Remains Of Northrop Nomad Aircrew Removed From 1940 Crash-site in Lake Muskoka – Air Men To Be Laid To Rest Sept. 17
Posted by: David Pugliese
News release from DND:
OTTAWA, ONTARIO–(Marketwired – Sept. 13, 2013) – Nearly 72 years after the Nomad 3521 aircraft crash in December 1940, the remains of Flight Lieutenant Peter Campbell of the Royal Air Force and Leading Aircraftsman Theodore (Ted) Bates of the Royal Canadian Air Force have been successfully recovered. The remains of the airmen were located and recovered by members of the Royal Canadian Navy’s Fleet Diving Unit (Atlantic) during a dive to the aircraft wreckage in Lake Muskoka in October 2012.
“This recovery will provide closure to the families of Flight Lieutenant Campbell and Leading Aircraftsman Bates, as well as reassure them that the ultimate sacrifice made by their loved ones will never be forgotten,” said the Honourable Rob Nicholson, Minister of National Defence. “These airmen can now be laid to rest with the military honours that they so rightfully deserve.”
The Royal Canadian Navy’s Fleet Diving Unit (Atlantic) was tasked to survey the Nomad 3521 wreckage site as part of the Canadian Armed Forces Directorate of History and Heritage’s mandate to recover and identify Canada’s personnel. The recovery was a combined effort of the members of the community, who raised awareness about the existence of the aircraft, the Ontario Provincial Police’s Underwater Search and Recovery Unit, who surveyed and located the aircraft on July 27, 2010, and the Fleet Diving Unit (Atlantic), who recovered the remains, personal effects, and the aircraft’s three .30 calibre machine guns.
“This particular dive operation will certainly stay with the team forever,” said Lieutenant (Navy) Greg Oickle, Acting Commanding Officer of Fleet Diving Unit (Atlantic). “The divers’ persistence and exemplary work played a crucial role in the efforts to give these airmen the respect and dignity that they deserve. The team is proud to have been part of this homage to their military predecessors.”
The Royal Canadian Air Force is committed to the recovery of the Nomad aircraft. Planning for the necessary logistics of such a recovery and salvage operation, as well as the appropriate coordination with other interested parties, is underway.
Flight Lieutenant Campbell and Leading Aircraftsman Bates went missing on December 13, 1940, when their aircraft, Nomad 3521, was involved in a mid-air collision with another aircraft, Nomad 3512. Both aircraft were searching for a fellow airman who had gone missing during training the day before. Following the crash, only Nomad 3512 and its pilot and co-pilot were located. The Nomad 3521, with Flight Lieutenant Campbell and Leading Aircraftsman Bates onboard, remained missing.
Flight Lieutenant Campbell and Leading Aircraftsman Bates will be laid to rest in an interment ceremony set to take place on September 17, 2013, at Woodlawn Memorial Park in Guelph, Ont.
As discretion regarding this case is the best protection against disturbance of the crash site, information regarding the survey dive was kept in confidence until the interment was imminent, and a decision regarding the disposition of the aircraft had been made.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
In July 2010, after nearly 70 years spent under water, a Northrop Nomad aircraft, Nomad 3521, was located by the Ontario Provincial Police’s Underwater Search and Recovery Unit in Lake Muskoka. During a follow-up dive in October 2012, divers from the Royal Canadian Navy’s Fleet Diving Unit (Atlantic) recovered the remains of Flight Lieutenant Peter Campbell from the Royal Air Force, and Leading Aircraftsman Theodore (Ted) Bates from the Royal Canadian Air Force, on board the aircraft. The two airmen had been missing since December 13, 1940 following a mid-air collision with another aircraft. In addition to the remains, the Fleet Diving Unit (Atlantic) also recovered personal effects and secured the site by removing the aircraft’s three .30 calibre machine guns.
As discretion regarding this case is the best protection against disturbance of the crash site, information regarding the survey dive was kept in confidence until the interment was imminent, and a decision regarding the disposition of the aircraft had been made.
Background
Two aircraft, Nomad 3512 and Nomad 3521 from Camp Borden, collided on December 13, 1940 during a search and rescue mission. They were searching for Leading Aircraftsman Clayton Peder Hopton, who had gone missing while training.
The location of the first aircraft, Nomad 3512, was identified in January 1941, but the aircraft was not raised until April, once the ice on the lake had melted. The search for the second aircraft, Nomad 3521, was cancelled after the area where it was believed to be located had been inspected for several weeks without any results.
The search for Nomad 3521 did not resume until a group of Muskoka residents showed interest in the aircraft and created the Lost Airmen of Muskoka Project group to highlight the sacrifices made by the airmen who flew out of the Muskoka airport, and those from Camp Borden who lost their lives in the region during training accidents. In July 2010, the Ontario Provincial Police’s Underwater Search and Recovery Unit found the wreckage of Nomad 3521 by identifying personal items belonging to both airmen. The aircraft was found broken into several sections including the engine block, the fuselage, the tail section, the port wing and the starboard wing.
From October 10-18, 2012, the Royal Canadian Navy’s Fleet Diving Unit (Atlantic), with the assistance of the Ontario Provincial Police’s Underwater Search and Recovery Unit, were able to locate and recover remains of the two airmen. The recovery was a combined effort of the members of the community who raised awareness about the existence of the aircraft, the Ontario Provincial Police dive unit who surveyed and located the aircraft, and the Fleet Diving Unit (Atlantic) who recovered the remains.
The remains of Flight Lieutenant Campbell and of Leading Aircraftsman Bates were examined by the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service and the identity of the remains has been confirmed as those of the two airmen.
Interment Ceremony
Flight Lieutenant Campbell and Leading Aircraftsman Bates will be laid to rest at a private ceremony on September 17, 2013, in the presence of family members and representatives from the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Royal Air Force, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the Ontario Provincial Police Underwater Search and Recovery Unit. The recovery of the remains of Flight Lieutenant Campbell and Leading Aircraftsman Bates is a unique opportunity for the Department of National Defence, the Canadian Armed Forces and all fellow serving members involved in the recovery to honour Canada’s war dead.
Posted:
http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2013/09/ ... t-sept-17/
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
