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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

Pierce, Francis Marion (Pilot Officer)

Killed in Flying Accident 1943-February-05

Pilot Officer Francis Marion Pierce RCAF

Birth Date: 1914

Born:

Parents: The Reverend William Pierce and Nora Pierce, of St. Joseph; husband of Margaret Janelle Pierce, of St. Joseph.

Spouse: Margaret Janelle Pierce, of St. Joseph.

Home: St Joseph, Missouri, USA

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RCAF

Unit

4 EFTS- Elementary Flying Training School

Base

Windsor Mills, Quebec, Canada

Rank

Pilot Officer

Position

Pilot

Service Numbers

J/24759

Home

Google Map

St Joseph, Missouri, USA

Final Burial

Google Map

St Joseph Memorial Park
Evergreen Sec Lot 930 Grave 3

4 Elementary Flying Training School, Windsor Mills, Quebec. Pilot Officer Pierce was engaged in routine training and was killed when Tiger Moth aircraft 8938 dove into the ground on the outskirts of Sherbrooke, Quebec. Pilot Officer Pilot Pierce is buried in the Memorial Park at St Joseph, Missouri, U.S.A.

Canada Source Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Commonwealth War Grave Commission Commonwealth War Graves Commission

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

Accident Card - de Havilland Moth, Tiger I serial:8938

This accident involved 1 aircraft on 1943-February-05. Tiger Moth II s/n 8938.

This accident involved 2 people. Pierce FM, Thomas SR

This accident had 1 fatality. Pilot Officer Francis Marion Pierce RCAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:J/24759 Moth, Tiger 8938

Unit Desciption

4 EFTS (4 Elementary Flying Training School)

An Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS) gave a trainee 50 hours of basic flying instruction on a simple trainer like the De Havilland Tiger Moth, Fleet Finch, or Fairchild Cornell over 8 weeks.Elementary schools were operated by civilian flying clubs under contract to the RCAF and most of the instructors were civilians. For example, No. 12 EFTS Goderich was run by the Kitchener-Waterloo Flying Club and the County of Huron Flying Club.The next step for a pilot was the Service Flying Training School.

Fleet Finch Windsor Mills QC

The School was established near Windsor Mills (now Windsor), Quebec. The former school site has been abandoned and no longer exists.

More information on the RCAF Station at Windsor Mills can be found at

Royal Canadian Air Force RCAF.Info - RCAF Station Windsor Mills QC

YouTube YouTube - Knights With Wings

Project 44 BCATP

Unvetted Source Project 44 BCATP

YouTube YouTube - Valour Canada Aerodrome of Democracy