Hazelwood Cemetery
5 Operational Training Unit - Detachment, Abbotsford, British Columbia. Died when Liberator - KG 880 and Liberator - KH 107 collided on the runway at Abbotsford.
Morris, Garnet Wilfred (Flying Officer)
Killed in Flying Accident 1945-July-03
Birth Date: 1916-April-22
Born:
Parents: Son of Garnett Morris and of Sarah Morris (nee Davies), of Brecon, Wales
Spouse: husband of Evelyn Mary Morris, of Clapham Park, London, England
Home:
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: unkown date
Decorations: DFC
Service
RAFVR
Unit
5 OTU- Operational Training Unit
Base
RCAF Stn. Abbotsford, British Columbia
Rank
Flying Officer
Position
Service Numbers
156771
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
www.findagrave.com
Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)This incident involved multiple aircraft:
- Liberator B. Mk. VI Serial: KG880
- Liberator B. Mk. VI Serial: KH107
All the above aircraft in the above list are referenced in this report.
Crew or Other Personnel
Liberator KH107
Accident Card - Consolidated Liberator B. Mk. VI serial:KH107
This accident involved 2 aircraft on 1945-July-03. They are: Liberator s/n KG880, Liberator s/n KH107.
This accident involved 15 people. Allen AK, Batley T, Brandon DF, Gunter PF, Morris GW, Murphy JW, Sinclair JA, Suggate AC, Thomas JE, Avery RH, Brown GR, Elding GH, Scarborough C, Kennedy T, Whitaker AG
This accident had 8 fatalities. Sergeant John William Murphy RAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:1083884 Liberator KG880, Sergeant Robert Hardy Avery RAFVR Killed in Flying Accident service no:1672928 Liberator KG880, Sergeant John Evan Thomas RAFVR Killed in Flying Accident service no:1836183 Liberator KG880,Flying Officer Arthur Kenneth Allan RAFVR Killed in Flying Accident service no:167796 Liberator KH107, Flying Officer Peter Foley Gunter RAFVR Killed in Flying Accident service no:188973 Liberator KH107, Sergeant Alfred Cecil Suggate RAFVR Killed in Flying Accident service no:1607162 Liberator KH107, Flight Lieutenant John Allen Sinclair RAFVR Killed in Flying Accident service no:110579 Liberator KH107, Flying Officer Garnet Wilfred Morris RAFVR Killed in Flying Accident service no:156771 Liberator KH107
Liberator serial: KH107
(DND Photos via James Craik) (Source Harold A Skaarup Web Page)
Consolidated Liberator G.R. Mk. VIII, RCAF (Serial No. 11130) ex-USAAF Consolidated (Vultee) B-24L Liberator USAAF (44-50154)
ex-RAF (Serial No. 5009), ex-Indian Air Force (Serial No. HE773).
Currently preserved in the Canada Aviation and Space Museum Ottawa Ontario.
Consolidated Liberator G.R. Mk. VIII, RCAF (Serial No. 11130) ex-USAAF Consolidated (Vultee) B-24L Liberator USAAF (44-50154)
ex-RAF (Serial No. 5009), ex-Indian Air Force (Serial No. HE773).
Currently preserved in the Canada Aviation and Space Museum Ottawa Ontario.
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber flown by the RCAF during the Second Word War. It was designed with a shoulder-mounted, high aspect ratio Davis wing which gave the Liberator a high cruise speed, long range and the ability to carry a heavy bomb load. Early RAF Liberators were the first aircraft to cross the Atlantic Ocean as a matter of routine. In comparison with its contemporaries the B-24 was relatively difficult to fly and had poor low speed performance; it also had a lower ceiling compared with the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. Of the roughly 18,500 B-24s built in the USA during the war, 148 were flown by the RCAF on long range anti-submarine patrols, with the B-24 serving an instrumental role in closing the Mid-Atlantic gap in the Battle of the Atlantic. The RCAF also flew a few B-24s post war as transports.
Roughly half of all (RAF) Liberator crews in the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theatre were Canadian by the end of the war. John Muir of Vancouver flew the longest mission of the war: 24hrs, 10mins from Ceylon to Burma and back. (Kyle Hood) Harold Skaarup web page
Liberator bomber
Wikipedia Liberator bomber
Harold A Skaarup Web PageAircraft Images
Liberator KG880
Liberator B. Mk. VI KG880
Ex USAAF serial number 44-10385. Supplied by RAF for use at No. 5 OTU, Boundary Bay, BC. Coded "Y" shortly after arrival, later coded "VJ". Collided on runway at Abbotsford with KH107 on 3 July 1945, total of 9 casualties, all RAF.1944-06-08 Taken on Strength 2022-02-07
1945-July-03 Accident: 5 Operational Training Unit Loc: Aerodrome Names: Allen | Avery | Batley | Brandon | Brown | Elding | Gunter | Kennedy | Morris | Murphy | Scarborough | Sinclair | Suggate | Thomas | Whitaker
1945-08-17 Struck off Strength 2022-02-07
Liberator KH107
Liberator B. Mk. VI KH107
Ex USAAF serial number 44-672. Supplied by RAF for use at No. 5 OTU, Boundary Bay, BC. Coded "VJ" and "AQ", dates not known. Collided on runway at Abbotsford with KG880 on 3 July 1945, total of 9 casualties, all RAF.1944-08-09 Taken on Strength 2022-02-07
1945-July-03 Accident: 5 Operational Training Unit Loc: Aerodrome Names: Allen | Batley | Brandon | Gunter | Morris | Murphy | Sinclair | Suggate | Thomas
1945-08-17 Struck off Strength 2022-02-07
Unit Desciption
5 OTU (5 Operational Training Unit)
The Operational Training Unit (OTU) was the last stop for aircrew trainees. They spent 8 to 14 weeks learning to fly operational aircraft (Hawker Hurricane or Fairey Swordfish, e.g.). The instructors had experience in actual operations, and often were posted to OTUs after their operational tour.
NO5 OTU Boundary Bay
RCAF.Info