Stephenson, John Gay
Killed in Flying Accident 1960-04-29
Service
RCAF
Unit
Air Defence Command ADC- Air Defence Command
Base
RCAF Uplands
Rank
Air Commodore
Position
Air Commodore
Service Numbers
C/860
Home
Windsor, Ontario
First Burial
Windsor Grove Cemetery
Air Commodore Stephenson was an RMC Graduate and had flown with the RCAF in WW2 and as a 432 Squadron Wing Commander, Stephenson was shot down 1945-01-05 in Halifax VII aircraft NP 817 QO-D and became a Prisoner of War. He was freed in March 1945 and continued to serve in the RCAF, rising to the rank of Air Commodore until he lost his life in this accident
Air Commodore John Gay Stephenson is commemorated on Page 108 of the 'In the Service of Canada' Book of Remembrance
Air Commodore John Gay Stephenson - National...
12 RCAF Air Transport Command (Falcon) Squadron, Uplands, Ottawa. B-25 Mitchell III aircraft 5220 had just taken off from Milwaukee airport with an intended destination of Truax Field Air National Guard Base at the Dane County Regional Airport near Madison, Wisconsin. However, with one engine out of control and with a over-speeding propeller, the Mitchell was forced to turn back. Tragically, it crashed into the Milwaukee Harbour of Lake Michigan, 1 mile off shore, three miles short of the runway at Billy Michell Field, Milwaukee. All six crew members on board the aircraft perished in the accident
Air Commodore JG Stephenson OBE AFC CD (RCAF), Wing Commander GW Kusair DFC CD (RCAF), Flyong Officer RP Howard (RCAF), Flight Lieutenant DE Dyck (RCAF), Sergeant LUJ Bisson (RCAF) and Leading Aircraftman NA Porteus (RCAF) were all killed in the crash
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
www.findagrave.comPrevious Events
1945-January-06 Wing Commander Prisoner of War
Halifax B.Mk.VIIQO D | 432 B Sqn RCAF |
Mitchell Mk. 3PT / 3ST 5220
Transport 1960-April-29 to 1960-April-29
412 (T) Sqn (RCAF) RCAF Uplands
412 RCAF Air Transport Command (Falcon) Squadron, Uplands, Ottawa. B-25 Mitchell III aircraft 5220 had just taken off from Milwaukee airport with an intended destination of Truax Field Air National Guard Base at the Dane County Regional Airport near Madison, Wisconsin. However, with one engine out of control and with a over-speeding propeller, the Mitchell was forced to turn back. Tragically, it crashed into the Milwaukee Harbour of Lake Michigan, 1 mile off shore, three miles short of the runway at Billy Michell Field, Milwaukee. All six crew members on board the aircraft perished in the accident
Air Commodore JG Stephenson OBE AFC CD (RCAF), Wing Commander GW Kusair DFC CD (RCAF), Flyong Officer RP Howard (RCAF), Flight Lieutenant DE Dyck (RCAF), Sergeant LUJ Bisson (RCAF) and Leading Aircraftman NA Porteus (RCAF) were all killed in the crash
Mitchell 5220
North American Mitchell B-25 B-25D B-25J
Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in every theater of World War II, and after the war ended, many remained in service, operating across four decades. Produced in numerous variants, nearly 10,000 B-25s were built.
The North American B-25 Mitchell was flown by the RCAF during and after the Second World War. The RCAF flew the B-25 Mitchell for training during the war and continued flying operations after the war, in Canada with most of 162 Mitchells received. The first B-25s had originally been diverted to Canada from RAF orders. These included one Mitchell Mk. I, 42 Mitchell Mk. IIs, and 19 Mitchell Mk. IIIs. No 13 (P) Squadron was formed unofficially at RCAF Station Rockcliffe in May 1944 and flew Mitchell Mk. IIs on high-altitude aerial photography sorties. No. 5 OTU (Operational Training Unit) at Boundary Bay, British Columbia and Abbotsford, British Columbia, operated the B-25D Mitchell in a training role together with B-24 Liberators for Heavy Conversion as part of the BCATP. The RCAF retained the Mitchell until October 1963.
No. 418 (Auxiliary) Squadron received its first Mitchell Mk. IIs in January 1947. It was followed by No. 406 (Auxiliary), which flew Mitchell Mk. IIs and Mk. IIIs from April 1947 to June 1958. No. 418 Operated a mix of Mk. IIs and Mk. IIIs until March 1958. No. 12 Squadron of Air Transport Command also flew Mitchell Mk. IIIs along with other types from September 1956 to November 1960. In 1951, the RCAF received an additional 75 B-25Js from USAF stocks to make up for attrition and to equip various second-line units..Wikipedia and Harold Skaarup web page
Mitchell Bomber
Wikipedia Mitchell Bomber Mitchell 5220 Mk. 3PT / 3ST - Transport - 1960-04-29 to 1960-04-29
6 Group Unavailable
412 RCAF Air Transport Command (Falcon) Squadron, Uplands, Ottawa. B-25 Mitchell III aircraft 5220 had just taken off from Milwaukee airport with an intended destination of Truax Field Air National Guard Base at the Dane County Regional Airport near Madison, Wisconsin. However, with one engine out of control and with a over-speeding propeller, the Mitchell was forced to turn back. Tragically, it crashed into the Milwaukee Harbour of Lake Michigan, 1 mile off shore, three miles short of the runway at Billy Michell Field, Milwaukee. All six crew members on board the aircraft perished in the accident
Air Commodore JG Stephenson OBE AFC CD (RCAF), Wing Commander GW Kusair DFC CD (RCAF), Flyong Officer RP Howard (RCAF), Flight Lieutenant DE Dyck (RCAF), Sergeant LUJ Bisson (RCAF) and Leading Aircraftman NA Porteus (RCAF) were all killed in the crash