Corbett, Horace Kenneth (Pilot Officer)

The Fairey Battle is a British designed single engine light bomber, used as a trainer in the RCAF. The Battle was powered by the same high-performance Rolls-Royce Merlin piston engine that powered various contemporary British fighters including the Spitfire. It was, however significantly heavier, with its three-man crew and bomb load. Although it was a great improvement over the aircraft that preceded it, the Battle was relatively slow and limited in range. It was only armed with two .303 in machine guns facing the rear, and was found to be highly vulnerable to enemy fighters and anti-aircraft fire.

The Fairey Battle participated in direct combat missions during early stages of the Second World War and earned the distinction of attaining the first aerial victory of an RAF aircraft in the war. In May 1940 the Battle suffered heavy losses, frequently in excess of 50 percent of aircraft sortied per mission. By the end of 1940 the type had been entirely withdrawn from active combat service, and was relegated to training units overseas, with many serving in Canada.

The RCAF received its first batch of eight Battles in August 1939, at RCAF Station Borden, Ontario. A total of 802 Battles were eventually delivered from England, serving in various roles and configurations, including dual-control trainers, target-tugs, and gunnery trainers for the Bombing and Gunnery schools of the Commonwealth Air Training Plan. Canadian use of the Battle declined as more advanced aircraft, such as the Bristol Bolingbroke and the North American Harvard were introduced. Battles remained in RCAF service until shortly after the end of the war hostilities in 1945. No. 111, 115 and No. 122 Squadrons of the RCAF flew Battles.

Fairey Battles were not manufactured in Canada, but they were assembled, serviced and modified here, including the installation of turrets at the Canadian Car and Foundry plant in Montreal. Harold Skaarup web page with revisions

Wikipedia Fairey Battle Bomber

Harold A Skaarup Web Page

Fairey Battle - Kestrel Publications

Aircraft Images

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Battle 1304

Battle Mk. I 1304

Ex RAF P2173. TOS 21 Aug 1939 at Camp Borden. Part of first batch of Battles received by the RCAF. To RCAF Station Trenton, Ontario on 7 September 1939, for use by Advanced Training Squadron. Category A crash at 11:00 on 14 October 1939. Crashed 10 m SW of Snow Road, Sharbot Lake, 80 miles north-east of Trenton, while on a navigation exercise. Impacted in a near vertical dive in bad weather with poor visibility. Accident report blames possible icing and an inexperienced pilot. Pilot Officer Horace Kenneth Corbett and Pilot Officer George James Olstead killed. To Station Stores at Trenton on 18 November 1939 for scrapping. SOS 4 Dec 1939 Cat A write-off. Had 48:20 logged time when struck off. First RCAF Battle loss.

1939-08-21 Taken on Strength 2019-08-20
1939-October-14 Accident: RCAF STN TRENTON, ONT Loc: Sharbot Lake Ontario Names: Corbett | Oldstead
1939-12-04 Struck off Strength Struck off, reduced to spares and produce 2019-08-20