Prest, William Henry
Killed in Flying Accident 1941-02-25
Birth Date: 1921
Born:
Son of Vincent N. Prest and Carrie E. Prest, of Lucknow.
Home: Lucknow, Ontario
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: Unknown
Service
RCAF
Unit
1 ANS- Air Navigation School
Base
Rivers, Manitoba, Canada
Rank
Sergeant
Position
Sergeant
Service Numbers
R/64134
Home
Lucknow, Ontario
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Commonwealth War Graves CommissionAnson Mk. I 6250
BCATP Training 1941-February-25 to 1941-February-25
() ANS (RCAF) Rivers, Manitoba
On 25 February 1941, Anson 6250 (ex-RAF W1675) of 1 ANS (Air Navigation School) departed RCAF Rivers MB, on a routine navigation flight. En route, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with heavy snow falls. The pilot did not have enough experience to fly by instruments and tried to fly by visual ground contact through a snow flurry. At approximately 1500 hrs, the aircraft flew into surface of Oak Lake, about 25 miles south-west of Rivers. The aircraft was destroyed and all four men aboard were killed.
Local search parties from the surrounding district searched all night by horse and sleigh for the plane, without success. Search parties from RCAF Rivers joined the search and the wreckage was found at 0800 hrs on the 26th February by Earl Williams, who lived on a farm near Oak Lake. The day before he had seen the plane flying in the storm and was sure it was going to crash and actually heard it. He rode several miles on horseback to look for the crashed aircraft but could not find it because of the storm. Wreckage was strewn for 70 yards around the plane when it was found. The bodies of the crew were found in the twisted wreck.Their bodies were returned to Rivers on the 27th. They were then sent to their home towns for burial.
source: Aviation Safety Network
This incident involved multiple aircraft:
- Anson Mk. I Serial: 6250
All the above aircraft in the above list are referenced in this report.
Anson 6250
Avro Anson
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
Harold A Skaarup Web Page 
Avro Anson History1 ANS (1 Air Navigation School)
Nos. 1 & 2 Air Navigation Schools offered four-week courses in astronavigation and were the last step for Air Observers.
The RAF schools, Nos. 31, 32, and 33, provided the same training as Air Observer Schools.
RCAF.info - RCAF Station Trenton ON
NO1 ANS moved to Rivers Manitoba 23 November 1940
RCAF.info - RCAF Station Rivers MB
NO 1 ANS was redesignated Central Navigation School after an amalgamation with NO 2 ANS from Pennfield Ridge, NB May 11 1942
Project 44 BCATP
Manitoba Historical Society - 1 ANS History Anson 6250
Anson Mk. I 6250
Ex RAF W1675. Winter conversion set installed during assembly by MacDonald Brothers. Reported with Test & Development Establishment at RCAF Station Rockcliffe, Ontario, but not confirmed by Aircraft Record Card. To No. 2 Training Command on 11 January 1941, for use by No. 1 Air Navigation School at Rivers, Manitoba. Category A crash at Oak Lake, Manitoba (about 25 miles south-west of Rivers) at 15:00 on 25 February 1941.1940-12-04 Taken on Strength MacDonald Brothers Aircraft 2019-08-20
1941-February-25 Accident: 1 Air Navigation School Loc: Oaklake Manitoba Names: Howarth | Lancaster | Prest
1941-February-25 Accident: 1 Air Navigation School Loc: Oaklake Manitoba Names: Butcher | Howarth | Lancaster | Prest
1941-04-03 Struck off Strength Struck off, reduced to spares and produce at No. 1 ANS 2019-08-20
Anson 6250 Mk. I - BCATP Training - 1941-02-25 to 1941-02-25
6 Group Unavailable
On 25 February 1941, Anson 6250 (ex-RAF W1675) of 1 ANS (Air Navigation School) departed RCAF Rivers MB, on a routine navigation flight. En route, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with heavy snow falls. The pilot did not have enough experience to fly by instruments and tried to fly by visual ground contact through a snow flurry. At approximately 1500 hrs, the aircraft flew into surface of Oak Lake, about 25 miles south-west of Rivers. The aircraft was destroyed and all four men aboard were killed.
Local search parties from the surrounding district searched all night by horse and sleigh for the plane, without success. Search parties from RCAF Rivers joined the search and the wreckage was found at 0800 hrs on the 26th February by Earl Williams, who lived on a farm near Oak Lake. The day before he had seen the plane flying in the storm and was sure it was going to crash and actually heard it. He rode several miles on horseback to look for the crashed aircraft but could not find it because of the storm. Wreckage was strewn for 70 yards around the plane when it was found. The bodies of the crew were found in the twisted wreck.Their bodies were returned to Rivers on the 27th. They were then sent to their home towns for burial.
source: Aviation Safety Network