Bowhay, Samuel Leslie
Killed in Flying Accident 1945-01-10
Birth Date: 1915-February-03
Born:
Charles Lionel & Blanch Loraine Bowhay
Home: Three Hills, Alberta (parents)
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: Unknown
Service
RCAF
Unit
5 OTU- Operational Training Unit
Base
RCAF Stn. Abbotsford BC.
Rank
Flight Lieutenant
Position
Flight Lieutenant
Service Numbers
J/4744
First Burial
Three Hills Cemetery, Three Hills, Alberta
Took off from Abbottsford on a night bombing practice mission to the Boundary Bay Bombing Range, south of Vancouver BC.
A practice bomb fouled the bomb-bay and exploded. F/Lt Bowhay stayed at the controls and maintained control long enough for several of his crew to bail out. He went down with the aircraft along with 2 other crew who were unable to escape and perished. The aircraft crashed near Point Roberts, Washington, USA.
Killed includes Bowhay:Sergeant Henry Charles Barr RCAF R/291559 KIA Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Sergeant Thomas Michael Calloway RCAF K/268423 KIA Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, Block 3. Plot 19. Lot 10.
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
www.findagrave.comThis incident involved multiple aircraft:
- Liberator B. Mk. VI Serial: EW210
All the above aircraft in the above list are referenced in this report.
Liberator EW210
Consolidated Liberator B-24 / F-7
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 Page 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.
RCAF.Info Liberator EW210
Liberator B. Mk. VI EW210
Ex USAAF B-24J-25-CF, serial number 42-99896. With No. 5 Operational Training Unit at RCAF Stations Boundary Bay and/or Abbotsford, BC. Coded "T" while with this Unit. At Abbotsford on 4 September 1944, coded "C", when it struck an obstacle while landing. Port main gear collapsed. Reported missing on night of 9 January 1945. Located, crashed, at Point Roberts (just south of Boundary Bay) on 10 January 1945. Had suffered an explosion in the bomb bay during night bombing practice. Four crew parachuted successfully, three killed. Believed to have been practice bomb striking structure, or a leak in fuel fired heater. Use of these heaters restricted in all 5 OTU Liberators following this, a very unpopular move in the middle of winter. Ownership to No. 3 Repair Depot on 12 January 1945 for write off.1944-05-12 Taken on Strength Western Air Command 2019-08-20
1945-January-10 Accident: 5 Operational Training Unit Loc: Boundary Bay British Columbia British Columbia Names: Barr | Bowhay | Calleway | Halcrew | Rees | Somerville | Steele
1945-02-14 Struck off Strength 2019-08-20