CAHS Prince Edward Island Chapter Newsletter

CAHS Prince Edward Island "Carl F. Burke, MBE" Chapter

PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Roy Ramsay welcomed members and said that the June meeting was cancelled due to the absence of any agenda items. He was pleased to present the Guest Speaker, Ross Down, who is a well travelled WWII veteran who served in Europe, in the Middle East, in the Far East, in North Africa and in Australia during the war. Roy said that we were indeed fortunate to continue to get excellent speakers and requested members to forward names of potential speakers for future meetings.

CORPORAL ERROL LAUGHLIN R.C.A.F WWII WIRELESS OPERATOR
Errol Laughlin joined R.C.A.F. in August 1942 and took basic training at St. Jean, Quebec, followed by training as a Wireless Operator in Montreal. After serving the summer of 1943 at Gaspe, Quebec, he re-mustered to aircrew and was posted to # 121 Squadron Dartmouth, NS, as a Wireless Operator in December 1943. The Squadron towed drogues for the Army anti aircraft weapons training. The same training was done for the Navy over the waters off Halifax. Mostly Bolingbroke aircraft were used for these anti aircraft training exercises. Also, he flew in Harvard aircraft in camera gun laying training over Citadel Hill in Halifax. In addition, he flew on Lysanders, and in total, crewed with 10 different pilots while with # 121 Squadron.

Then, a few months into 1944, he was posted to R.C.A.F. #2 Air Navigation School (#2 ANS), Station Charlottetown, as a Staff Wireless Operator on Anson Aircraft, flying his first navigator training flight Apr. 4, 1944. He flew 252 flights in 54 different Anson aircraft with 62 different pilots while at #2 ANS. In Feb. 1944, R.C.A.F. #2 ANS assumed command of the School from #32 Air Navigation School (RAF) when that unit was repatriated along with #31 General Reconnaissance School (#31 GRS) to the U.K. In total, the Navigation School, under the R.A.F. and the R.C.A.F., graduated 1,120 Air Navigators and 80 Bomb Aimers. The target for Bomb Aimers training was at the center of Tracadie Bay where the bombing training exercise was limited to one pass on a target conducted at the end of a navigation training exercise as the flight returned to Station Charlottetown. Errol Laughlin flew his last flight at #2 ANS as a Staff Wireless Operator on Jun. 20, 1945. He was posted from #2 ANS to Halifax on Jul. 7, and released from the R.C.A.F. in December 1945.

Errol laments that all too often he and his comrades conducted a slow march to the Sherwood Cemetery across the road from the RAF/RCAF Station Charlottetown. Errol recently retired as the first Secretary for the Carl Burke CAHS Chapter.

Errol’s records show that the R.A.F. General Reconnaissance School had 26 casualties and the Air Navigation Schools had 18 for a total of 44 airmen who died while stationed at Station Charlottetown during WWII. Also, there was one post war flight casualty at the Charlottetown Station. Of 20 R.A.F. war graves at the Sherwood cemetery, near Charlottetown, 16 were of the 44 who died while serving at Station Charlottetown. The other four airmen were: Leading Aircraftman C.J. Harris and Sergeant W.F. Thompson from the Station Summerside and Sergeant C.B. Crummey from Station Debert, NS. The post war casualty was F/L D.W. Ray, DFC, from Britain’s R.A.F.V.R., who died when his Liberator aircraft with 15 people aboard crashed near the station on Feb 21, 1946. Also, three crew members were injured in the crash. Sherwood Cemetery is a R.A.F. Wartime Graves Site. The other 24 Charlottetown Station casualties were returned to their relatives for burial or have No Known Graves.

THE ROYAL AIR FORCE (R.A.F.) AND THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE CHARLOTTETOWN AIRPORT
(Serial two: continued from Vol. 1. No.11. Jun. 2004.)
By mid February 1941, general reconnaissance training for navigators and pilots was well underway as Anson aircraft continued to flow from the Amherst Depot in greater numbers. On Feb.19, the second GRS course comprising 10 officer navigators and 14 NCO pilots arrived from Halifax by rail three days late due submarine avoidance during the Atlantic crossing. By the end of Feb, the Station strength has risen to 464 personnel. On Mar. 4, orders were received from Headquarters No. 3 Training Command, Montreal, that, “Black Out” arrangements were to be made at once for P.E.I. and especially for the airport. Word was received that two Anson aircraft were lost at sea when a ship was sunk. More trainees arrived and pressures were mounting to get more aircraft readied for flying. By Mar. 17, four sorties of six Ansons each were being flown daily as weather permitted and H.Q. No. 3 T.C., Montreal, warned the Station to be prepared to assume tasks of convoy support and anti submarine patrol by aircraft loaded with depth bombs.

The roads approaching and at the Station were almost unusable due to mud as the end of March approached. The Station Commander, Group Captain Blake who was promoted ten days earlier to that rank, attended the opening of the Provincial Legislature followed by a reception by Lieutenant Governor LePage Mar. 24, 1941. By the end of the March, 17 Anson aircraft were erected and 2 were ready at Amherst for pick-up while the station strength had risen to 684 personnel. On Apr. 14, Minister of Defence Colonel Ralston accompanied by Premier Thane Campbell visited the Station and following a brief visit to Beech Grove Inn Colonel Ralston departed the station by aircraft.

