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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

Cruse, William Lorne (Flying Officer)

Killed in Action 1944-March-31

Flying Officer William Lorne Cruse RCAF

Birth Date: 1922-May-29

Born: Winnipeg Manitoba

Parents: William Alfred & Hazel May Cruse

Spouse:

Home: Winnipeg, Manitoba (parents)

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RCAF

Unit

78 (B) Sqn- Squadron (RAF)
Nemo Non Paratus Nobody unprepared

Base

RAF Breighton

Rank

Flying Officer

Position

Navigator

Service Numbers

J/22072

Home

Google Map

Winnipeg, Manitoba (parents)

Target

Google Map

Nuremberg Germany

Final Burial

Google Map

Communal Cemetery
Coll grave

Took off from Breighton at 22:19 in Halifax Mk III (Sqn code EY-Q Bomber Command) on an operation to Nuremberg Germany.

Home-bound, flew well to the N of track and was shot down by a night-fighter crashing 3 km SW of Maybert-Fontaine (Ardennes) 26 km NW of Charleville-Mezieres, France.

Killed includes Cruse: Sergeant William Joseph Batchouski, RAF KIA Maubert-Fontaine Communal Cemetery, Coll. grave. Sergeant Leo Lanaghan RAF KIA Maubert-Fontaine Communal Cemetery, Joint grave. Sergeant Walter Acklam Littlewood, RAF KIA Maubert-Fontaine Communal Cemetery, Joint grave. Pilot Officer Frederick Wills Topping RCAF J/86167 pilot KIA Maubert-Fontaine Communal Cemetery, Coll. grave. Flight Sergeant George Dudgeon Torbet RCAF R/160418 KIA Maubert-Fontaine Communal Cemetery, Coll. grave. Flight Sergeant John Gilmore Vaughan RCAF R/176665 KIA Maubert-Fontaine Communal Cemetery, Coll. grave.

Canada Source Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Commonwealth War Grave Commission Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Find-A-Grave Finadagrave.com

Canada Primary Source Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)

Crew or Other Personnel

Halifax LV899

Flying Officer William Lorne Cruse RCAF

Flying Officer Cruse, William Lorne (RCAF)
Navigator
Killed in Action
1944-March-31
Communal Cemetery, Maubert-Fontaine, Ardennes, France

Pilot Officer Frederick Wills Topping RCAF

Pilot Officer Topping, Frederick Wills (RCAF)
Pilot
Killed in Action
1944-March-31
Communal Cemetery, Maubert-Fontaine, Ardennes, France

Flight Sergeant George Dudgeon Torbet RCAF

Flight Sergeant Torbet, George Dudgeon (RCAF)
Navigator Bomb Aimer
Killed in Action
1944-March-31
Communal Cemetery, Maubert-Fontaine, Ardennes, France

Flight Sergeant John Gilmore Vaughan RCAF

Flight Sergeant Vaughan, John Gilmore (RCAF)
Flight Engineer
Killed in Action
1944-March-31
Communal Cemetery, Maubert-Fontaine, Ardennes, France