About

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

Insall, Leonard Allen (Sergeant)

Killed in Flying Accident 1942-August-21

Male Head

Birth Date: 1921

Born:

Parents:

Spouse:

Home:

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RNZAF

Unit

3 AOS- Air Observer School

Base

Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Rank

Sergeant

Position

Service Numbers

405766

Final Burial

Google Map

Regina Cemetery
Block B Plot 1 Grave 15

3 AOS - see Davidson LH

Commonwealth War Grave Commission Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Find-A-Grave Finadagrave.com

Crew or Other Personnel

Anson 6877

Civilian P Bowman

Civilian Bowman, P ()

Killed in Flying Accident
1942-August-21
cemetery unknown

Leading Aircraftman Leonard Harold Davidson RCAF

Leading Aircraftman Davidson, Leonard Harold (RCAF)
Observer
Killed in Flying Accident
1942-August-21
Regina Cemetery, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Leading Aircraftman William Wallace Douglas RCAF

Leading Aircraftman Douglas, William Wallace (RCAF)
Observer
Killed in Flying Accident
1942-August-21
Ottawa Cremation Memorial, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Sergeant Leonard Allen Insall RNZAF

Sergeant Insall, Leonard Allen (RNZAF)

Killed in Flying Accident
1942-August-21
Regina Cemetery, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Accident Card - Avro Anson Mk. I serial:6877

This accident involved 1 aircraft on 1942-August-21. Anson I s/n 6877.

This accident involved 4 people. Bowman I, Davidson LHR, Douglas WW, Insall LA

This accident had 4 fatalities. Sergeant Leonard Allen Insall RNZAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:405766 Anson 6877, Civilian P Bowman Killed in Flying Accident service no: Anson 6877, Leading Aircraftman Leonard Harold Davidson RCAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:R/120744 Anson 6877, Leading Aircraftman William Wallace Douglas RCAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:R/118107 Anson 6877

Unit Desciption

3 AOS (3 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.

Pilot Officer C. Miall, No. 3 Air Observer School, Regina, 1940

Royal Canadian Air Force RCAF.info - RCAF Station Regina Saskatchewan

Royal Canadian Air Force RCAF.info - Relief Landing Field Brora Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan Virtual War Memorial

Museum Vintage Wings - Ghosts Of Saskatchewan

YouTube YouTube - Abandoned Saskatchewan

NO3 AOS started to move to Pearce AB 12 September 1942 however this plan was short lived and the portion of the unit that had moved initially returned to Regina.

Royal Canadian Air Force RCAF.info - RCAF Station Pearce AB

Unvetted Source Southern Alberta Historical Society - Diary 3AOS

Museum Vintage Wings - Ghosts Of Southern Alberta

Museum Bomber Command Museum of Canada

Project 44 BCATP

Unvetted Source Project 44 BCATP

YouTube YouTube - Valour Canada Aerodrome of Democracy