Johnston, David Wright
Killed in Flying Accident 1943-11-10
Birth Date: 1914
Born:
Son of Mr. and Mrs. James Johnston, of Giffnock, Renfrewshire, Scotland
Home:
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: Unknown
Service
RAFVR
Unit
9 AOS- Air Observer School
Base
St Jean, Quebec, Canada
Rank
Leading Aircraftman
Position
Leading Aircraftman
Service Numbers
1521462
St James Cemetery, St Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, Canada
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
www.findagrave.com
Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)This incident involved multiple aircraft:
- Anson Mk. V Serial: 11736
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 History9 AOS (9 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 St Jean QC Anson 11736
Anson Mk. V 11736
First assigned to No. 9 Air Observer School at St. Jean, Quebec. Crashed on 10 November 1943, two fatalities. To workshop reserve at No. 9 Repair Depot on 20 November 1943. Written off while there. Note that Record Card currently in existence appears to be a hand written copy created in January 1947.1943-09-14 Taken on Strength No. 3 Training Command 2019-08-20
1943-November-10 Accident: 9 Air Observer School Loc: Jay Vermont Names: Crooks | Johnston | Lines | Smith
1944-02-02 Struck off Strength 2019-08-20