British Commonwealth Air Training Plan

Training facilities and communities

The stunning initiative to train more than 131,000 Canadian and Allied aircrew during the Second World War was a truly pan-Canadian project. Airfields, schools, and other training establishments were built from scratch or improved from existing facilities. Every province – save Newfoundland and Labrador, which was not yet a province of Canada – was engaged.

The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan resulted in nearly 200 training and support establishments located in almost 150 communities, including the following: 

Nova Scotia  |  New Brunswick  |  Prince Edward Island  |  Quebec  |  Ontario  |  Manitoba  | Saskatchewan  |  Alberta  |  British Columbia

 

Nova Scotia Training Facilities

Location	Training Facility
Debert	No. 31 Operational Training Unit, redesignated No. 7 Operational Training Unit
Greenwood	No. 6 Operational Training Unit, formerly No. 32 Operational Training Unit (moved from Patricia Bay, B.C.)
Greenwood	No. 36 Operational Training Unit, redesignated No. 8 Operational Training Unit
Halifax	No. 1 Embarkation Depot
Stanley	No. 17 Elementary Flying Training School
Yarmouth	No. 1 Naval Air Gunners' School

 To Top of Page

New Brunswick Training Facilities

Location	Training Facility
Chatham	No. 10 Air Observer School
Chatham	No. 21 Elementary Flying Training School
Moncton	No. 8 Service Flying Training School (moved to Weyburn)
Moncton	No. 2 Embarkation Depot
Moncton	No. 31 RAF Personnel Depot
Pennfield Ridge	No. 34 Operational Training Unit
Pennfield Ridge	No. 2 Air Navigation School
Salisbury	Relief Field 1 for No. 8 Service Flying Training School Moncton
Scoudouc	Relief Field 1 for No. 8 Service Flying Training School Moncton

 To Top of Page

Prince Edward Island Training Facilities

Location	Training Facility
Charlottetown	No. 31 General Reconnaissance School
Charlottetown	No. 2 Air Navigation School
Mount Pleasant	No. 10 Bombing and Gunnery School
Mount Pleasant	Relief Field 1 for No. 9 Service Flying Training School Summerside
Summerside	No. 9 Service Flying Training School (moved to Centralia)
Summerside	No. 1 General Reconnaissance School
Wellington	Relief Field 2 for No. 9 Service Flying Training School Summerside

 To Top of Page

Quebec Training Facilities

Location	Training Facility
Bagotville	No. 1 Operational Training Unit
Cap-de-la-Madeleine	No. 11 Elementary Flying Training School
St. Honoré	Relief Field 1 for No. 1 Operational Training Unit Bagotville
Farnham	Relief Field 1 for No. 13 Service Flying Training School St. Hubert
Lachine	No. 5 Manning Depot
L'Ancienne-Lorette	No. 8 Air Observer School
L'Ancienne-Lorette	No. 22 Elementary Flying Training School
Maurice	Relief Field 1 for No. 11 Elementary Flying Training School Cap-de-la-Madeleine
Mont-Joli	No. 9 Bombing and Gunnery School
Montreal	No. 1 Wireless School (moved to Mount Hope, Ont)
Montreal	No. 3 Training Command Headquarters
Montreal	No. 12 Equipment Depot
Montreal	School of Aero Engineering
Pontiac	Relief Field 2 for No. 3 Flying Instructor School, Arnprior, Ontario
Quebec	No. 4 Manning Depot
St-Hubert	No. 13 Service Flying Training School (moved to North Battleford)
St-Jean	No. 9 Air Observer School
St-Jean	No. 9 Repair Depot
Victoriaville	No. 3 Initial Training School
Windsor Mills	No. 4 Elementary Flying Training School

