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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

Chapman, John Randall (Warrant Officer 2)

Killed in Action 1944-May-10

Warrant Officer 2 John Randall Chapman RCAF

Birth Date: 1922

Born:

Parents: John & Vera Chapman

Spouse: Margaret Winifred Chapman, of St. Thomas, Ontario.

Home: Toronto, Ontario

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RCAF

Unit

97 (PFF) Sqn- Squadron (RAF)
Achieve Your Aim

Base

RAF Coningsby

Rank

Warrant Officer 2

Position

Air Gunner

Service Numbers

R/85522

Home

Toronto, Ontario

Target

Lille France

Final Burial

Cimetiere de Lesquin
Collective grave 1-3

Took off from Coningsby at 22:01 in Lancaster Mk III JB-708 OF-J to bomb rail facilities in France.

Exploded in mid-air showering debris over Vendeville in the southern outskirts of Lille, France.

W/O Chapman had completed over thirty operations and had just begun his second tour when his Lancaster went down.

Killed includes Chapman: Pilot Officer Donald Edmund Dunning Harvey DFM RAF KIA Lesquin Communal Cemetery France Coll. grave 1-3. F/Lt Leonard Cyril Jones DFC RAF KIA Lesquin Communal Cemetery Coll. grave 1-3. Sergeant Albert Raymond Rowlands RAF KIA Lesquin Communal Cemetery Coll. grave 1-3. Flying Officer Stephen George Cockrane Sherman RCAF J/17360 KIA Lesquin Communal Cemetery Grave 4. F/Lt John Baird Smith DFC RNZAF KIA Lesquin Communal Cemetery Grave 5. F/Lt Arthur William Weston RAF KIA Lesquin Communal Cemetery Coll. grave 1-3.

Canada Source Canadian Virtual War Memorial