Petrie, David Renfrew (Pilot Officer)

Killed in Flying Accident 1943-October-05

Pilot Officer David Renfrew Petrie RCAF

Birth Date: 1922-November-26

Born:

Parents: Archibald and Sophie I. Petrie, of St. James.

Spouse:

Home: St James, Manitoba

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RCAF

Unit

1 CNS- Central Navigation School

Base

Rivers, Manitoba, Canada

Rank

Pilot Officer

Position

Navigator

Service Numbers

C/26583

Home
Google MapSt James, Manitoba
Final Burial
Google MapSt James's Cemetery
Lot 4 Block 219 Grave A

1 Central Navigation School, Rivers, Manitoba. Anson aircraft 6642 and Anson aircraft DG 872 were engaged in a night navigation exercise when they collided in mid-air and then crashed one mile north of the aerodrome at Rivers.

Sergeants J.A. Cummer pilot, L.E. Plate, L.P. Guay, Leading Aircraftman A. MacArthur (RAF), and Leading Aircraftman R.G. Smith (RAF) flew in Anson 6642.

Pilot Officer Plate was the pilot of DG 872, P/Os Petrie, Earl, and Nixon and Sergeant Capon RNZAF were members of the crew of DG 872.

All occupants of both aircraft died in the crash.

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. Anson Mk. I Serial: DG872
  2. Anson Mk. I Serial: 6642

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

Crew or Other Personnel

Anson DG872

Sergeant Alfred Laurence Capon RNZAF

Sergeant Capon, Alfred Laurence (RNZAF)

Killed in Flying Accident
1943-October-05
Rivers Cemetery, Rivers, Manitoba, Canada

Sergeant John Allenby Cummer RCAF

Sergeant Cummer, John Allenby (RCAF)
Pilot
Killed in Flying Accident
1943-October-05
Union Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Pilot Officer William Harry Earl RCAF

Pilot Officer Earl, William Harry (RCAF)
Navigator
Killed in Flying Accident
1943-October-05
Woodlawn Cemetery Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Sergeant Lucien Pierre Guay RCAF

Sergeant Guay, Lucien Pierre (RCAF)
Wireless Air Gunner
Killed in Flying Accident
1943-October-05
St Boniface Cemetery, St Boniface, Manitoba, Canada

Leading Aircraftman Alexander MacArthur RAFVR

Leading Aircraftman MacArthur, Alexander (RAFVR)

Killed in Flying Accident
1943-October-05
Rivers Cemetery, Rivers, Manitoba, Canada

Pilot Officer Thomas Westcott Nixon RCAF

Pilot Officer Nixon, Thomas Westcott (RCAF)
Navigator
Killed in Flying Accident
1943-October-05
Park Lawn Cemetery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Pilot Officer David Renfrew Petrie RCAF

Pilot Officer Petrie, David Renfrew (RCAF)
Navigator
Killed in Flying Accident
1943-October-05
St James's Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Sergeant Leroy Edgar Plate RCAF

Sergeant Plate, Leroy Edgar (RCAF)
Pilot
Killed in Flying Accident
1943-October-05
Mount Hope Roman Catholic Cemetery, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

Leading Aircraftman Royston Graham George Smith RAFVR

Leading Aircraftman Smith, Royston Graham George (RAFVR)

Killed in Flying Accident
1943-October-05
Rivers Cemetery, Rivers, Manitoba, Canada

Anson serial: DG872

Avro Anson Mk. V
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

unvetted Source Harold A Skaarup Web Page

YouTube Avro Anson History

YouTube Avro Anson Construction

Aircraft Images

Anson DG872

Anson Mk. I DG872



1942-02-26 Taken on Strength 2022-02-07
1943-August-18 Accident: 1 Central Navigation School Loc: Aerodrome Names: Capon | Clifford | Cockrane | Medrington | Plate | Reid
1943-October-05 Accident: 1 Central Navigation School Loc: Aerodrome Names: Capon | Cummer | Earl | Guay | MacArthur | Nixon | Petrie | Plate | Smith
1943-11-08 Struck off Strength 2022-02-07

Anson 6642

Anson Mk. I 6642

Ex RAF W2309. Winter conversion set installed during assembly. To No. 4 Training Command on 12 July 1941, for use by No. 3 Air Observer School at Regina, Saskatchewan. To Aircraft Repair for overhaul, 31 December 1942 to 22 June 1943. To No. 2 Training Command when completed. Completely destroyed in Category A crash on 5 October 1943. Ownership to No. 8 Repair Depot for write off on 25 October 1943.

1941-05-08 Taken on Strength MacDonald Brothers Aircraft 2019-08-20
1943-October-05 Accident: 1 Central Navigation School Loc: Aerodrome Names: Capon | Cummer | Earl | Guay | MacArthur | Nixon | Petrie | Plate | Smith
1943-11-08 Struck off Strength Struck off, reduced to spares and produce 2019-08-20

Unit Desciption