Hill, Gordon Harold
Killed in Flying Accident 1944-04-30
Birth Date: 1923
Born:
Son of George R. Hill and Georgia B. Hill, of London.
Home: London, Ontario
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: Unknown
Service
RCAF
Unit
5 AOS- Air Observer School
Base
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Rank
Sergeant
Position
Sergeant
Service Numbers
R/205610
Home
London, Ontario
First Burial
Woodland Cemetery, London, Ontario
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Commonwealth War Graves CommissionThis incident involved multiple aircraft:
- Anson Mk. I Serial: 6354
All the above aircraft in the above list are referenced in this report.
Avro Anson
Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum
The Museum's Anson Mk. V was built by MacDonald Brothers in Winnipeg in 1944. It flew with No. 7 Photographic Wing and No. 414 Squadron in Ottawa on photo survey work until the late 1940s. In 1956, it was purchased by INCO and used for mineral surveying until 1980, when it was donated to the Museum. The exterior is painted in the yellow colour common to all BCATP trainers and is in its same wartime RCAF markings.
The Avro Anson was known by a number of nicknames including "Faithful Annie" or "Flying Greenhouse". It was the first aircraft to be flown by the Royal Canadian Air Force to have a retractable undercarriage, which was a comparative novelty in 1936. In 1940, a Canadian government owned company, Federal Aircraft Limited, was created in Montreal to manufacture the Anson for Canadian use. Nearly 3,000 Anson aircraft were produced and, in the early days of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), the Anson was the standard trainer for many pilots, observers (navigators), wireless operators and bomb aimers. More than 20,000 aircrew received training on the Anson. In Canadian service, the aircraft was substantially re-designed with the substitution of North American engines and many other airframe and equipment changes.Harold Skaarup web pages
Harold A Skaarup Web Page 
Avro Anson History5 AOS (5 Air Observer School)
Air Observers were later called "navigators". For recruits in this stream, the training path after ITS was 8 weeks at an Air Observer School (AOS), 1 month at a Bombing & Gunnery School, and finally 1 month at a Navigation School. The Air Observer schools were operated by civilians under contract to the RCAF. For example, Nos. 7, 8, and 9 were run by CP Airlines. However, the instructors were RCAF. The basic navigation techniques throughout the war years were dead reckoning and visual pilotage, and the tools were the aeronautical chart, magnetic compass, watch, trip log, pencil, Douglas protractor, and Dalton Navigational Computer. They trained in the Avro Anson.
RCAF.info - RCAF Station Winnipeg Manitoba
Anson 6354
Anson Mk. I 6354
Ex RAF W1922. To No. 3 Training Command on 18 February 1941, for use by No. 8 Service Flying Training School at Moncton, NB. To Eastern Air Command on 13 November 1941. To No. 2 Training Command on 1 June 1942, for use by No. 1 Air Navigation School at Rivers Camp, Manitoba. To MacDonald Brothers Aircraft, 24 March to 10 May 1943. To storage with No. 2 Training Command when completed, issued from storage on 17 May 1943. To No. 8 Repair Depot at Winnipeg on 4 May 1944 for scrapping.1941-01-30 Taken on Strength Canada Car & Foundry 2019-08-20
1944-April-21 Accident: 5 Air Observer School Loc: Portage La Prairie Names: Birch | Dawson | Holswich | Jones | Rothwell
1944-April-30 Accident: 5 Air Observer School Loc: Rowland Lake Names: Hill | Lawrence | Roper | Webb
1944-06-19 Struck off Strength Struck off, reduced to spares and produce 2019-08-20