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Gillingham, James David Nicol (Flying Officer)

Killed in Flying Accident 1944-October-30

Birth Date: 1916-October-16 (age 28)

Son of W. S. Gillingham and Isabella Gillingham, of Vancouver, British Columbia; husband of Mildred G. Gillingham, of Calgary.

Husband of Mildred G. Gillingham, of Calgary.

Home: Vancouver, British Columbia

Service
RCAF
Unit
8 AOS- Air Observer School
Base
Ancienne Lorrette, Quebec, 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
Navigator
Service Numbers
J/24231
8 Air Observer School, Ancienne Lorette, Quebec. Anson aircraft crashed.

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 MapVancouver, British Columbia
Burial
Google MapBurnsland Cemetery
Lot 20 Block 9 Sec G

Anson 11705

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, it was purchased by INCO and used for mineral surveying until 1980, when it was donated to the Museum. The exterior is painted in the yellow colour common to all BCATP trainers and is in its same wartime RCAF markings.

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

last update: 2022-02-22 21:45:24

Anson Mk. V 11705

First assigned to No. 8 Air Observers School at Ancienne Lorette, Quebec. To Canada Car & Foundry at Amherst, NS for wing modifications, 21 to 28 July 1944. To No. 3 Training Command when completed. Still with No. 8 AOS when it suffered a Category A crash on 30 October 1944. Caught in bad weather on a cross country training flight, was apparently trying to land at Megantic, Quebec when it struck the top of Mt. Cecile (9 miles north of Magentic airport) at 09:30 . All 6 occupants killed. Ownership to No. 9 Repair Depot on 16 November 1944. Scrapped by No. 9 Repair Depot.

1943-08-19 Taken on Strength No. 3 Training Command 2019-08-20
1944-October-30 Accident: 8 Air Observer School Loc: Magantic Names: Carey | Fedush | Gillingham | Muir | Robson
1944-11-30 Struck off Strength Struck off, reduced to spares and produce 2020-10-11

8 AOS (8 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.

RCAF Roundel RCAF.info - RCAF Station L'Ancienne Lorrette QC

General Wartime Heritage - Orren Carey

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