RCAF Station Aylmer was a

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; french: Aviation royale canadienne, ARC) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environm ...

airfield that was built between late 1940 and June 1941 northeast of

Aylmer, Ontario Aylmer is a town in Elgin County in southern Ontario, Canada, just north of Lake Erie, on Catfish Creek. It is south of Highway 401. Aylmer is surrounded by Malahide Township. History In October 1817, John Van Patter, an immigrant from New ...

.Hatch, F. J. (1983).''The Aerodrome of Democracy: Canada and the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, 1939-1945''. Ottawa: Directorate of History, Department of National Defence. >Military Bruce Historical Writings by Bruce Forsyth
McIntyre, M. (1979).''I'll Never Forget...Canadian Aviation In The Second World War:The Aylmer Story 14 S.F.T.S''. Willowdale:Canadian Aviation Historical Society. It was one of many built across Canada under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. The first school at the airfield was No. 14 Service Flying Training School (SFTS). RCAF staff began arriving at the station before construction was finished. First to arrive was a 17-man security party under Sgt. Les Oliver in late March. Squadron Leader T. Moreton, the first officer, arrived on 2 June 1941 to manage the new station's equipment.

Wing Commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...

Norman Irwin arrived at Aylmer on 18 June 1941 on "Temporary Duty" and was appointed C.O. when the station was activated on 3 July 1941. Opening ceremonies were held on 2 August 1941 with the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario Albert Matthews and the Premier of Ontario

Mitchell Hepburn Mitchell Frederick Hepburn (August 12, 1896 – January 5, 1953) was the 11th premier of Ontario, from 1934 to 1942. He was the youngest premier in Ontario history, appointed at age 37. He was the only Ontario Liberal Party leader in the 20th cent ...

on hand. The new station was open to the public that afternoon and guests were treated to an aerobatic display by the instructors. Relief airfields were R1— Yarmouth Centre, Ontario and R2—

Tillsonburg, Ontario Tillsonburg is a town in Oxford County, Ontario, Oxford County, Ontario, Canada with a population of 18,615 located about 50 kilometres southeast of London, Ontario, London, on Ontario Highway 3, Highway 3 at the junction of Ontario Highway 19, ...

. Pilots used

North American Harvard The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), United States Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and other air forces ...

s and

Avro Anson The Avro Anson is a British twin-engined, multi-role aircraft built by the aircraft manufacturer Avro. Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCA ...

s as their advanced trainers. Some

North American Yale The North American NA-64 (NA-64 P-2 or NAA-64 P-2 in French service, Yale in Canadian service) is a low-wing single piston engine monoplane advanced trainer aircraft that was built for the French Air Force and French Navy, served with the Royal C ...

s arrived on 23 January 1942 and were mainly used for navigation exercises. No. 14 SFTS moved to Kingston in August 1944. Yale 3416 Numbers View

Other schools located at Aylmer include: * Women's Division Service Police School (1942) * No. 1 Flight Engineers' School (1 July 1944 – 31 March 1945).

Aerodrome information

The airfield was constructed in a typical BCATP wartime pattern, with six runways formed in an overlaid triangle. In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed at with a Var. 5 degrees W and elevation of . Six runways were listed as follows:

Relief landing field – Yarmouth Centre

The primary relief landing field (R1) for RCAF Station Aylmer was Yarmouth Centre, located east of St. Thomas. The Relief field was laid out in the standard triangular pattern. In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed as RCAF Aerodrome - St. Thomas, Ontario at with a Var. 5 degrees W and elevation of . Three runways were listed as follows: The Yarmouth Centre airfield now operates as the St. Thomas Municipal Airport.

Relief landing field – Tillsonburg

The secondary Relief Landing Field (R2) for RCAF Station Aylmer was located north-west of the community of Tillsonburg. In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed at as a "Turf - All-way field - Under Construction" no elevation, variation, or runway specifications were listed.

Postwar

RCAF Aylmer continued operations after the war's end and was home to a variety of training facilities: * Technical and Engineering School (later redesignated No. 1 Technical Training School or TTS) (April 1945 – May 1955) * Academic Training School (ATS) (May 1949 – October 1950) * No. 2 Composite Training School (No. 2 KTS) * No. 11 Examination Unit (September 1951 – November 1952) * Aeronautical Engineering School (June 1952 – November 1953) * GCA (Ground Control Approach) School (1953 – 1957) * Fire-Fighting School (1951 – 1961) * Support Services School (1960) No. 2 Manning Depot and No. 1 Personnel Selection Unit (PSU) were located at Aylmer from 1949 – 1950. The station closed in 1961 and the

Ontario Police College The Ontario Police College (OPC) is a police academy located in Malahide Township, just east of Aylmer, in Elgin County in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. History The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) proposed the idea of a central ...

eventually took over the facilities. All that remains from the RCAF days are 2 hangars, the deteriorating airfield and the taxi area, which is now used as part of the police vehicle driver training track. Outline of one of the former runways exists in what is now Alymer Wildlife Area. A memorial to the former RCAF station sits at the entrance to the Ontario Police College property.

Remembrance

Twelve flying instructors and 26 students lost their lives training at No. 14 SFTS.

RCAF Aylmer scenes

File:RCAF Aylmer Historical Plaque.JPG, Historical plaque File:RCAF Aylmer Memorial.JPG, Memorial wind tee File:RCAF Aylmer OPC And Memorial.JPG, Ontario Police College sign File:RCAF Aylmer Entrance.JPG, Entrance roadway

References

External links

"Harvards Above" by Gananoque Historical Society
Retrieved: 2016-11-21 {{DEFAULTSORT:Aylmer

Aylmer Aylmer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Edward Aylmer, Welsh MP * Edward Aylmer (cricketer), first-class cricketer and Royal Navy officer * Felix Aylmer, English stage actor * Sir Fenton Aylmer, 13th Baronet, British Arm ...

Canadian Forces bases in Canada (closed)

Military airbases established in 1941 Military installations closed in 1961 Military history of Ontario Military airbases in Ontario 1941 establishments in Ontario 1961 disestablishments in Ontario