Harris, Edward James

Killed in Flying Accident 1942-12-09

Birth Date: 1922-January-07

Born: Vancouver British Columbia

Son of Henry C. N. Harris and Ellen K. Harris, of Haney.

Home: Haney, British Columbia

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: Unknown

Service

RCAF

Unit

2 FIS- Flying Instructor School

Base

Vulcan, Alberta, Canada

Rank

Sergeant

Position

Sergeant

Service Numbers

R/128563

Home
Google MapHaney, British Columbia
First Burial
Google MapMaple Ridge Cemetery, Haney, British Columbia
Sergeants Harris and R.A. Clark (RAF) were killed in Cornell aircraft FH 748. They struck a tree during a low-flying exercise and crashed between Vulcan and Pincher Creek, Alberta.

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. Cornell Mk. I Serial: FH748

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

Findagrave.com

Cornell FH748

Male Head

Sergeant Clark, Raymond Arthur (RAFVR)

Killed in Flying Accident
1942-December-09
Vulcan Cemetery, Vulcan, Alberta, Canada

Sergeant Harris, Edward James (RCAF)
Pilot
Killed in Flying Accident
1942-December-09
Maple Ridge Cemetery, Haney, British Columbia, Canada

Fairchild Cornell

Fairchild Cornell Mk. II
Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
Fairchild_Cornell_159.jpg image not found

In early 1942, an agreement was signed between the Canadian Government and Fairchild Aircraft, which licenced Fleet Aircraft of Fort Erie, Ontario to construct the PT-26 Cornell in Canada. The first 800 Cornells used by the RCAF were supplied from Fairchild, until production commenced at Fort Erie in November 1942. By the end of the war in 1945, 2,853 Cornells had been built by Fleet - 1,565 for the RCAF and 1,288 for the RAF.

PT-26 Cornells were flown at many of the Elementary Flying Training Schools (EFTS) of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, where they replaced the Fleet Finch and the de Havilland Tiger Moth biplane trainers. After the Second World War, many Cornells were sold to the civilian market, but some were retained by the RCAF, where they were finally retired in 1948.CWPHM



YouTube Cornell Trainer

Wikipedia Wikipedia Cornell Trainer

General Harold A Skaarup Web Page

2 FIS (2 Flying Instructors School)

Formed as a sub-unit of No 15 Service Flying Training School at Claresholm, Alberta on 27 April 1942
Formed as an Independent Unit at Vulcan, Alberta on 3 August 1942.Moved to Pearce, Alberta on 3 May 1943

Became inactive on 29 December 1944disbanded on 20 January 1945

Project 44 BCATP

General Project 44 BCATP

YouTube YouTube - Valour Canada Aerodrome of Democracy

Cornell FH748

Cornell Mk. I FH748

Ex USAAF PT-26, serial number 42-14396. To RCAF in Canada, retained RAF serial number.

1942-09-21 Taken on Strength 2022-02-07
1942-December-09 Accident: 2 Flying Instructor School Loc: Pincher Creek Alberta Names: Clark | Harris
1943-03-12 Struck off Strength 2022-02-07