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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

Esselmont, Richard Donald (Pilot Officer)

Killed in Flying Accident 1943-July-27

Pilot Officer Richard Donald Esselmont RCAF

Birth Date: 1921-November-04

Born:

Parents: Son of Robert John and Armentice Angaline Esselmont, of Revelstoke, British Columbia.

Spouse:

Home: Kamloops, British Columbia

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RCAF

Unit

7 BGS- Bombing & Gunnery School

Base

Paulson, Manitoba, Canada

Rank

Pilot Officer

Position

Bomb Aimer

Service Numbers

J/25347

Home

Google Map

Kamloops, British Columbia

Final Burial

Google Map

Pleasant Street Cemetery
Lot 1 Plot 11 Block P North Sec

Bolingbroke aircraft crashed.

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

Bolingbroke 9944

Pilot Officer Richard Donald Esselmont RCAF

Pilot Officer Esselmont, Richard Donald (RCAF)
Bomb Aimer
Killed in Flying Accident
1943-July-27
Pleasant Street Cemetery, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada

Leading Aircraftman Neil MacMillan Glenday RNZAF

Leading Aircraftman Glenday, Neil MacMillan (RNZAF)

Killed in Flying Accident
1943-July-27
Riverside Cemetery, Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada

Warrant Officer 2nd Class Russel David Mathers RCAF

Warrant Officer 2nd Class Mathers, Russel David (RCAF)
Pilot
Killed in Flying Accident
1943-July-27
Stayner Cemetery, Stayner, Ontario, Canada

Leading Aircraftman Paul Arthur Trudel RCAF

Leading Aircraftman Trudel, Paul Arthur (RCAF)
Bomb Aimer
Killed in Flying Accident
1943-July-27
Royal Oak Burial Park, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Accident Card - Bristol Bolingbroke Mk. IVT serial:9944

This accident involved 1 aircraft on 1943-July-27. Bolingbroke IVT s/n 9944.

This accident involved 4 people. Esselmont RD, Glenday NM, Mathers RD, Trudel PA

This accident had 4 fatalities. Leading Aircraftman Neil MacMillan Glenday RNZAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:425896 Bolingbroke 9944, Pilot Officer Richard Donald Esselmont RCAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:J/25347 Bolingbroke 9944, Leading Aircraftman Paul Arthur Trudel RCAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:R/172077 Bolingbroke 9944, Warrant Officer 2nd Class Russel David Mathers RCAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:R/100588 Bolingbroke 9944

Unit Desciption

7 BGS (7 Bomb and Gunnery School)

The Bombing and Gunnery School (B&GS) offered instruction in the techniques of bomb aiming and aerial machine gunnery to Air Observers, Bomb Aimers, and Wireless Air Gunners. These schools required large areas to accommodate their bombing and gunnery ranges, and were often located near water. The Avro Anson, Fairey Battle, Bristol Bolingbroke, and Westland Lysander were the standard aircraft used at B&GS schools.

NO7 B&GS Paulson

Royal Canadian Air Force RCAF.Info - RCAF Station Paulson Manitoba

Unvetted Source BCATP History - 7 BGS

Museum Manitoba Historical Society - Paulson Airport

Unvetted Source Staff Pilots 7 BGS Paulson MB

Unvetted Source NO6 BGS Blog History

Project 44 BCATP

Unvetted Source Project 44 BCATP

YouTube YouTube - Valour Canada Aerodrome of Democracy