Brandon, Manitoba
2 Air Observers School, Edmonton, Alberta. Anson aircraft 6269 was engaged in a routine night navigation flight when the aircraft went out of control and dived into Cooking Lake three miles north-east of the airport at Cooking Lake, Alberta. Sergeant L.A. Easter (RAAF), LACs L.W. Oakes (RAAF), and J.G. Hennessy (RNZAF) were also killed.
Gibson, Ralph Percy (Sergeant)
Killed in Flying Accident 1943-October-29
Birth Date: 1920-August-09
Born:
Parents: John Victor and Kate Gibson, of Brandon, Manitoba.
Spouse: Florence S. Gibson, of Brandon, Manitoba.
Home: Brandon, Manitoba
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: unkown date
Service
RCAF
Unit
2 AOS- Air Observer School
Base
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Rank
Sergeant
Position
Pilot
Service Numbers
R/157276
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Finadagrave.com
Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)Crew or Other Personnel
Anson 6269
Accident Card - Avro Anson Mk. I serial:6269
This accident involved 1 aircraft on 1943-October-29. Anson I s/n 6269.
This accident involved 4 people. Easter LA, Gibson RP, Hennessy JG, Oakes LW
This accident had 4 fatalities. Leading Aircraftman James Glen Hennessy RNZAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:42715 Anson 6269, Leading Aircraftman Leslie William Oakes RAAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:432249 Anson 6269, Sergeant Leonard Alfred Easther RAAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:429801 Anson 6269, Sergeant Ralph Percy Gibson RCAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:R/157276 Anson 6269
Unit Desciption
2 AOS (2 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.
NO2 AOS Edmonton
Formed at Edmonton, Alberta - 5 August 1940
RCAF.Info - RCAF Station Edmonton Alberta
Bomber Command MuseumRe-formed at Winnipeg, Manitoba 15 November 1955
Project 44 BCATP
Project 44 BCATP
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