The first General Reconnaissance Course graduated on Apr.19, 1941, and departed for the Operational Training Unit (OTU) at Station Debert, N. S., to commence operational training for RAF Bomber Command. On May 17, six pilots were loaned to Halifax Headquarters for ferrying Oxford aircraft to Winnipeg. At the end of May, GNS course No. 3 graduated and GNS course No. 7 commenced thereby achieving the training cycle of one course moving in and one course moving on. At this stage, the Station strength was at 752 personnel with 29 Anson aircraft having flown 1220 hours for the month of May.

A new R.A.F. training school designated # 32 Air Navigation School (#32 ANS) for Observers was commissioned on Jul.18, 1941, at RAF Station Charlottetown with the arrival of the first Echelon of Training Staff comprising 12 officers and men. The first course of 20 Leading Aircraftmen Observers commenced navigation training on Aug. 4. A week later orders were received to shorten the length of the General Reconnaissance Course to nine rather twelve weeks and to retain the same standard of graduate. At the end of August the Station strength had risen to 1502 personnel with 50 Ansons, flying a total of 1514 hours for the month of August.

On Sep. 2, 1941, H.R.H. the Duke of Kent accompanied by Lieutenant Governor LePage, Premier Thane Campbell and Mayor B.R. Holman visited the Station. H.R.H., brother to King George VI, was conducting a tour of inspections as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. A major housing problem existed at the Station where personnel of all ranks were being accommodated in space only sufficient for one-half their numbers. By the end of September the Station strength was at 1797 which was about three times more than the number on strength that existed only six months earlier. GNS course No. 12 graduated on October 11, 1941 and left for the OTU at Station Debert. This was the first course instructed under the reduced course length and reflected no lower standard of graduate.

On the evening of Oct. 12, the Station’s Garrison Theatre gave a sold out performance at the Prince Edward Theatre and it was reported that many were unable to gain admission. Ten days later, the first rugby football match was played between the Station Team and the Prince of Wales College team which was won by the college.

The first recorded Station Anson aircraft crashed on Oct. 27, 1941, near the Station. Anson No. 4856 flown by Sergeant Ward was badly damaged but without crew injury. The month end report recorded that continuous intermittent rain curtailed the progress of building taxi ways and that these would not likely be completed until the following spring. Work was also being held up on the construction of officers and NCO messes. The station fleet, now at 74 Anson aircraft, flew 3035 hours in October.

On Nov. 5, 1941, Anson No R.9651 forced landed while lost at night near Campbellton, PEI, sustaining aircraft damage but no injuries to the crew which comprised; Pilot Sergeant Haslam, Wireless Operator LAC. Simpson and Observer LAC. Curry. All was not good for training operations as records show that a second night detail could not be flown because the Station was under established by 14

pilots. Three pilots were ill and one was on other duties. Also, operations were severely hampered by rain, wind and fog. Further, two sorties of 10 Ansons that were flown on that night two had mishaps; one Anson forced landed at Conway and a second Anson overshot the runway resulting in damage to the undercarriage and mainplane.

On Nov. 11, a high speed motor launch, Number M 208, under the command of Flying Officer Powell arrived at Charlottetown following a stormy passage from Montreal. This craft was used for search and rescue, for search and rescue training and for course and speed judging in aircrew training.

On Nov. 18, 1941, a report was received that an aircraft had been seen to dive into the sea near Prim Point, east of Charlottetown. A search spotted an oil patch one mile off Point Prim and was later determined to be from a Harvard aircraft flown by LAC. S. M. Levine (R.C.A.F.) on a solo flight from Station Summerside. The recovery of the body and aircraft were delayed due to extremely bad weather. Recovery operations were conducted two days later by Mr. A. P. Cercitti, a Canadian National Railways diver from Borden, P.E.I.

Anson aircraft 4894 failed to return Thursday, Nov. 20. Efforts to locate the missing Anson during the next day were not successful. The following day, Mr Bert Shea of Pleasant View, on the west coast of P.E.I., was walking along the shore near his home when he spied some small parts of a wrecked aircraft and reported the findings to the R.C.M.P. They, in turn, found portions of a wing and tail and later a compass card which identified the wreckage as Anson 4894. Lost with No Known Graves were; LAC. S. V. Clench, LAC. N. J. Ficken, Sgt. A. F. Freeman, and AC1. B. Thomas, all R.A.F. airmen.

On Dec. 12, 1941, a gale, snow, rain and low cloud lasted all day. General Reconnaissance Course compromising 12 Norwegian Quartermaster pilots and 12 R.A.F. pilots arrived to commence training as GRS Course No. 26. The following day all flying stations throughout the Maritimes were closed due to a severe snow storm and on the next day blizzard condition prohibited all personnel from leaving the station after 1600 hours. And then, on Dec. 13, a case of scarlet fever curtailed operations. However, an up-lifting mood came with the staging of the play “Tons of Money” by the R.A.F. Officers Drama Society at Prince of Wales College.

Flying was greatly curtailed on Dec. 20, due to weather. GRS Course 20 for Navigators and Course 3A for Observers depart short of the normal flying time due to the bad weather over the previous 30 days. Roads to Charlottetown were being kept open for essential traffic only as blizzard condition existed on Dec. 22. As year 1941 ended for the R.A.F. personnel at Station Charlottetown, December was declared as the most disappointing month of the first year of training. ANS Navigator ASTRO training was greatly hampered by cloud cover. Also, a pilot shortage prevented better use of good training weather when it did occur. The R.A.F. Station manpower was nearing its maximum with a total of 1561 personnel operating 83 Ansons aircraft and achieving 2087 flying hours for December of 1941. Yet, for the Brits, it was full steam ahead. (To be continued next edition.)