Thomas, John Evan
Killed in Flying Accident 1945-07-03
Birth Date: 1924-September-11
Born:
Son of Mr. and Mrs. Gwyn Thomas, of Seven Sisters, Glamorgan, Wales.
Home:
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: Unknown
Service
RAFVR
Unit
5 OTU- Operational Training Unit
Base
Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada
Rank
Sergeant
Position
Sergeant
Service Numbers
1836183
Hazelwood Cemetery, Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
www.findagrave.com
Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)This incident involved multiple aircraft:
- Liberator B. Mk. VI Serial: KG880
- Liberator B. Mk. VI Serial: KH107
All the above aircraft in the above list are referenced in this report.
Liberator KG880
Consolidated Liberator B-24 / F-7
Consolidated Liberator G.R. Mk. VIII, RCAF (Serial No. 11130) ex-USAAF Consolidated (Vultee) B-24L Liberator USAAF (44-50154)
ex-RAF (Serial No. 5009), ex-Indian Air Force (Serial No. HE773).
Currently preserved in the Canada Aviation and Space Museum Ottawa Ontario.
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber flown by the RCAF during the Second Word War. It was designed with a shoulder-mounted, high aspect ratio Davis wing which gave the Liberator a high cruise speed, long range and the ability to carry a heavy bomb load. Early RAF Liberators were the first aircraft to cross the Atlantic Ocean as a matter of routine. In comparison with its contemporaries the B-24 was relatively difficult to fly and had poor low speed performance; it also had a lower ceiling compared with the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. Of the roughly 18,500 B-24s built in the USA during the war, 148 were flown by the RCAF on long range anti-submarine patrols, with the B-24 serving an instrumental role in closing the Mid-Atlantic gap in the Battle of the Atlantic. The RCAF also flew a few B-24s post war as transports.
Roughly half of all (RAF) Liberator crews in the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theatre were Canadian by the end of the war. John Muir of Vancouver flew the longest mission of the war: 24hrs, 10mins from Ceylon to Burma and back. (Kyle Hood) Harold Skaarup web page
Liberator bomber
Wikipedia Liberator bomber 
Harold A Skaarup Web Page 5 OTU (5 Operational Training Unit)
The Operational Training Unit (OTU) was the last stop for aircrew trainees. They spent 8 to 14 weeks learning to fly operational aircraft (Hawker Hurricane or Fairey Swordfish, e.g.). The instructors had experience in actual operations, and often were posted to OTUs after their operational tour.
RCAF.Info Liberator KG880
Liberator B. Mk. VI KG880
Ex USAAF serial number 44-10385. Supplied by RAF for use at No. 5 OTU, Boundary Bay, BC. Coded "Y" shortly after arrival, later coded "VJ". Collided on runway at Abbotsford with KH107 on 3 July 1945, total of 9 casualties, all RAF.1944-06-08 Taken on Strength 2022-02-07
1945-July-03 Accident: 5 Operational Training Unit Loc: Aerodrome Names: Allen | Avery | Batley | Brandon | Brown | Elding | Gunter | Kennedy | Morris | Murphy | Scarborough | Sinclair | Suggate | Thomas | Whitaker
1945-08-17 Struck off Strength 2022-02-07
Liberator KH107
Liberator B. Mk. VI KH107
Ex USAAF serial number 44-672. Supplied by RAF for use at No. 5 OTU, Boundary Bay, BC. Coded "VJ" and "AQ", dates not known. Collided on runway at Abbotsford with KG880 on 3 July 1945, total of 9 casualties, all RAF.1944-08-09 Taken on Strength 2022-02-07
1945-July-03 Accident: 5 Operational Training Unit Loc: Aerodrome Names: Allen | Batley | Brandon | Gunter | Morris | Murphy | Sinclair | Suggate | Thomas
1945-08-17 Struck off Strength 2022-02-07