Details:
25 Aug 1958 - Station Hospital - F/L WJ Bice (Pharmacist) and Mrs. Stoneham (wife of a Corporal Photo Technician)
25 Aug 1958 - CF-100 #18379 - 423 Squadron - Gus Cooling (Pilot) and Bruce "Squeeze" Kirkham (Navigator)
25 Aug 1958 - CF-100 #18329 - 423 Squadron - Ross Rayment (Pilot) and Basil Pharaoh (Navigator)
Narrative:
"On August 25, 1958, aircraft 18329 and 18379 collided over 2 Wing when number two of a four plane broke into number one over the station. F/O's Ross Rayment, Gus Cooling, and Bruce "Squeeze" Kirkham died in the accident, as did two on the ground after one aircraft crashed into the base hospital. F/O Basil Pharaoh, Rayments navigator in the lead aircraft managed to eject safely."
Comments by Don Norrie
Monday, 25 Aug 1958 at approximately 1150 hours.
Hospital casualties were: F/L WJ Bice (Pharmacist) and Mrs. Stoneham (the wife of a 423 Squadron Aero Engine Technician) who was getting her prescription filled when the crash occurred.
"Bas" Pharaoh is presently living in Victoria. I talked with him a few times when stationed in Esquimalt in the 1980's and again at the 1st 2 Wing reunion in Victoria in 1990. He parachuted to safety, landing on the sidewalk in front of the Airmen's Mess Hall.
F/L (Dr) Chitham sustained 3rd degree burns to his arms and face, and was recovering for a number of years.
The wing of the aircraft came through the roof of the hospital orderly room right between the desks of the two clerks. One, LAC Gary Mattin (currently residing in Portage La Prairie) suffered a broken collar bone and a few minor lacerations. As I recall the other guy didn't get hurt at all – but as Gary told me over a beer (his wife and mine were good friends and both MedA's and we socialized), he had just got a coke from the pharmacy fridge across the hall, and returned to his desk when the crash occurred.
Comments by Malcolm Cromarty - Four CF-100 aircraft were returning from a sortie and they had a mid-air collision over the base at Grostenquin as they were coming in on the break. One of the aircraft crashed into the station hospital and this resulted in the death of two more people.
Comments by David Gregory - I can still remember the day the two CF-100s collided over the base. I had gone to the Bank of Montreal to see my mother with a friend - Chuck "Charlie Brown" Myles. We were just exiting the bank when the shadows came over us and Chuck threw me into the ditch. Basil Pharoah, the navigator in Ross Rayment's CF-100, parachuted just down the road in front of the Airman's Mess and Chuck waved an ambulance down as it scrambled from the flight line towards the hospital which was now in flames. He helped Pharoah into the ambulance and then we headed towards the smoke ourselves. Freddy Riley was a school chum of mine and his father was the Medical Admin Officer. Fortunately, they were away on leave at the time since, as you may recall, one of the CF-100s came down just at the junction of the "T" in the hospital. That is where Fred's dads office was located. The only thing he got out of the remnants was a metal ash tray.
Extracts from 2 Wing Historical Reports
25 Aug 1958
Two CF-100s collided overhead while on the break at 1005Z hours and one of these crashed into the hospital. One crew ejected but only the Obs servived. Three crew were killed including the Pharmacist, F/L Bice, and Mrs Stonham, a patient in the hospital. F/L Chitham and Dr. Jeffreys were both critically injured.
29 Aug 1958
Flying cancelled until after the funeral of the accident victims.
2 Sep 1958
423 Squadron off this morning for the funeral of F/O Cooling. Flying cancelled until after 0930 hours because of the funeral.
Updated: January 4, 2005
