Littlewood, Reginald George
Killed in Flying Accident 1941-12-23

Birth Date: unkown date
Born:
Son of Sydney C. Littlewood and Sarah A. Littlewood, of Ruislip, Middlesex, England
Home:
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: Unknown
Service
RAF
Unit
33 EFTS- Elementary Flying Training School (RAF)
Base
Caron, Saskatchewan, Canada
Rank
Pilot Officer
Position
Pilot Officer
Service Numbers
106584
This incident involved multiple aircraft:
- Moth, Tiger I Serial: 5967
All the above aircraft in the above list are referenced in this report.
de Havilland DH 82 Tiger Moth

The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and many other operators as a primary trainer aircraft. In addition to the type's principal use for ab-initio training, the Second World War saw RAF Tiger Moths operating in other capacities, including maritime surveillance and defensive anti-invasion preparations; some aircraft were even outfitted to function as armed light bombers.
The Tiger Moth remained in service with the RAF until it was succeeded and replaced by the de Havilland Chipmunk during the early 1950s. Many of the military surplus aircraft subsequently entered into civil operation. Many nations have used the Tiger Moth in both military and civil applications, and it remains in widespread use as a recreational aircraft in several countries. It is still occasionally used as a primary training aircraft, particularly for those pilots wanting to gain experience before moving on to other tailwheel aircraft.
Overseas manufacturing of the type commenced in 1937, the first such overseas builder being de Havilland Canada at its facility in Downsview, Ontario. In addition to an initial batch of 25 Tiger Moths that were built for the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), the Canadian firm began building fuselages which were exported to the UK for completion. Canadian-built Tiger Moths featured modifications to better suit the local climate, along with a reinforced tail wheel, hand-operated brakes (built by Bendix Corporation), shorter undercarriage radius rods and the legs of the main landing gear legs being raked forwards as a safeguard against tipping forwards during braking. In addition the cockpit had a large sliding canopy fitted along with exhaust-based heating; various alternative undercarriage arrangements were also offered. By the end of Canadian production, de Havilland Canada had manufactured a total of 1,548 of all versions.Wikipedia
Wikipedia de Havilland Tiger Moth
YouTube de Havilland DH.82A Tiger Moth
33 EFTS (33 Elementary Flying Training School)
An Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) gave a trainee 50 hours of basic flying instruction on a simple trainer like the De Havilland Tiger Moth, Fleet Finch, or Fairchild Cornell over 8 weeks.Elementary schools were operated by civilian flying clubs under contract to the RCAF and most of the instructors were civilians. For example, No. 12 EFTS Goderich was run by the Kitchener-Waterloo Flying Club and the County of Huron Flying Club.The next step for a pilot was the Service Flying Training School.

For More information on RCAF Station Caron see here
RCAF.info - RCAF Station Caron SK
RCAF.info - Relief Landing Field Boharm SK
Vintage Wings - Ghosts of Saskatchewan
Moth, Tiger 5967
Moth, Tiger I 5967
Delivered to stored reserve. Crashed at 13:10 on 23 December 1941, while ferrying from Calgary, Alberta to No. 33 Elementary Flying Training School at Caron, Saskatchewan. Pilot Officer R.G. Littlewood, instructor at No. 33 EFTS, was killed when the aircraft struck wires across the South Saskatchewan River 3 miles west of Medicine Hat, and crashed into the river. To No. 10 Repair Depot at Calgary on 6 January 1942 for scrapping.1941-12-06 Taken on Strength No. 4 Training Command 2019-08-20
1941-December-23 Accident: MISC FerryING Loc: South Saskatchewan River Names: Littlewood
1942-05-28 Struck off Strength Struck off, reduced to spares and produce 2019-08-20