Memorial service honored the RCAF aviator who perished in a Cape Breton accident during training in 1944
Plane Crash in 1944 Remembered: Tribute to Pilot Officer Bill Bennet
A poignant ceremony was held recently to commemorate the 80th anniversary of a tragic plane crash in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, which claimed the life of Pilot Officer Bill Bennet. The incident occurred on August 6-7, 1944, during a routine training flight.
Pilot Officer Bennet was a 21-year-old airman in the Royal Canadian Air Force, flying a twin-engine Avro Anson V training aircraft with two navigators and one radio operator. The aircraft's routine mission was to fly east from Summerside, P.E.I., to a point over the Gulf of St. Lawrence and return.
However, something went wrong over the water, and the aircraft was south of its intended position. The primary cause was the malfunction of the aircraft's magnetic compass, compounded by poor visibility in fog, which contributed to the aircraft crashing into terrain in the Cape Breton Highlands.
The thick fog and compass failure together caused a loss of situational awareness and control, resulting in the fatal crash. The aircraft entered a thick bank of fog and began a descent, but instead of emerging above the gulf, it crashed into Jerome Mountain on the western edge of Cape Breton Highlands National Park.
Three of the crew members—navigators John Robert Ogilvie and William John Astle, and communications officer Jack Roy Burke—managed to hike down the mountain by late Monday. Unfortunately, Pilot Officer Bennet suffered a fractured skull and died during the night after the crash.
The ceremony to honour Pilot Officer Bennet took place on Saturday, with one of his nephews, Bill Bennet of Ottawa, among those present. Doug Bennet, another nephew of Pilot Officer Bill Bennet, travelled from Toronto for the event.
Doug Bennet emphasized the sacrifices made by those who took part in the British Commonwealth Air Training Program, which graduated over 131,000 pilots, observers, flight engineers, and other aircrew by the end of the war. More than half of the graduates joined the RCAF, and the program was dangerous, with over 856 trainees killed during its operation.
A non-profit group based in Cheticamp, Les Amis du Plein Air, held the public ceremony to unveil commemorative panels for Pilot Officer Bill Bennet. The group worked tirelessly to ensure the memory of the young airman and his comrades would never be forgotten.
Bennet's family and friends continue to remember him as a tall and wiry man, described by his commanding officer as enthusiastic and intelligent. His legacy serves as a reminder of the importance of making children aware of their family's connection to the war and what that means.
[1] The Canadian Press [2] CBC News [3] The Chronicle Herald [4] The Guardian
- The Canadian Press reported on the Tribute to Pilot Officer Bill Bennet, a veteran of the Royal Canadian Air Force who died in a tragic plane crash 80 years ago, alongside the latest general news.
- The remembrance ceremony for Pilot Officer Bennet included discussions on the sacrifices made by aircrew during the British Commonwealth Air Training Program, a topic that often surfaces in sports broadcasts due to the mental toughness and teamwork required for both flying and sports.
