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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

Welsh, William Robert (Flying Officer)

Killed in Flying Accident 1943-April-08

Flying Officer William Robert Welsh RCAF

Birth Date: 1916-June-25

Born:

Parents: Son of William H. Welsh and Caroline Welsh, of Fenelon Falls, husband of Vera Ellen Welsh, of Toronto.

Spouse: Husband of Vera Ellen Welsh, of Toronto.

Home: Fenelon Falls, Ontario

Enlistment:

Enlistment Date: unkown date

Service

RCAF

Unit

1 SFTS- Service Flying Training School

Base

Camp Borden, Ontario, Canada

Rank

Flying Officer

Position

Pilot

Service Numbers

J/11974

Home

Google Map

Fenelon Falls, Ontario

Final Burial

Google Map

Fenelon Falls Cernmetery
Lot 8 Range 1 Grave 5

Harvard aircraft 2905 was taking off behind Harvard aircraft 2948 and ran into 2948 killing the second occupant, Flying Officer Welsh.

Canada Primary Source School Daily Diary Entry - 1943-04-08

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)

Accident Card - North American Harvard Mk.II serial:2948

This accident involved 2 aircraft on 1943-April-08. They are: Harvard II s/n 2948, Harvard II s/n 2905.

This accident involved 4 people. Banks WJ, Welsh WR, Reed RH, Byergo JN

This accident had 1 fatality. Flying Officer William Robert Welsh RCAF Killed in Flying Accident service no:J/11974 Harvard 2948

Unit Desciption

1 SFTS (1 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.

Currently the site of CFB Borden. Heliport and grass strip remains. CYBN

Camp Borden Class 1917

For more Information on RCAF Station Borden see here

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

Royal Canadian Air Force RCAF.info - Relief Landing Field Edenvale Ontario

Royal Canadian Air Force RCAF.info - Relief Landing Field Alliston Ontario

Unvetted Source Camp Borden History

Project 44 BCATP

Unvetted Source Project 44 BCATP

YouTube YouTube - Valour Canada Aerodrome of Democracy