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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

Smith, Leo Frederick (Leading Aircraftman)

Killed in Flying Accident 1943-October-07

Leading Aircraftman Leo Frederick Smith RCAF

Birth Date: 1915

Born:

Parents: Frederick and Maud Smith, of Toronto.

Spouse:

Home: Toronto, Ontario

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RCAF

Unit

6 BGS- Bombing & Gunnery School

Base

Mountain View, Ontario, Canada

Rank

Leading Aircraftman

Position

Wireless Air Gunner

Service Numbers

R/185440

Home

Google Map

Toronto, Ontario

Final Burial

Google Map

Mount Hope Cemetery
Sec 23 Lot 740

6 Bombing and Gunnery School, Mountain View, Ontario. Two Bolingbroke aircraft collided.

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)

Crew or Other Personnel

Bolingbroke 10015

Sergeant Joseph Jean Andre Gagnon RCAF

Sergeant Gagnon, Joseph Jean Andre (RCAF)
Air Gunner
Killed in Flying Accident
1943-October-07
St Francois Xavier Roman Catholic Cemetery, Chicoutimi, Quebec, Canada

Sergeant Joseph Raoul Rene Lussier RCAF

Sergeant Lussier, Joseph Raoul Rene (RCAF)
Wireless Air Gunner
Killed in Flying Accident
1943-October-07
Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Leading Aircraftman Joseph Henri Rosaire Riopel RCAF

Leading Aircraftman Riopel, Joseph Henri Rosaire (RCAF)
Air Gunner
Killed in Flying Accident
1943-October-07
Le Repos Saint-Francis d'Assise

Leading Aircraftman Leo Gerard Shields RCAF

Leading Aircraftman Shields, Leo Gerard (RCAF)
Air Gunner
Killed in Flying Accident
1943-October-07
St Patrick's Roman Catholic Cemetery, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

Leading Aircraftman Leo Frederick Smith RCAF

Leading Aircraftman Smith, Leo Frederick (RCAF)
Wireless Air Gunner
Killed in Flying Accident
1943-October-07
Mount Hope Cemetery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Accident Card - Bristol Bolingbroke Mk. IVT serial:10015

This accident involved 2 aircraft on 1943-October-07. They are: Bolingbroke IVT s/n 10084, Bolingbroke IVT s/n 10015.

This accident involved 8 people. Lussier JRR, Prete LJ, Porter DG, Paquin CA, Riopel RJH, Smith LF, Shields LG, Gagnon JJA

This accident had 7 fatalities. Sergeant Joseph Jean Andre Gagnon RCAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:R/177294 Bolingbroke 10015, Leading Aircraftman Leo Gerard Shields RCAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:R/189689 Bolingbroke 10015, Leading Aircraftman Joseph Henri Rosaire Riopel RCAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:R/194095 Bolingbroke 10015, Sergeant Joseph Raoul Rene Lussier RCAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:R/189587 Bolingbroke 10015,Flying Officer Donald Gordon Porter RCAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:J/16357 Bolingbroke 10084, Pilot Officer Louis Joseph Prete RCAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:J/40973 Bolingbroke 10084, Leading Aircraftman Joseph Alphonse Camille Adelard Paquin RCAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:R/189579 Bolingbroke 10084

Unit Desciption

6 BGS (6 Bomb and Gunnery School)

The Bombing and Gunnery School (B&GS) offered instruction in the techniques of bomb aiming and aerial machine gunnery to Air Observers, Bomb Aimers, and Wireless Air Gunners. These schools required large areas to accommodate their bombing and gunnery ranges, and were often located near water. The Avro Anson, Fairey Battle, Bristol Bolingbroke, and Westland Lysander were the standard aircraft used at B&GS schools.

NO6 BGS Mountainview On

Royal Canadian Air Force RCAF.info - RCAF Station Mountainview Ontario

Unvetted Source NO6 BGS Blog History

Project 44 BCATP

Unvetted Source Project 44 BCATP

YouTube YouTube - Valour Canada Aerodrome of Democracy