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CASPIR Data Archive Mission & Data Sources Our Team RCAF Assistance CASPIR Volunteering Canada Air Military Historians License and Usage

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

Find a Person
Name or Home Town Search Browse by Letter

Casualties and Remembrance
War Status Search Catastrophic Losses (Ships Hotels Aircraft) Cemeteries (WW1 WW2 and Beyond) This Day in History

Units, Aircraft and Services
Unit (Squadron) Search Aircraft Type or Serial Search Choose Specific Military

Andrew Mynarski, VC

We Shall Remember Them.
Interactive Maps

Second World War Training

BCATP Training Schools BCATP Casualties 1939-45 Worldwide Training Casualties 1939-45

Second World War Operations

Fighter Squadrons Maritime Reconnaissance Squadrons Transport Squadrons
Bomber Command
Bomber Squadrons RCAF Bomb Tonnage 1941-45

Cold War

Maps to come.

Other

Maps to come.
History

Education & History
Start Here Glossary Canada and the Second World War 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

Nicholson, Ronald Kenneth (Leading Aircraftman)

Died 1945-June-17

Leading Aircraftman Ronald Kenneth Nicholson RCAF

Birth Date: 1924-March-25

Born: Oakville, Manitoba

Parents: Son of Roland De Furgus Nicholson and Beatrice Nicholson; husband of Jean Nicholson, of Whalley Range, Manchester.

Spouse: Husband of Jean Nicholson, of Whalley Range, Manchester.

Home: East Kildonan, Manitoba

Enlistment: Winnipeg, Manitoba

Enlistment Date: 1942-May-04

Service

RCAF

Unit

1666 HCU- Heavy Conversion Unit

Base

Rank

Leading Aircraftman

Position

air frame mechanic

Service Numbers

R/162418

Home

Google Map

East Kildonan, Manitoba

Final Burial

Google Map

Southern Cemetery
Section X C of E Grave 230

1666 Heavy Conversion Unit. Death by drowning at Robin Hood Bay near Whitby, Yorkshire, England.

Canada Source Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Canada Primary Source Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)

Unit Desciption

1666 HCU (1666 Heavy Conversion Unit)

The Heavy Conversion Unit (HCU) trained bomber crews who had finished an Operational Training Unit to fly the four-engined heavy bombers (Stirling, Halifax and Lancaster) before they joined a squadron.

From the unit's own diary (Operations Record Book): the unit was at RCAF Station Dalton until October 1943; the advance party was at Wombleton on 22 October 1943, Halifaxes were flown in from Dalton from 22 to 25 October, and the movement was completed on 25 October 1943.

No. 1666 Conversion Unit, Operations Record Book (Form 540), Bomber Command Museum of Canada Archives, https://bombercommandmuseumarchives.ca/6group_hcus/6group_hcu_1666.pdf (pages 41-43)