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CASPIR Data Archive Mission & Data Sources Significant Canadian Historians Our Team RCAF Assistance CASPIR Volunteering

CASPIR contains documents, images and history of Canada's military aviation. The personnel and aircraft data has been compiled using data provided by trusted Canadian military aviation historians and original source documents. Where possible source documents are linked.
Research

CASPIR Resources

RCAF Accident Cards (1939-1945) JA Griffin Documents 1968 and 2005 Obtaining a World War II Service File

External Resources

RCAF.info: Research Resources RCAF.info: Finding Your Family Records

Griffin Library, 17 Wing Winnipeg

John Griffin was a significant historian, documenting Canada's Military aircraft.
Aircraft

Military Aircraft Associated with Canadians Choose a Specific Aircraft Serial

Lancaster FM213

CWHM flies one of the two airworthy Lancasters in the world. FM213 is usually marked as KB726 honouring Andrew Mynarski, VC.
Personnel

Name or Home Town Search Unit (Squadron) Search Aircraft Type or Serial Search Browse by Letter This Day in History

War Status Search Catastrophic Losses (Ships Hotels Aircraft) Choose Specific Military Cemeteries (WW1 WW2 and Beyond)

Andrew Mynarski, VC

We Shall Remember Them.
History

Education & History
Start Here Glossary Canada and World War II Combatants & First Airmen Casualties Air Force Operations Battle of Britain Women in War War Artists Canada in Korean Air War 1950-1953

Blogs & Articles
CASPIR Overview First World War Neighbourhood - Dufferin & Dupont Canada's First Military Aeroplane 1917

"A" Able flying through the Eiffel Tower? (although this event likely happened, this photograph is likely fake.) It is signed by the late Bill Bryant RAF who was the navigator of that aircraft piloted by Bob Boorman RCAF. The caption reads "This Stars Stripes photograph was taken on 14 September 1944 and shows a Mosquito Mk XIII of 409 Squadron RCAF. Pilot - W/O Bob Boorman RCAF Navigator F/S Bill Bryant RAF Flying through the Eiffel Tower."
Contact

Lavoie, Norman Thomas (Warrant Officer 2nd Class)

Killed in Flying Accident 1943-October-19

Warrant Officer 2nd Class Norman Thomas Lavoie RCAF

Birth Date: 1921-October-13

Born:

Parents: Son of Charles R. Lavoie and Mary Lavoie, of London; husband of Lucille Edna Lavoie, of St. Thomas.

Spouse: Husband of Lucille Edna Lavoie, of St. Thomas.

Home: London, Ontario

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RCAF

Unit

4 BGS- Bombing & Gunnery School

Base

Fingal, Ontario, Canada

Rank

Warrant Officer 2nd Class

Position

Pilot

Service Numbers

R/78838

Home

Google Map

London, Ontario

Final Burial

Google Map

St Thomas Roman Catholic Cemetery
Plot 661 Grave 3

Lysander aircraft 2427 was flying at 3,500 feet and was engaged in a routine drogue towing exercise when the port wing was severed by the drogue towing cable of another aircraft. The Lysander went into a spin and crashed near the aerodrome at Fingal, LAC. L. Renaud was also killed.

Canada Source Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Commonwealth War Grave Commission Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Find-A-Grave Finadagrave.com

Canada Primary Source Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)

Crew or Other Personnel

Lysander 2427

Warrant Officer 2nd Class Norman Thomas Lavoie RCAF

Warrant Officer 2nd Class Lavoie, Norman Thomas (RCAF)
Pilot
Killed in Flying Accident
1943-October-19
St Thomas Roman Catholic Cemetery, London, Ontario, Canada

Leading Aircraftman Lionel Renaud RCAF

Leading Aircraftman Renaud, Lionel (RCAF)
drogue operator
Killed in Flying Accident
1943-October-19
Timmins Cemetery, Timmins, Ontario, Canada

Accident Card - Westland Lysander Mk. IIIA TT serial:2427

This accident involved 1 aircraft on 1943-October-19. Lysander IIIA s/n 2427.

This accident involved 2 people. Renaud L, Lavoie NT

This accident had 2 fatalities. Warrant Officer 2nd Class Norman Thomas Lavoie RCAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:R/78838 Lysander 2427, Leading Aircraftman Lionel Renaud RCAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:R/151277 Lysander 2427

Unit Desciption

4 BGS (4 Bomb and Gunnery School)

The Bombing and Gunnery School (B&GS) offered instruction in the techniques of bomb aiming and aerial machine gunnery to Air Observers, Bomb Aimers, and Wireless Air Gunners. These schools required large areas to accommodate their bombing and gunnery ranges, and were often located near water. The Avro Anson, Fairey Battle, Bristol Bolingbroke, and Westland Lysander were the standard aircraft used at B&GS schools.

NO4 BGS Fingal Ontario

Royal Canadian Air Force RCAF.info - RCAF Station Fingal Ontario

Museum Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum - 4 BGS History

Unvetted Source RCAF Fingal Blog

Project 44 BCATP

Unvetted Source Project 44 BCATP

YouTube YouTube - Valour Canada Aerodrome of Democracy