Baker, Alwyn Royce

Killed in Flying Accident 1944-07-20

Male Head

Birth Date: 1925-April-26

Born:

Son of Mervyn Royce Baker and Eva May Baker, of Murwillumbah, New South Wales, Australia.

Home:

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: Unknown

Service

RAAF

Unit

15 SFTS- Service Flying Training School

Base

RCAF Stn. Claresholm, Alberta

Rank

Leading Aircraftman

Position

Leading Aircraftman

Service Numbers

439637

DIed in the crash of Anson - FP930.

This incident involved multiple aircraft:

  1. Anson Mk. II Serial: FP930

All the above aircraft in the above list are referenced in this report.

Avro Anson

Avro Anson Mk. V
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.
Avro_Anson_675_m.jpg image not found

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

General Harold A Skaarup Web Page

YouTube Avro Anson History

YouTube Avro Anson Construction

15 SFTS (15 Service Flying Training School)

Graduates of the EFTS "learn-to-fly" program went on a Service Flying Training School (SFTS) for 16 weeks. For the first 8 weeks the trainee was part of an intermediate training squadron; for the next 6 weeks an advanced training squadron and for the final 2 weeks training was conducted at a Bombing & Gunnery School. The Service schools were military establishments run by the RCAF or the RAF.

There were two different types of Service Flying Training Schools. Trainees in the fighter pilot stream went to an SFTS like No. 14 Aylmer, where they trained in the North American Harvard or North American Yale. Trainees in the bomber, coastal or transport pilot stream went to an SFTS like No. 5 Brantford where they learned multi-engine technique in an Airspeed Oxford, Avro Anson or Cessna Crane.

For More Information on RCAF Station Claresholm see here

Canada Primary Source RCAF.info - RCAF Station Claresholm AB

Canada Primary Source RCAF.info - Relief Landing Field Woodhouse AB

Canada Primary Source RCAF.info - Relief Landing Field Champion AB

General 15 SFTS Claresholm History

Museum Vintage Wings - Ghosts Of Southern Alberta

BCMC Claresholm History

Museum Bomber Command Museum of Canada - 14 SFTS Claresholm AB

Wings Over Claresholm Alberta Video

YouTube YouTube - Wings over Claresholm

Project 44 BCATP

General Project 44 BCATP

YouTube YouTube - Valour Canada Aerodrome of Democracy


Anson FP930

Anson Mk. II FP930

To RCAF for BCATP use, retained RAF serial number.

1943-01-15 Taken on Strength 2022-02-07
1944-February-07 Accident: 15 Service Flying Training School Loc: Aerodrome Names: Cummings | Stech
1944-April-17 Accident: 15 Service Flying Training School Loc: R1 Woodhouse Names: Jones
1944-July-20 Accident: 15 Service Flying Training School Loc: Arrowood Alberta Names: Baker | Bennett | Mckittrick
1944-10-10 Struck off Strength 2022-02-07