 To Top of Page

Ontario Training Facilities

Location	Training Facility
Alliston	Relief Field 2 for No. 1 Service Flying Training School Camp Borden
Antrim	Relief Field 1 for No. 3 Flying Instructor School, Arnprior, Ontario
Arnprior	No. 3 Flying Instructor School
Aylmer	No. 14 Service Flying Training School (moved to Kingston)
Aylmer	No. 1 Flight Engineers School
Belleville	No. 5 Initial Training School
Borden	No. 1 Service Flying Training School
Brantford	No. 5 Service Flying Training School
Burtch	Relief Field 1 for No. 5 Service Flying Training School Brantford and principal field for No. 4 Wireless School Guelph.
Carp	Relief Field 1 for No. 2 Service Flying Training School Ottawa
Centralia	No. 9 Service Flying Training School
Clinton	No. 31 Radio Direction Finding (RADAR) School
Deseronto	Instrument Flying School
Dufferin	Relief Field for No. 16 Service Flying Training School Hagersville
Dunnville	No. 6 Service Flying Training School
Edenvale	Relief Field 1 for No. 1 Service Flying Training School Camp Borden
Edwards	Relief Field 2 for No. 2 Service Flying Training School Ottawa
Fingal	No. 4 Bombing and Gunnery School
Gananoque	Relief Field 1 for No. 31 Service Flying Training School Kingston
Goderich	No. 12 Elementary Flying Training School
Goderich South	Relief Field 1 for No. 12 Elementary Flying Training School Goderich
Grand Bend	Relief Field 1 for No. 9 Service Flying Training School Centralia
Guelph	No. 4 Wireless School
Guelph	School of Cookery
Hagersville	No. 16 Service Flying Training School
Hamilton	No. 33 Air Navigation School
Hamilton (Mount Hope)	No. 1 Wireless School (moved from Montreal)
Hamilton (Mount Hope)	No. 10 Elementary Flying Training School (moved to Pendleton)
Hawkesbury	Relief Field 1 for No. 13 Elementary Flying Training School St. Eugene
Jarvis	No. 1 Bombing and Gunnery School
Kingston	No. 14 Service Flying Training School (moved from Aylmer, Que.)
Kingston	No. 31 Service Flying Training School
Kohler (Cayuga)	Relief Field 1 for No. 16 Service Flying Training School Hagersville
Leaside	No. 1 Radio Direction Finding (RADAR) School
Limoges	Relief Field 1 for No. 10 Elementary Flying Training School Pendleton
London	No. 4 Air Observer School
London	No. 3 Elementary Flying Training School
Malton	No. 1 Air Observer School
Malton	No. 1 Elementary Flying Training School
Malton	AID Inspector School
Mountain View	Air Armament School
Mountain View	No. 6 Bombing and Gunnery School
Oshawa	No. 20 Elementary Flying Training School
Ottawa	No. 17 Equipment Depot
Ottawa	No. 18 Repair Depot
Ottawa (Rockcliffe)	No. 7 Manning Depot (Women's Division)
Ottawa (Uplands)	No. 2 Service Flying Training School
Pendleton	No. 10 Elementary Flying Training School (moved from Mount Hope)
Picton	No. 31 Bombing and Gunnery School
Port Albert	No. 31 Air Navigation School
Sandhurst	Relief Field 2 for No. 31 Service Flying Training School Kingston
St. Catharines	No. 9 Elementary Flying Training School
St. Eugene	No. 13 Elementary Flying Training School
St. Joseph	Relief Field 2 for No. 9 Service Flying Training School Centralia
St. Thomas	Relief Field 1 for No. 14 Service Flying Training School Aylmer and No. 4 Bombing and Gunnery School Fingal
Thunder Bay (Fort William)	No. 2 Elementary Flying Training School
Tillsonburg	Relief Field 2 for No. 14 Service Flying Training School Aylmer and No. 4 Bombing and Gunnery School Fingal
Toronto	No. 1 Manning Depot
Toronto	No. 6 Manning Depot (Women's Division)
Toronto	No. 1 Initial Training School
Toronto	No. 6 Initial Training School
Toronto	No. 1 Equipment Depot
Toronto	2 Composite Training School
Toronto	School of Aviation Medicine
Trenton	Central Flying School
Trenton	No. 1 Flying Instructor School
Trenton	No. 1 Air Navigation School (moved to Rivers and redesignated Central Navigation School)
Trenton	No. 6 Repair Depot
Trenton	1 Composite Training School
Welland	Relief Field 1 for No. 6 Service Flying Training School Dunnville
Whitby	Relief Field 1 for No. 20 Elementary Flying Training School Oshawa
Willoughby	Relief Field 1 for No. 9 Elementary Flying Training School St. Catharines
Windsor	No. 7 Elementary Flying Training School

