World War, the RCAF used Cansos for search and rescue, Arctic survey missions and various transport operations. RCAF

YouTube Canso PBY

Wkikpedia Wikipedia Canso PBY

General Harold A Skaarup Web Page

last update: 2022-03-15 19:52:22

Canso A 9773

Served with No. 5 (BR) Squadron in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, or Quebec, coded "G". Missing on 20 May 1944, on mission to dispose of unserviceable dynamite and pyrotechnics. All crew and 4 passengers (at least one Army) killed. Took off from Torbay, Newfoundland for this mission.

1943-03-18 Taken on Strength Eastern Air Command 2019-08-20
1944-May-20 Accident: 5 Squadron Loc: Cape St Francis Newfoundland Names: Byers | Campbell | Clow | Herman | Mcgimsie | Murray | Nolan | Poole
1944-07-21 Struck off Strength Written off, after going missing on operations. 2019-08-20

5 (BR) Sqn Frangas Non Flectas ( x)

History of the Squadron during WWII (Aircraft: Audax, Mohawk IV, Hurricane IIc, IId, Thunderbolt I & II)

The Maple leaf in the badge reflects the squadron's close association with the Canadian Corps during WWI.

At the outbreak of war in September 1939, No. 5 Squadron were based in the North-West Frontier of India at Fort Sandeman (now Zhob, Pakistan), equipped with the Westland Wapiti biplane. The squadron became a light bomber unit when it converted to the Hawker Hart in June 1940. It became a fighter unit, equipped with obsolete Hawker Audaxes, in February 1941. In December 1941, the squadron relocated to RAF Dum Dum, Calcutta, and began to receive their first monoplane – the American-built Curtiss Mohawk Mk.IV. After the outbreak of hostilities with Japan, the squadron moved to RAF Dinjan, Assam, in May 1942, and was tasked with escorting Bristol Blenheim bombers over north west Burma (now Myanmar). Its first operational fighter sortie was flown in July 1942. In January 1943, the squadron began flying RHUBARB operations, on targets on the Imphal and Chindwin rivers, and these became an important part of the squadron’s activities. In June 1943 while the squadron was based at RAF Kharagpur, the Mohawks were replaced by Hawker Hurricane Mk.IId’s for ground attack missions, although they did not use them on vehicles until the following January. Later the squadron converted to Hurricane IIc’s and returned to more normal bomber escort and interdiction duties. In June of 1944, the squadron re-equipped with North American Thunderbolts, returning to operations in December. Duties were a mixture of escorts to Dakotas dropping supplies, RHUBARBS and dive bombing with wing-mounted 500 lb (227 kg) bombs. The last operations were bombing in support of the invasion of Rangoon. At the end of the hostilities, the squadron returned to India where it converted to Tempests and was disbanded in August 1947.

Maps for Movements of No. 5 Squadron 1941-45

MAP 1 Bases used by 5 Sqn RAF 1941-45 (right-click on image to display enlarged in new tab)

© Canadian Warplane Heritage 2024

To search on any page:
PC — Ctrl-F
Mac — ⌘-F
Mobile — or …