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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

Start Here Glossary Canada and World War II Combatants & First Airmen Casualties Air Force Operations Battle of Britain Women in War War Artists

"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

Downs, John William

Died 1943-09-27

Birth Date: 1922-March-09

Born:

Son of Benjamin and Margaret Elizabeth Downs, of Welland, Ontario, Canada.

Home: Welland, Ontario

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: Unknown

Service

RCAF

Unit

458 Sqn- Squadron (RAAF)
We Find and Destroy

Base

RAF Holme-on-Spalding Moor

Rank

Flying Officer

Position

Flying Officer

Service Numbers

J/12886

Home

Google Map

Welland, Ontario

First Burial

Google Map

Flying Officer Pilot Downs Was Buried On The Borgel Cemetery, Tunis

Re-Burial

Google Map

Medjez-el-Bab War Cemetery
13 B 12

458 Australia Squadron. Death by natural causes while in the 1 RAF General Hospital.

Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

www.findagrave.com

Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)

This incident involved multiple aircraft:

Cornell Cornell III Serial: 15212

All the above aircraft in the above list are referenced in this report.

Cornell 15212

Cornell Cornell III 15212

1943-08-08 Taken on Strength 2022-02-07
1943-September-27 Accident: 13 Elementary Flying Training School Loc: Aerodrome Names: Pearce
1944-April-13 Accident: 13 Elementary Flying Training School Loc: Aerodrome Names: Hetherington
1946-08-01 Struck off Strength 2022-02-07