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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

Cronk, Gavin John (Warrant Officer 2nd Class)

Killed in Action 1944-May-12

Warrant Officer 2nd Class Gavin John Cronk RCAF

Birth Date: 1915-February-03

Born:

Parents: John & Amy Cronk

Spouse: Annette H. Cronk, of Vancouver, British Columbia.

Home: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RCAF

Unit

15 (B) Sqn- Squadron (RAF)
Aim Sure

Base

RAF Mildenhall

Rank

Warrant Officer 2nd Class

Position

Bomb Aimer

Service Numbers

R/152808

Home

Winnipeg, Manitoba

Target

Louvain Belgium

Final Burial

Louvain Communal Cemetery
Row B Grave 2

Took off from Mildenhall at 22:36 in Lancaster Mk I (Sqn code LS-A Bomber Command) on an operation to bomb the railway yards at Louvain Belgium.

Aircraft was shot down by a night fighter and crashed at Brouwersstraat, Leuven, Flemish Brabant, Belgium.

Killed includes Cronk: Sergeant John Whittaker RCAF R/250965 KIA Leuven Communal Cemetery, Row B. Grave 5. F/Lt Alan Amies RAF pilot KIA Leuven Communal Cemetery, Row B. Grave 3. Sergeant Herbert Samuel Baker RAF KIA Leuven Communal Cemetery, Row A. Grave 4. Sergeant John Desmond Cairns RAF KIA Leuven Communal Cemetery, Row B. Grave 4. Flight Sergeant Ernest Thomas Jones RAF pilot KIA Leuven Communal Cemetery, Row A. Grave 1. Sergeant Donald Jack Wilson RAF KIA Leuven Communal Cemetery, Row A. Grave 3. Flight Sergeant Reginald Kenneth Watson RAAF KIA Leuven Communal Cemetery, Row A. Grave 2.

Canada Source Canadian Virtual War Memorial