Douglas, William Wallace
Killed in Flying Accident 1942-08-21
Birth Date: 1922-June-10
Born: Vancouver British Columbia
Home: Vancouver, British Columbia
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: Unknown
Service
RCAF
Unit
3 AOS- Air Observer School
Base
RCAF Stn. Regina, Saskatchewan
Rank
Leading Aircraftman
Position
Leading Aircraftman
Service Numbers
R/118107
First Burial
Ottawa Cremation Memorial, Ottawa, Ontario
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Commonwealth War Graves CommissionThis incident involved multiple aircraft:
- Anson Mk. I Serial: 6877
All the above aircraft in the above list are referenced in this report.
Anson 6877
Avro Anson
Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
The Museum's Anson Mk. V was built by MacDonald Brothers in Winnipeg in 1944. It flew with No. 7 Photographic Wing and No. 414 Squadron in Ottawa on photo survey work until the late 1940s. In 1956, it was purchased by INCO and used for mineral surveying until 1980, when it was donated to the Museum. The exterior is painted in the yellow colour common to all BCATP trainers and is in its same wartime RCAF markings.
The Avro Anson was known by a number of nicknames including "Faithful Annie" or "Flying Greenhouse". It was the first aircraft to be flown by the Royal Canadian Air Force to have a retractable undercarriage, which was a comparative novelty in 1936. In 1940, a Canadian government owned company, Federal Aircraft Limited, was created in Montreal to manufacture the Anson for Canadian use. Nearly 3,000 Anson aircraft were produced and, in the early days of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), the Anson was the standard trainer for many pilots, observers (navigators), wireless operators and bomb aimers. More than 20,000 aircrew received training on the Anson. In Canadian service, the aircraft was substantially re-designed with the substitution of North American engines and many other airframe and equipment changes.Harold Skaarup web pages
3 AOS (3 Air Observer School)
Air Observers were later called "navigators". For recruits in this stream, the training path after ITS was 8 weeks at an Air Observer School (AOS), 1 month at a Bombing & Gunnery School, and finally 1 month at a Navigation School. The Air Observer schools were operated by civilians under contract to the RCAF. For example, Nos. 7, 8, and 9 were run by CP Airlines. However, the instructors were RCAF. The basic navigation techniques throughout the war years were dead reckoning and visual pilotage, and the tools were the aeronautical chart, magnetic compass, watch, trip log, pencil, Douglas protractor, and Dalton Navigational Computer. They trained in the Avro Anson.
RCAF.info - RCAF Station Regina Saskatchewan
RCAF.info - Relief Landing Field Brora Saskatchewan
Vintage Wings - Ghosts Of Saskatchewan
YouTube - Abandoned Saskatchewan
RCAF.info - RCAF Station Pearce AB
Southern Alberta Historical Society - Diary 3AOS
Vintage Wings - Ghosts Of Southern Alberta
Anson 6877
Anson Mk. I 6877
Ex RAF AW454. To No. 4 Training Command on 6 September 1941, for use by No. 3 Service Flying Training School at Calgary, Alberta. Crashed into a lake near Candiac, Saskatchewan (about 60 miles east-south-east of Regina) on 21 August 1942 while on a night navigation exercise. Was with No. 3 Air Observer School at Regina, Saskatchewan at the time. Scrapped by No. 10 Repair Depot.1941-08-20 Taken on Strength No. 10 Repair Depot 2019-08-20
1942-August-21 Accident: 3 Air Observer School Loc: Canadian Stnorth Saskatchewan Names: Bowman | Davidson | Douglas | Insall
1943-02-19 Struck off Strength Struck off, reduced to spares and produce 2019-08-20