Simon Glancey has submitted the following:
Sgt. Stanbury was killed when North American Harvard IIB FE461 of 34 S.F.T.S. (Service Flying Training School), Medicine Hat, Canada, crashed on a training flight. The Canada War Graves Register (Circumstances of Casualty) record on ancestry.com has the following:
Sgt Stanbury, W.S., a flying instructor with 34 S.F.T.S. was engaged on a low flying cross country exercise with 1391496 LAC Genower, L. E., as pupil. It was reported to 34 S.F.T.S. by telephone at about 1030 hours on 27th April, 1943, that an aircraft had crashed at a very steep angle and at high speed into flat country. Weather conditions were excellent and it is thought probable that the pilot was carrying out other exercises after completing the low flying cross country, as the crash was on the opposite side of the aerodrome to his route. The cause of the accident is subject to a Court of Enquiry. No civilian personnel were injured on the ground. The aircraft did not catch fire.
Next of Kin: Mr W M Stanbury (Father), 9 Margaret Street, Widdrington Station, Morpeth, Northumberland.DoB: 14th September 1916.
The Court of Inquiry reported that the Harvard crashed inverted at a steep angle, and suspected that the pupil pilot had lost control during instrument flying instruction and was unable to recover. The Harvard suffered some structural break-up during the attempted recovery.
The aircraft’s Accident Card shows that it crashed 5 miles south east of Dunmore, Alberta at 09.45.
William Stevenson Stanbury is remembered in Ulgham on U1.02 and in Blyth on B42.19
