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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

Bray, Earl Clarence (Flight Sergeant)

Killed in Action 1943-July-30

Flight Sergeant Earl Clarence Bray RCAF

Birth Date: 1923

Born:

Parents: William & Pearl Edith Bray, of Jarvis, Ontario, Canada.

Spouse:

Home: Jarvis, Ontario

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RCAF

Unit

218 (B) Sqn- Squadron (RAF)
In Time

Base

RAF Downham Market

Rank

Flight Sergeant

Position

Air Gunner

Service Numbers

R/89558

Home

Jarvis, Ontario

Target

Hamburg Germany

Final Burial

Becklingen War Cemetery
12 G 2

Took off from Downham Market at 22:35 in Stirling Mk III (Sqn code: HA-A Bomber Command).

Hit by flak over the target and then intercepted by a night-fighter and crashed at Ahrenswohlde

Killed: Flight Sergeant Earl Clarence Bray RCAF R/89558 KIA Becklingen War Cemetery grave 12. G. 2. Germany. Sergeant Raymond Stuart Pickard RAF KIA Becklingen War Cemetery grave 23. A. 7.

POWs: Sergeant Bert Oscar Anderson RCAF R/155939 POW Stalag Luft L3 Sagan and Belaria. Sergeant Gordon Everett Empson RAF POW Stalag Luft L3 Sagan and Belaria. Pilot Officer Heber James Lister RAF POW Stalag Luft L3 Sagan and Belaria. Sergeant William Laird Strang RAF POW Stalag Luft L3 Sagan and Belaria.

218 Gold Coast Squadron Stirling Aircraft BF 578 lost during a trip over enemy territory. Sergeant R.S. Pickard RAF was also killed. Five other members of the crew, not Canadians missing believed killed.

Canada Source Canadian Virtual War Memorial