Easton, Robert Withington
Killed in Action 1944-08-18
Birth Date: 1923-October-16
Born:
Son of Leonard I. Easton and Mary L. Easton, of Montreal, Province of Quebec, Canada.
Home: Montreal, Quebec
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: Unknown
Service
RCAF
Unit
11 Sqn- Squadron (RAF)
Ociores acrioresque aquilis Swifter and keener than eagles
Base
Imphal
Rank
Flying Officer
Position
Flying Officer
Service Numbers
J/29543
Home
Montreal, Quebec
First Burial
Taukkyan War Cemetery, Rangoon, Burma
Flying with No.11 Squadron RAF (Octores Acrioresque Aquilis). F/O. Easton was attacking a raft in the Chindwin River in Burma and was killed when his Hurricane aircraft LE 691 struck an obstruction on the ground.
Quoted from the rafcommands website:
"hit trees while strafing on Chindwin River, wings torn off , but cockpit intact. SF543187 Killed in Action RAFCommands. [Can File] He was detailed to fly out over enemyt erritory and strafed river craft. He was attacking a target on the Chindwin river near a village called Thaungdut that the ac in which e was flying wa sseen to hit a tree and crash into the jungle on the bank of the river. Remaining ac circled overhead but because of heavy foilage, nothing could be seen. [Search Report 1-6-1946] RAF Search Party found wreck at 24 25N and 94 43E Map Ref 83L SF2519. Ac crashed hafl mile south of THAPANZEIK on the bank of Chindwin river, approx 2 m SE of THAUNGDUT. remains of pilot found scattered around the wreckage of aircraft. Remains handed to 60 graves Concentration unit at Mandalay. Villager gave approx crash as Aug 44. "Judging by size of bones collected, pilot must have been a alrge man of atleast 6 ft in height. According to remarks given for Hurricane LV691 I am led to believe that this crash is of the said Hurricane ""
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
www.findagrave.comHawker Hurricane
Source BBMF
The Hawker Hurricane is a single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s"“1940s that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). The Hurricane developed through several versions, as bomber-interceptors, fighter-bombers, and ground support aircraft in addition to fighters. Versions designed for the Navy were popularly known as the Sea Hurricane, with modifications enabling their operation from ships. Some were converted to be used as catapult-launched convoy escorts. By the end of production in July 1944, 14,487 Hurricanes had been completed in Britain and Canada.
A major manufacturer of the Hurricane was Canadian Car and Foundry at their factory in Fort William (now Thunder Bay), Ontario. The facility's chief engineer, Elsie MacGill, became known as the "Queen of the Hurricanes". The initiative was commercially led rather than governmentally, but was endorsed by the British government; Hawker, having recognized that a major conflict was all but inevitable after the Munich Crisis of 1938, drew up preliminary plans to expand Hurricane production via a new factory in Canada. Under this plan, samples, pattern aircraft, and a complete set of design documents stored on microfilm, were shipped to Canada; the RCAF ordered 20 Hurricanes to equip one fighter squadron and two more were supplied to Canadian Car and Foundry as pattern aircraft but one probably did not arrive. The first Hurricane built at Canadian Car and Foundry was officially produced in February 1940. As a result, Canadian-built Hurricanes were shipped to Britain to participate in events such as the Battle of Britain. Canadian Car and Foundry (CCF) was responsible for the production of 1,451 Hurricanes. Wikipedia and Harold A Skaarup Web Page
Hurricane
Wikipedia Hurricane
Harold A Skaarup Web Page
Hurricane - Kestrel Publications