About

CASPIR Data Archive Mission & Data Sources Significant Canadian Historians Our Team RCAF Assistance CASPIR Volunteering

CASPIR contains documents, images and history of Canada's military aviation. The personnel and aircraft data has been compiled using data provided by trusted Canadian military aviation historians and original source documents. Where possible source documents are linked.
Research

CASPIR Resources

RCAF Accident Cards (1939-1945) JA Griffin Documents 1968 and 2005 Obtaining a World War II Service File

External Resources

RCAF.info: Research Resources RCAF.info: Finding Your Family Records

Griffin Library, 17 Wing Winnipeg

John Griffin was a significant historian, documenting Canada's Military aircraft.
Aircraft

Military Aircraft Associated with Canadians Choose a Specific Aircraft Serial

Lancaster FM213

CWHM flies one of the two airworthy Lancasters in the world. FM213 is usually marked as KB726 honouring Andrew Mynarski, VC.
Personnel

Name or Home Town Search Unit (Squadron) Search Aircraft Type or Serial Search Browse by Letter This Day in History

War Status Search Catastrophic Losses (Ships Hotels Aircraft) Choose Specific Military Cemeteries (WW1 WW2 and Beyond)

Andrew Mynarski, VC

We Shall Remember Them.
History

Education & History
Start Here Glossary Canada and World War II Combatants & First Airmen Casualties Air Force Operations Battle of Britain Women in War War Artists Canada in Korean Air War 1950-1953

Blogs & Articles
CASPIR Overview First World War Neighbourhood - Dufferin & Dupont Canada's First Military Aeroplane 1917

"A" Able flying through the Eiffel Tower? (although this event likely happened, this photograph is likely fake.) It is signed by the late Bill Bryant RAF who was the navigator of that aircraft piloted by Bob Boorman RCAF. The caption reads "This Stars Stripes photograph was taken on 14 September 1944 and shows a Mosquito Mk XIII of 409 Squadron RCAF. Pilot - W/O Bob Boorman RCAF Navigator F/S Bill Bryant RAF Flying through the Eiffel Tower."
Contact

Blaydes, Herbert (Pilot Officer)

Killed in Action 1944-June-25

Pilot Officer Herbert Blaydes RCAF

Birth Date: 1916-May-04

Born:

Parents: Herbert Ingram and Claudia Blaydes.

Spouse: Marguerite Marie Blaydes of St. James, MB.

Home: St James, Manitoba

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RCAF

Unit

9 (B) Sqn- Squadron (RAF)
Per Noctem Volamus Through out the night we fly

Base

RAF Bardney

Rank

Pilot Officer

Position

Navigator

Service Numbers

J/88416

Home

Google Map

St James, Manitoba

Target

Google Map

Flying Bomb site Prouvilles Somme France

Final Burial

Google Map

Communal Cemetery
Grave 3.

49 Squadron (Per Noctem Volamus). Aircraft shot down (means not found) and crashed at Coulonvillers, Somme, France. Sergeants S.J. Abbott (RAF), R.W. Agg (RAF), D.A.K. Davison (RAF), FSs N.W. Brown (RAF), and J.E. Halshaw (RAF) were also killed. RAF Sgts H Garratt and W Wilson were made POWs.

Canada Source Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Commonwealth War Grave Commission Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Find-A-Grave Finadagrave.com

Canada Primary Source Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)

Crew or Other Personnel

Lancaster LL853

Sergeant Stanley James Abbott RAF

Sergeant Abbott, Stanley James (RAF)
M-U Gunner
Killed in Action
1944-June-25
cemetery unknown

Sergeant Richard William Agg RAAF

Sergeant Agg, Richard William (RAAF)
W/Op-AG
Killed in Action
1944-June-25
cemetery unknown

Pilot Officer Herbert Blaydes RCAF

Pilot Officer Blaydes, Herbert (RCAF)
Navigator
Killed in Action
1944-June-25
Communal Cemetery, Coulonvillers, Somme, France

Flt Sergeant Norman Wells Brown RAF

Flt Sergeant Brown, Norman Wells (RAF)
Bomb Aimer
Killed in Action
1944-June-25
cemetery unknown

Sergeant David Arthur Keith Davison RAF

Sergeant Davison, David Arthur Keith (RAF)
Flt. Engineer
Killed in Action
1944-June-25
cemetery unknown

Sergeant Henry Garratt RAF

Sergeant Garratt, Henry (RAF)
Rear Gunner
Prisoner of War
1944-June-25
cemetery unknown

Flt Sergeant John Edward Halshaw RAFVR

Flt Sergeant Halshaw, John Edward (RAFVR)
Pilot
Killed in Action
1944-June-25
cemetery unknown

Sergeant William Wilson RAF

Sergeant Wilson, William (RAF)
2nd RG
Prisoner of War
1944-June-25
cemetery unknown