Bennett, Iowa, USA
LAC Plate was killed while engaged in night flying sequences 7 and 8. His Cessna Crane aircraft 7890 dove into the ground and burned one and one half miles southwest of the aerodrome at Dauphin. Murray Peden, author of the book A THOUSAND SHALL FALL, and a wartime pilot friend of Leading Aircraftman Plate still keeps in touch with Leading Aircraftman Plate's mother. In mid 1991 a commemorative ceremony was being held in Bennet for Leading Aircraftman Plate and Murray was instrumental in having Canada's great display team, the Snowbirds, overfly the ceremony.
Plate, Francis Herman (Leading Aircraftman)
Killed in Flying Accident 1942-August-12
Birth Date: 1922
Born:
Parents: Son of Henry William and Lucy Plate, of Bennett.
Spouse:
Home: Bennett, Iowa, USA
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: unkown date
Service
RCAF
Unit
10 SFTS- Service Flying Training School
Base
Dauphin, Manitoba, Canada
Rank
Leading Aircraftman
Position
Pilot
Service Numbers
R/134875
School Daily Diary Entry - 1942-08-12
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Commonwealth War Graves CommissionAccident Card - Cessna Crane Mk. I serial:7890
This accident involved 1 aircraft on 1942-August-12. Cessna Crane s/n 7890.
This accident involved 1 person. Plate FH
This accident had 1 fatality. Leading Aircraftman Francis Herman Plate RCAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:R/134875 Crane 7890
Unit Desciption
10 SFTS (10 Service Flying Training School)
Graduates of the EFTS "learn-to-fly" program went on a Service Flying Training School (SFTS) for 16 weeks. For the first 8 weeks the trainee was part of an intermediate training squadron; for the next 6 weeks an advanced training squadron and for the final 2 weeks training was conducted at a Bombing & Gunnery School. The Service schools were military establishments run by the RCAF or the RAF.
There were two different types of Service Flying Training Schools. Trainees in the fighter pilot stream went to an SFTS like No. 14 Aylmer, where they trained in the North American Harvard or North American Yale. Trainees in the bomber, coastal or transport pilot stream went to an SFTS like No. 5 Brantford where they learned multi-engine technique in an Airspeed Oxford, Avro Anson or Cessna Crane.
No10 SFTS Dauphin
For More Information on RCAF Station Dauphin see here
RCAF.Info - RCAF Station Dauphin Manitoba
RCAF.Info - Relief Landing Field North Junction MB
RCAF.Info - Relief Landing Field Valley River MB
Manitoba Historical Society - 10 SFTS Dauphin
Manitoba Historical Society - North Junction Relief Landing Field
YouTube - Valour Canada Aerodrome of Democracy