On 13 July 11 1945 RCAF Squadron's Consolidated B-24L Liberator GR.VIII (#11121) aircraft, with an aircrew of seven, took off from RCAF Patricia Bay, British Columbia on a cross country training flight. Along the way, two stops were made: one in RCAF Comox, the other in RCAF Tofino, where the Liberator took on seven passengers before the homeward flight back to Patricia Bay. Encountering dense low cloud, the aircraft flew into the side of a mountain 7 miles East-South-East of Bamfield—all seven aircrew and all seven passengers perished in the crash. The search for the downed aircraft began immediately, but it wasn't until 17 Jul 1945, four days later, that the search party was able to reach the crash site.
The three RCAF-WD servicewomen and the eleven RCAF servicemen who perished in this accident were-
RCAF-WD Sergeant Pamela Gladys BENNETT,
RCAF-WD Corporal Nora JOHNSON,
RCAF-WD Leading Aircraftwoman Margaret MANN,
RCAF Warrant Officer Class I Victor Gilbert CROSSON,
RCAF Flying Officer William Edward DAVIES,
RCAF Flight Sergeant Donald William HOPE,
RCAF Corporal Norman Marshall JOHNSON,
RCAF Leading Aircraftman Raymond Valentine KITELEY,
RCAF Flying Officer Harry Alexander LOWE,
RCAF Flying Officer Robert Joseph MARTELLO,
RCAF Flying Officer Nicholas Maxwell POPOVICH,
RCAF Warrant Officer Class II Joseph Bertrand Raymond PRESSE and
RCAF Leading Aircraftman Lloyd Henry TULL.
Military Service-
Rank: Corporal
Service Number: R/130808
Age: 25
Force: Air Force
Unit: Royal Canadian Air Force
Division: 11 RCAF Squadron, Bomber Reconnaissance; RCAF Patricia Bay, British Columbia
A farmer by trade, residing in Minburn, Alberta, Canada, he enlisted in the RCAF on 15 Oct 1941 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Son of the late Ole and Augusta Johnson (née Hendrickson) [both parents born in Norway]; husband of Viola Lucy Johnson (née Goulding) of Vancouver, British Columbia; brother of Edwin Joseph, Inez Elvina, Olga Amanda, Hazel Manda and the late Morris who died in infancy.
A commemorative cairn was constructed and erected by the personnel of Canadian Forces Base Comox at the site of the 13 July 1945 crash of the Royal Canadian Air Force Liberator near Bamfield, British Colombia. It features a bronze plaque provided by the Canadian Agency of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the cairn stands at the site of the last resting place of the fourteen crash victims. It was unveiled on 10 Aug 1983 by the Honourable W. Bennett Campbell, Minister of Veterans Affairs, in the presence of representatives of the families of the crash victims.
Corporal Norman Marshall Johnson is commemorated on Page 528 of Canada's Second World War Book of Remembrance.
He is also commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
On 13 July 11 1945 RCAF Squadron's Consolidated B-24L Liberator GR.VIII (#11121) aircraft, with an aircrew of seven, took off from RCAF Patricia Bay, British Columbia on a cross country training flight. Along the way, two stops were made: one in RCAF Comox, the other in RCAF Tofino, where the Liberator took on seven passengers before the homeward flight back to Patricia Bay. Encountering dense low cloud, the aircraft flew into the side of a mountain 7 miles East-South-East of Bamfield—all seven aircrew and all seven passengers perished in the crash. The search for the downed aircraft began immediately, but it wasn't until 17 Jul 1945, four days later, that the search party was able to reach the crash site.
The three RCAF-WD servicewomen and the eleven RCAF servicemen who perished in this accident were-
RCAF-WD Sergeant Pamela Gladys BENNETT,
RCAF-WD Corporal Nora JOHNSON,
RCAF-WD Leading Aircraftwoman Margaret MANN,
RCAF Warrant Officer Class I Victor Gilbert CROSSON,
RCAF Flying Officer William Edward DAVIES,
RCAF Flight Sergeant Donald William HOPE,
RCAF Corporal Norman Marshall JOHNSON,
RCAF Leading Aircraftman Raymond Valentine KITELEY,
RCAF Flying Officer Harry Alexander LOWE,
RCAF Flying Officer Robert Joseph MARTELLO,
RCAF Flying Officer Nicholas Maxwell POPOVICH,
RCAF Warrant Officer Class II Joseph Bertrand Raymond PRESSE and
RCAF Leading Aircraftman Lloyd Henry TULL.
Military Service-
Rank: Corporal
Service Number: R/130808
Age: 25
Force: Air Force
Unit: Royal Canadian Air Force
Division: 11 RCAF Squadron, Bomber Reconnaissance; RCAF Patricia Bay, British Columbia
A farmer by trade, residing in Minburn, Alberta, Canada, he enlisted in the RCAF on 15 Oct 1941 in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
Son of the late Ole and Augusta Johnson (née Hendrickson) [both parents born in Norway]; husband of Viola Lucy Johnson (née Goulding) of Vancouver, British Columbia; brother of Edwin Joseph, Inez Elvina, Olga Amanda, Hazel Manda and the late Morris who died in infancy.
A commemorative cairn was constructed and erected by the personnel of Canadian Forces Base Comox at the site of the 13 July 1945 crash of the Royal Canadian Air Force Liberator near Bamfield, British Colombia. It features a bronze plaque provided by the Canadian Agency of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the cairn stands at the site of the last resting place of the fourteen crash victims. It was unveiled on 10 Aug 1983 by the Honourable W. Bennett Campbell, Minister of Veterans Affairs, in the presence of representatives of the families of the crash victims.
Corporal Norman Marshall Johnson is commemorated on Page 528 of Canada's Second World War Book of Remembrance.
He is also commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Family Members
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