Thomas Bernard Forestell Rank: Sergeant Status: Killed in Flying Accident 1944-03-20

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. I 6626

Ex RAF W2305. Winter conversion set installed during assembly. To No. 4 Training Command on 7 July 1941, for use by No. 3 Air Observers School at Regina, Saskatchewan. To Aircraft Repair for overhaul, 17 February to 17 July 1943. To No. 1 Training Command when completed. Category A crash on 24 March 1944. To workshop reserve at No. 6 Repair Depot that day.

1941-05-08 Taken on Strength MacDonald Brothers Aircraft 2019-08-20
1944-March-20 Accident: 1 Air Observer School Loc: Muskoka Names: Cummins | Forestell | Lawson | Mason | Stewart
1944-04-21 Struck off Strength Struck off, reduced to spares and produce by No. 6 Repair Depot 2020-10-05

1 AOS (1 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.

No. 1 Air Observer School. Dominion Skyways (Training) Ltd. Malton, Ontario.

The School was established at Malton, Ontario. The former school is now the Toronto (Pearson) International Airport.

More information on the RCAF Station at Malton can be found at

RCAF Roundel RCAF.info - RCAF Station Malton Ontario

General Wartime Canada - Wings presentation December 1943

Marshal
Air Chief Marshal	A/C/M
Air Marshal	A/M
Air Vice Marshal	A/V/M
Air Commodore	A/C
Group Captain	G/C
Wing Commander	W/C
Squadron Leader	S/L
Flight Lieutenant	F/L
Flying Officer	F/O
Pilot Officer	P/O
Warrant Officer 1st Class	WO1
Warrant Officer 2nd Class	WO2
Flight Sergeant	FS
Sergeant	SGT
Corporal	CPL
Senior Aircraftman	SAC
Leading Aircraftman	LAC
Aircraftman 1st Class	AC1
Aircraftman 2nd Class	AC2

Forestell, Thomas Bernard (Sergeant)

Killed in Flying Accident 1944-March-20

Avro Anson

CASPIR Aircraft Groups:

Anson Mk. I 6626

1 AOS (1 Air Observer School)

Griffin Library, 17 Wing Winnipeg

Lancaster FM213

Andrew Mynarski, VC

Forestell, Thomas Bernard (Sergeant)

Killed in Flying Accident 1944-March-20

Avro Anson

CASPIR Aircraft Groups:

Anson Mk. I 6626

1 AOS (1 Air Observer School)

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