Davies, Leslie William Laurence

Killed in Flying Accident 1945-04-28

Birth Date: 1923

Born: London Borough of Lewisham, Greater London, England

Son of John James Davies and Mabel Eva May (nee Pond) Davies, of Catford, London

Home: Catford, London

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: Unknown

Service

RAFVR

Unit

45 Group (RAF)

Base

RCAF Stn, Dorval, Quebec

Rank

Flying Officer

Position

Flying Officer

Service Numbers

154693

Home

Catford, London

First Burial

Terrace Lawn Cemetery, North Bay, Ontario, Canada

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

www.findagrave.com

Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)

Mitchell Mitchell II FV987

Aircraft Ferrying 1945-April-28 to 1945-April-28

45 (T) Group (RAF) North Bay, Ontario

45 Group RAF Transport Command. Mitchell BIII aircraft FV 987, crashed in North Bay, Ontario while on a ferry training exercise, killing two of the four crew aboard

Pilot LW Davies (RAFVR) and Wireless Operator FS W Gribben (RAFVR) were killed in this flying accident

Two civilian crew were also aboard and both survived the crash but no detail as to their identity has been found to date

The four crew members were part of 313 Ferry Training Unit, located in North Bay, Ontario

Ocean Bridge, The History of RAF Ferry Command by Carl A Christie page 328

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

General The North Bay Airport & WWII - North Bay Museum

This incident involved multiple aircraft:

Mitchell Mitchell II Serial: FV987

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

Findagrave.com

Mitchell FV987

Flying Officer Davies, Leslie William Laurence (RAFVR)
Pilot
Killed in Flying Accident
1945-April-28
Terrace Lawn Cemetery, North Bay, Ontario, Canada

Male Head

Flight Sergeant Gribbin, William (RAF)
Wireless Operator
Killed in Flying Accident
1945-April-28
St Mary's Catholic Cemetery, North Bay, Ontario, Canada

North American Mitchell B-25 B-25D B-25J

North American B-25J Mitchell Mk. III
Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum

North_American_B-25_Mitchell_251.jpg image not found

The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in every theater of World War II, and after the war ended, many remained in service, operating across four decades. Produced in numerous variants, nearly 10,000 B-25s were built.

The North American B-25 Mitchell was flown by the RCAF during and after the Second World War. The RCAF flew the B-25 Mitchell for training during the war and continued flying operations after the war, in Canada with most of 162 Mitchells received. The first B-25s had originally been diverted to Canada from RAF orders. These included one Mitchell Mk. I, 42 Mitchell Mk. IIs, and 19 Mitchell Mk. IIIs. No 13 (P) Squadron was formed unofficially at RCAF Station Rockcliffe in May 1944 and flew Mitchell Mk. IIs on high-altitude aerial photography sorties. No. 5 OTU (Operational Training Unit) at Boundary Bay, British Columbia and Abbotsford, British Columbia, operated the B-25D Mitchell in a training role together with B-24 Liberators for Heavy Conversion as part of the BCATP. The RCAF retained the Mitchell until October 1963.

No. 418 (Auxiliary) Squadron received its first Mitchell Mk. IIs in January 1947. It was followed by No. 406 (Auxiliary), which flew Mitchell Mk. IIs and Mk. IIIs from April 1947 to June 1958. No. 418 Operated a mix of Mk. IIs and Mk. IIIs until March 1958. No. 12 Squadron of Air Transport Command also flew Mitchell Mk. IIIs along with other types from September 1956 to November 1960. In 1951, the RCAF received an additional 75 B-25Js from USAF stocks to make up for attrition and to equip various second-line units..Wikipedia and Harold Skaarup web page

YouTube Mitchell Bomber