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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

Spears, James Douglas Murray (Sergeant)

Killed in Flying Accident 1945-May-02

Sergeant James Douglas Murray Spears RCAF

Birth Date: 1916-January-29

Born:

Parents: Son of James E. Spears and Hazel V. Spears, of Port Perry; husband of Annie V. Spears, of Ajax.

Spouse: Husband of Annie V. Spears, of Ajax.

Home: Port Perry, Ontario

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RCAF

Unit

10 BGS- Bombing & Gunnery School

Base

Mount Pleasant, Prince Edward Island, Canada

Rank

Sergeant

Position

Air Gunner

Service Numbers

R/271242

Home

Google Map

Port Perry, Ontario

Final Burial

Google Map

Pine Grove Cemetery
Plot VT Lot 148 Grave 1

Bolingbroke aircraft 10098 was returning from a gunnery exercise when it crashed and caught fire at Enmore, four miles south-west of the aerodrome at Mount Pleasant. Flight Lieutenant C.W. Anderson, Sergeant J.D. Spears, Sergeant S.A. Williams, Sergeant J.J. Shaw and Leading Aircraftman R.F. Jones were killed.

Canada Primary Source School Daily Diary Entry - 1945-05-02

Canada Source Canadian Virtual War Memorial

Commonwealth War Grave Commission Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Find-A-Grave Finadagrave.com

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

Crew or Other Personnel

Bolingbroke 10098

Flight Lieutenant Cecil William Anderson RCAF

Flight Lieutenant Anderson, Cecil William (RCAF)
Pilot
Killed in Flying Accident
1945-May-02
Park Lawn Cemetery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Leading Aircraftman Raymond Francis Jones RCAF

Leading Aircraftman Jones, Raymond Francis (RCAF)
air frame mechanic
Killed in Flying Accident
1945-May-02
Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Sergeant James John Shaw RCAF

Sergeant Shaw, James John (RCAF)
Air Gunner
Killed in Flying Accident
1945-May-02
Woodland Cemetery, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Sergeant James Douglas Murray Spears RCAF

Sergeant Spears, James Douglas Murray (RCAF)
Air Gunner
Killed in Flying Accident
1945-May-02
Pine Grove Cemetery, Prince Albert, Ontario, Canada

Sergeant Sydney Arthur Williams RCAF

Sergeant Williams, Sydney Arthur (RCAF)
Air Gunner
Killed in Flying Accident
1945-May-02
United Church Cemetery, Chateauguay, Quebec, Canada

Accident Card - Bristol Bolingbroke Mk. IVT serial:10098

This accident involved 1 aircraft on 1945-May-02. Bolingbroke IVT s/n 10098.

This accident involved 5 people. Anderson CW, Jones RF, Shaw JJ, Spears JDM, Williams SA

This accident had 5 fatalities. Leading Aircraftman Raymond Francis Jones RCAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:R/207077 Bolingbroke 10098, Sergeant James John Shaw RCAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:R/269119 Bolingbroke 10098, Flight Lieutenant Cecil William Anderson RCAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:J/7991 Bolingbroke 10098, Sergeant James Douglas Murray Spears RCAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:R/271242 Bolingbroke 10098, Sergeant Sydney Arthur Williams RCAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:R/273034 Bolingbroke 10098

Unit Desciption

10 BGS (10 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.

NO10 BGS Mount Pleasant PEI

Royal Canadian Air Force RCAF.info - RCAF Station Mount Pleasant PEI

No 10 BGS History University Of PEI

Unvetted Source University Of PEI - 10 BGS History

Project 44 BCATP

Unvetted Source Project 44 BCATP

YouTube YouTube - Valour Canada Aerodrome of Democracy