Hamilton, Benjamin George

Killed in Action 1945-07-31

Birth Date: 1912-July-03

Born:

Son of Harold and Margaret Winifred Hamilton, husband of Ellen Louise Hamilton, of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

Home: High River, Alberta

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: Unknown

Service

RCAF

Unit

6 Sqn- Squadron

Base

Rank

Flying Officer

Position

Flying Officer

Service Numbers

J/37489

Home
Google MapHigh River, Alberta
First Burial
Google MapBurnsland Cemetery At Calgary, Alberta
4 Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron. Canso aircraft 11043 was engaged in moving 6 Bomber Reconnaissance Detachment from Prince Rupert to Coal Harbour when it crashed while landing one mile west of the entrance to Holberg Inlet, British Columbia.

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:

  1. Canso A Serial: 11043

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

Findagrave.com

Canso 11043

Flying Officer Hamilton, Benjamin George (RCAF)
Navigator
Killed in Action
1945-July-31
Burnsland Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Consolidated Canso Catalina PBY PB2B A-10 OA-10 Black Cat

RCAF Canso A (Serial No. 9754), No. 162 Squadron, F/L David Ernest Hornell aircraft.
Hornell pby Yarmouth 1943 (003).jpg image not found

The Consolidated Catalina and Canso were close cousins. The Canso was the true amphibious version of the design and therefore included a conventional undercarriage to allow for either water or land use. The Canso provided more than two decades of valuable service to the RCAF. The Catalina variant came first and was produced beginning in 1935 for the United States Navy. The amphibious version, designated PBY-5A, came in service early in 1941 and the RCAF began using the aircraft on anti-submarine patrols that same year. After the Second World War, the RCAF used Cansos for search and rescue, Arctic survey missions and various transport operations.RCAF

YouTube Canso PBY

Wikipedia Wikipedia Canso PBY

General Harold A Skaarup Web Page

Canso 11043

Canso A 11043

To Canadian Pacific Airlines for repairs from 15 June to 7 July 1944. With No. 6 (BR) Squadron at RCAF Station Coal Harbour, BC when it crashed on 31 July 1945. Aircraft was returning from temporary detachment at Prince Rupert, with crew of 8, plus 6 groundcrew and spares. Touched down into setting sun on calm water in Holberg Inlet, near Coal Harbour, at sunset. Nosed in immediately, pilot may have misjudged height over smooth water or nosegear doors may not have been fully closed. Wing tore off as it flipped, fuselage came to rest upside down and floated for some time, as did wing with atttached depth charges. Navigator Flying Officer B. Hamilton killed when port propeller sliced through cabin as wing came off, all others survived.

1944-02-17 Taken on Strength Western Air Command 2019-08-20
1945-July-31 Accident: 6 BR Loc: Holberg Inlet Names: Banville | Cavanagh | Cook | Griffith | Guerard | Hamilton | Horton | Jordan | King | McLeod | Pinkerton | Roberts | Vatne | Winton
1945-08-31 Struck off Strength Struck off oafter crash, see comments 2019-08-20