 To Top of Page

Manitoba Training Facilities

Location	Training Facility
Brandon	No. 12 Service Flying Training School
Brandon	No. 2 Manning Depot (moved to Swift Current, Sask.)
Carberry	No. 33 Service Flying Training School
Chater	Relief Field 1 for No. 12 Service Flying Training School Brandon
Dauphin	No. 10 Service Flying Training School
Douglas	Relief Field 2 for No. 12 Service Flying Training School Brandon
Elgin	Relief Field 2 for No. 17 Service Flying Training School Souris
Gimli	No. 18 Service Flying Training School
Hartney	Relief Field 1 for No. 17 Service Flying Training School Souris
MacDonald	No. 3 Bombing and Gunnery School
Neepawa	No. 35 Elementary Flying Training School
Oberon	Relief Field 2 for No. 33 Service Flying Training School Carberry
Paulson	No. 7 Bombing and Gunnery School
Petrel	Relief Field 1 for No. 33 Service Flying Training School Carberry
Portage La Prairie	No. 7 Air Observer School
Portage La Prairie	No. 14 Elementary Flying Training School
Rivers	Central Navigation School (moved from Trenton, Ont., where it was No. 1 Air Navigation School)
Souris	No. 17 Service Flying Training School
Virden	No. 19 Elementary Flying Training School
Winnipeg	No. 3 Wireless School
Winnipeg	No. 5 Air Observer School
Winnipeg	No. 2 Training Command Headquarters
Winnipeg	No. 7 Equipment Depot
Winnipeg	No. 8 Repair Depot

 To Top of Page

Saskatchewan Training Facilities

Location	Training Facility
Assiniboia	No. 34 Elementary Flying Training School
Battleford	No. 13 Service Flying School (moved from St-Hubert)
Boharm	Relief Field 1 for No. 32 Service Flying Training School Moose Jaw
Brada	Relief Field 2 for No. 35 Service Flying Training School North Battleford
Buttress	Relief Field 1 for No. 32 Service Flying Training School Moose Jaw
Caron	No. 33 Elementary Flying Training School
Dafoe	No. 5 Bombing and Gunnery School
Davidson	No. 23 Elementary Flying Training School (moved to Yorkton)
Estevan	No. 38 Service Flying Training School
Hamlin	Relief Field 1 for No. 35 Service Flying Training School North Battleford
Moose Jaw	No. 32 Service Flying Training School
Mossbank	No. 2 Bombing and Gunnery School
North Battleford	No. 35 Service Flying Training School
Osler	Relief Field 2 for No. 4 Service Flying Training School Saskatoon
Prince Albert	No. 6 Air Observer School
Prince Albert	No. 6 Elementary Flying Training School
Regina	No. 3 Air Observer School (moved to Pearce, Alta.)
Regina	No. 15 Elementary Flying Training School
Regina	No. 4 Training Command Headquarters (moved to Calgary in 1941)
Regina	No. 2 Initial Training School
Rhein	Relief Field 2 for No. 11 Service Flying Training School Yorkton
Saskatoon	No. 4 Service Flying Training School
Saskatoon	No. 7 Initial Training School
St. Aldwyn	Relief Field 1 for No. 39 Service Flying Training School Swift Current
Sturdee	Relief Field 1 for No. 11 Service Flying Training School Yorkton
Swift Current	No. 39 Service Flying Training School
Swift Current	No. 2 Manning Depot (moved from Brandon)
Vanscoy	Relief Field 1 for No. 4 Service Flying Training School Saskatoon
Weyburn	No. 8 Service Flying Training School (moved from Moncton)
Weyburn	No. 41 Service Flying Training School
Wymark	Relief Field 2 for No. 39 Service Flying Training School Swift Current
Yorkton	No. 11 Service Flying Training School
Yorkton	No. 23 Elementary Flying Training School (moved from Davidson)

