Deseronto Archives

John Robson was killed in a flying accident at Camp Mohawk on this day in 1918. He joined the Royal Flying Corps on January 23rd, 1918 in Winnipeg with the regimental number 154486 and was officially appointed in Toronto five days later. He was described as five feet eleven inches tall, with a ruddy complexion, blue eyes and brown hair. He was 21 years old and had been serving in the North-West Mounted Police for three years. He gave his home address as Lairhope, Teviothead, Hawick, Scotland. His parents were Walter Robson and Isabella (née Laidlaw). The Royal Air Force report of the accident is as follows:

…Date of Casualty: 3.7.18
Where occurred: Canada Deseronto Ontario Camp Mohawk
Type of Machine: Curtiss JN4a
Nature and Cause of Accident: Aeroplane accident. Error of judgement
Result of Accident: Killed
Name of other Occupant of Machine: None

A Court of Inquiry held on the day of the accident found that Robson had got into a spin and been unable to get out of it. His aircraft (C-595) got into a vertical nose dive and crashed on its back just north of Camp Mohawk.¹

Robson was buried in Deseronto Cemetery.

John Robson’s grave in Deseronto

He is also remembered on the war memorial in Teviothead, Scotland.

¹ Records held in Attorney General’s 1918 file RG 4-32/1792 at the Archives of Ontario