Vancouver, British Columbia
116 Bomber Reconnaissance Squadron, Botwood, Newfoundland. Sergeant Van Allen and Flight Lieutenant R.E. Shaw were killed when Catalina aircraft Z 2139 crashed off the coast of Labrador.
Van Allen, Austin Newton (Sergeant)
Killed in Action 1941-September-09
Birth Date: 1921-February-24
Born:
Parents: Son of George Harold and Ruby Mabel Van Allen, of Vancouver, British Columbia.
Spouse:
Home: Vancouver, British Columbia
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: unkown date
Service
RCAF
Unit
116 Sqn- Squadron
-
Base
Rank
Sergeant
Position
Air Gunner
Service Numbers
R/61061
Canadian Virtual War Memorial
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Finadagrave.com
Library and Archives Canada Service Files (may not exist)
Canso serial: Z2139
RCAF Canso A (Serial No. 9754), No. 162 Squadron, F/L David Ernest Hornell aircraft.
The Consolidated Catalina and Canso were close cousins. The Canso was the true amphibious version of the design and therefore included a conventional undercarriage to allow for either water or land use. The Canso provided more than two decades of valuable service to the RCAF. The Catalina variant came first and was produced beginning in 1935 for the United States Navy. The amphibious version, designated PBY-5A, came in service early in 1941 and the RCAF began using the aircraft on anti-submarine patrols that same year. After the Second World War, the RCAF used Cansos for search and rescue, Arctic survey missions and various transport operations. RCAF
Canso PBY
Wikipedia Canso PBY
Harold A Skaarup Web PageUnit Desciption
116 Sqn - ()
Lineage (excerpt)
Authorized as 'No.116 (Coast Artillery Co-Operation) Squadron' 1 April 1938.
Redesignated 'No.116 (Fighter) Squadron' 1 May 1939. Disbanded 2 November 1939.
Reformed as 'No.116 (Bomber Reconnaissance) Squadron' 30 June 1941. Disbanded 20 June 1945.
Operational history
The Second World War
The squadron flew on anti-submarine operations on the Atlantic Coast and in the Gulf of St.
Government of Canada, The Insignia and Lineages of the Canadian Forces, Volume 4: Operational Flying Squadrons (A-AD-267-000/AF-004)