Invergordon Railway Station - RAF Sunderland Crash

RAF Sunderland Crash

On 26 November 1944, a Royal Air Force, Short Sunderland :DD851 of the 4th Operational Training Unit departed Cromarty Firth, RAF Station Alness on an anti-submarine patrol of the North Sea off the coast of Scotland. During the initial climb a connecting rod on the starboard inner engine broke, the engine caught fire and fell off. The Sunderland, with a full load of fuel and depth charges then crashed into the railway line 2 miles northeast of Invergordon Railway Station where all 11 of the RCAF crew were killed. The crew consisted of:

• Shand, John "Jack" Hodgson. Flying Officer, Wireless Operator Air Gunner, J18733//R92682. From Lethbridge, Alberta, Age 21. Son of William Buxton Shand and Sarah Ann Shand, of Lethbridge, Alberta.
• Beattie, Donald Charles. Flight Sergeant, Air Gunner, R257841. From North Bay, Ontario. Age 19. Son of William Herbert and Mary Ina Beattie, of North Bay, Ontario.
• Cosgrave, Francis William George. Flight Sargent, Flight Engineer R94795. From Whitewood, Saskatchewan. Age 32. Son of Robert Frances and Margaret Cosgrave, of Whitewood, Saskatchewan.
• Fedoruk, William. Flight Lieutenant, Wireless Operator Air Gunner J43270. From Brighouse, British Columbia. Age 28. Son of Jacob and Katarina Fedoruk, of Brighouse, British Columbia.
• Hill, Milton Lynn. Sergeant, Air Gunner R197558. From Quesnel, British Columbia. Age 20.
• Johnson, Garth Borland. Flying Officer, Pilot J27083//R166333. From Birtle, Manitoba. Age 22. Son of Morgan and Myrtle Johnson; husband of June Marie Johnson, of Winnipeg, Manitoba.
• Johnson, John Alfred. Flight Lieutenant, Pilot J6940. From Ottawa, Ontario. Age 26. Son of Edward Norman Johnson and of Margaret E. Johnson, of Ottawa, Ontario.
• Kendall, Charles Marland. Flying Officer, Navigator/Bomb Aimer J38581. From Windsor, Ontario. Age 34. Son of Charles Freeman Kendall and Lilly Ann Wooldridge Kendall, of Windsor, Ontario. Husband of Doris Mabel Kendall, of Windsor, Ontario.
• Kinton, Clare Warrant. Officer 1, Wireless Operator Air Gunner, From Calgary, Alberta. Age 23. Son of T.L.D. Kinton and E. Jerrine Kinton of Toronto, Ontario. Husband of Olga "Sue" Kinton of Calgary, Alberta.
• Peters, Frederick John. Warrant Officer 2, Wireless Operator Air Gunner R172885. From Winnipeg, Manitoba. Age 32. Son of Alexander John and Katherine Peters, of Winnipeg, Manitoba.
• Porret, James Edward. Warrant Officer 1, Flight Engineer R50873. From Edmonton, Alberta. Son of Ollie and Katherine Porret, of Edmonton, Alberta.

They are buried in the Stonefall Air Force Cemetery, Wetherby Road, Harrogate, Yorkshire, England. Crew information is sourced from RCAF Memorial Book "They Shall Not Grow Old" which lists the names and basic details of the 18,000 Canadian airmen killed during WW2 and the Government of Canada Veterans Affairs Canada Virtual War Memorial website.