 To Top of Page

Alberta Training Facilities

Location	Training Facility
Airdrie	Relief Field 1 for No. 3 Service Flying Training School Calgary
Blackfalds	Relief Field 2 for No. 36 Service Flying Training School Penhold
Bowden	No. 32 Elementary Flying Training School
Calgary	No. 3 Service Flying Training School
Calgary	No. 37 Service Flying Training School
Calgary	No. 2 Wireless School
Calgary	No. 4 Training Command Headquarters (moved from Regina in 1941)
Calgary	No. 11 Equipment Depot
Calgary	No. 10 Repair Depot
Claresholm	No. 15 Service Flying Training School
DeWinton	No. 31 Elementary Flying Training School
Edmonton	No. 2 Air Observer School
Edmonton	No. 16 Elementary Flying Training School
Edmonton	No. 3 Manning Depot
Edmonton	No. 4 Initial Training School
Fort MacLeod	No. 7 Service Flying Training School
Granum	Relief field for No. 7 Service Flying Training School at Fort MacLeod and No. 2 Flying Instructor School at Pearce
High River	No. 5 Elementary Training school (moved from Lethbridge)
Innisfail	Relief Field 1 for No. 36 Service Flying Training School Penhold
Inverlake	Relief Field 2 for No. 3 Service Flying Training School Calgary
Lethbridge	No. 8 Bombing and Gunnery School
Lethbridge	No. 5 Elementary Flying Training School (moved to High River)
Medicine Hat	No. 34 Service Flying Training School
Pearce	No. 2 Flying Instructor School (moved from Vulcan)
Pearce	No. 3 Air Observer School (moved from Regina, Sask)
Pearce	No. 36 Elementary Flying Training School
Penhold	No. 36 Service Flying Training School
Vulcan	No. 2 Flying Instructor School (moved to Pearce)
Vulcan	No. 19 Service Flying Training School

 To Top of Page

British Columbia Training Facilities

Location	Training Facility
Abbotsford	No. 5 Operational Training Unit (and at Boundary Bay)
Abbotsford	No. 24 Elementary Flying Training School
Boundary Bay	No. 5 Operational Training Unit (and at Abbotsford)
Boundary Bay	No. 8 Elementary Flying Training School (moved from Vancouver)
Boundary Bay	No. 18 Elementary Flying Training School
Comox	No. 6 (formerly No. 32) Operational Training Unit (formerly No. 32 Operational Training Unit; moved to Greenwood)
Langley	Relief Field 1 for No. 18 Elementary Flying Training School Boundary Bay
Patricia Bay	No. 3 Operational Training Unit
Patricia Bay	No. 32 Operational Training Unit (moved to Comox, B.C., and redesignated No. 6 Operational Training Unit, then moved to Greenwood, N.S.)
Vancouver	No. 8 Elementary Flying Training School (moved to Boundary Bay)

To Top of Page

Summary

Total number of units/schools/fields/etc: 147 units/schools + 49 relief fields – 196 total 
Total number of communities – 146 

Specialist Schools - 3
Flying Instructor's Schools - 3
Service Flying Training Schools - 29
General Reconnaissance Schools - 2
Operational Training Units - 7
Wireless Schools 4
Bombing and Gunnery Schools - 11
Naval Air Gunner's School - 1
Flight Engineers' School - 1
Air Navigation Schools - 6
Air Observer Schools - 10 (civilian operated)
Elementary Flying Training Schools - 30 (civilian operated)
Training Command Headquarters - 4 (ground establishment/support unit)
Manning Depots - 7 (ground establishment/support unit)
Initial Training Schools - 7 (ground establishment/support unit)
Radio Direction Finding (RADAR) Schools - 2 (ground establishment/support unit)
Equipment Depots - 5 (ground establishment/support unit)
Repair Depots - 5 (ground establishment/support unit)

Principle source: F.J. Hatch, Aerodrome of Democracy: Canada and the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan 1939-1945 with additional information from RCAF associate historian Chris Charland.