Birth Date: 1918
Born:
Home: St Johns, Newfoundland
Enlistment:
Enlistment Date: Unknown
Service
RAF
Unit
45 Group (RAF)
Base
Dorval, Quebec
Rank
Civilian Radio Officer
Position
Civilian Radio Officer
Service Numbers
Took off from Dorval on the first leg of a trans-Atlantic flight to Bermuda.
Aircraft crashed 3 hours flying time from Bermuda.
Killed includes Collins:William Bradley Collins (civ.) RAF KIFA Bermuda Royal Naval Cemetery Grave 188.Captain Clarence Alvin Schiller (civ.) RAF KIFA Bermuda Royal Naval Cemetery Grave 186.Sergeant David Wilkie RAF KIFA Bermuda Royal Naval Cemetery Grave 412.
One other fatality, a U.S. citizen named Ford, no initials given is included in notes on RAFCommands.
45 Group RAF Transport Command. Catalina aircraft FP 116 crashed into the sea near Bermuda after an engine failure
Canadian civilian Pilot CA "Duke" Schiller, Navigator Sergeant D Wilkie (RAFVR), Newfoundland civilian Radio Officer WB Collins and USAAF Radio Officer JC Ford were all killed in this flying accident
Span class="citation">Ocean Bridge, The History of RAF Ferry Command by Carl A Christie, page 318
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
3 Halifaxes from 408 Squadron were sent out on a sea search. Nothing was sighted and the crews returned to base. Richard Koval (6bombergroup.ca)
45 Group RAF Transport Command. Catalina aircraft FP 116 crashed into the sea near Bermuda after an engine failure
Canadian civilian Pilot CA "Duke" Schiller, Navigator Sergeant D Wilkie (RAFVR), Newfoundland civilian Radio Officer WB Collins and USAAF Radio Officer JC Ford were all killed in this flying accident
Span class="citation">Ocean Bridge, The History of RAF Ferry Command by Carl A Christie, page 318
St Johns, Newfoundland
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
www.findagrave.com
[Royal Air Force Serial and Image Database]...
Canso PBY
Wikipedia Canso PBY