RCAF Station Centralia 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 ...
training base located just outside the village of
Centralia
Centralia may refer to:
Places Australia
*Central Australia, sometimes called "Centralia"
Canada
* Centralia, Ontario
** RCAF Station Centralia, a former Royal Canadian Air Force training base
** Centralia (Essery Field) Aerodrome
United State ...
near
Exeter,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. It became one of the largest training stations in Canada. It was turned over to civilian use after 1967, and currently operates as the
Centralia/James T. Field Memorial Aerodrome.
![Centralia Monument Site](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Centralia_Monument_Site.JPG)
History
World War II
Flying schools were established across Canada as part of 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 ...
. Centralia was the location for No. 9 Service Flying Training School (SFTS). Service Flying Training Schools provided advanced training to pilots who had graduated from Elementary Flying Training Schools (EFTSs). Trainee pilots flew the
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 ...
and
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 ...
. No. 9 SFTS had moved to Centralia from
RCAF Station Summerside,
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...
, in July 1942.
[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. ][Fydenchuk, W. Peter (2005).''Before The Battle: Life On a RCAF Station During World War II''. WPF Publications.] Relief landing fields for Centralia were located at
Grand Bend
Grand Bend is a community located on the shores of Lake Huron in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Municipality of Lambton Shores in Lambton County.
History
Grand Bend is situated on the traditional territory of the Attawandaron ...
and
St. Joseph.
No. 9 SFTS ceased operation in June 1945 and was replaced by No. 1 Aircrew Conditioning Unit (ACU). ACUs trained service personnel for operations in the war's
Pacific theatre. When No. 1 ACU was closed after the war, the RCAF formed No. 1 Flying Training School (No. 1 FTS) which used Ansons and Harvards. The first and last flying course was in January 1946. The course lasted for three weeks before it was cancelled.
Aerodrome information
In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed as RCAF Aerodrome - Centralia, Ontario at with a variation of 5 degrees west and elevation of . The aerodrome was listed as "Under construction" with three runways as follows:
Postwar
Because of increasing tensions between the
Soviet Bloc and the West, defence expenditures were increased and the Canadian forces were strengthened. Centralia, along with a number of other stations, underwent major rehabilitation to better accommodate aircrew training.
Centralia was reactivated in January 1947 to provide accommodation and training facilities for No. 1 Radar and Communications School (No. 1 R&CS) that was based in nearby
RCAF Station Clinton. No. 1 Instrument Flying School (IFS) was relocated to Centralia from
RCAF Station Trenton
Canadian Forces Base Trenton (also CFB Trenton), formerly RCAF Station Trenton, is a Canadian Forces base located within the city of Quinte West, Ontario. It is operated as an air force base by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and is the hu ...
in the spring of 1947. This school gave students an opportunity to obtain their instrument rating qualifications. The
Expeditor was the aircraft used for this training. In 1956, No. 1 IFS moved to
RCAF Station Saskatoon
RCAF Station Saskatoon was a World War II British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) base operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). It was located North of the City of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
World War II (1940-5)
On 16 Septemb ...
,
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dak ...
.
![Centralia James T Field Memorial Airport](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Centralia_James_T_Field_Memorial_Airport.png)
RCAF Station Centralia became the aerodrome's official designation in September 1947 and No. 1 Flying Training School was reactivated. Students participating in this school flew Harvards. No. 1 FTS was one of Canada's contributions to the training of foreign airmen for a new multinational force. The last FTS course was completed in March 1957 and No. 1 Flying Training School was deactivated and merged with the Advanced Flying School at Saskatoon. The Harvards used for FTS training were transferred to western flying training schools.
In April 1948, the RCAF's School of Flying Control was formed at Centralia. The school trained Flying Control Officers and Aircraft Control Assistants for deployment in control towers and operations rooms in RCAF stations. In May, a flying detachment for the No. 1 Air Radio Officers School based at RCAF Station Clinton was established.
Centralia was actively involved with the
NATO Air Training Plan. The
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
Training & Induction School, originally located at
RCAF Station London, re-located to RCAF Station Centralia in 1954. The school's purpose was to inform personnel about various aspects of working with NATO. In October 1954, the Pre-Flight School was formed at Centralia. This school provided ground instruction to students before they began flight training. In 1956 Centralia began hosting the Primary Flying Training School using the
Chipmunk
Chipmunks are small, striped rodents of the family Sciuridae. Chipmunks are found in North America, with the exception of the Siberian chipmunk which is found primarily in Asia.
Taxonomy and systematics
Chipmunks may be classified either as ...
. Graduate pilots were sent to western Canada for more advanced training on Harvards.
No.2 Personnel Selection Unit (PSU), which was responsible for tri-service officer selection for ROTP and air crew, moved to Centralia from RCAF Station London in 1958.
Closure
In the late 1960s, the Canadian military was reorganized and eventually unified. The reorganization resulted in many military bases being closed, including Centralia, which closed on 31 March 1967. Functions provided by Centralia were moved to various other stations.
Today the airport still operates as
Centralia/James T. Field Memorial Aerodrome. Some of the former RCAF buildings remain.
References
Military Bruce Historical Writings by Bruce ForsythRetrieved December 18, 2014
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Centralia
Royal Canadian Air Force stations
Airports of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
Military airbases in Ontario
Military history of Ontario
Military installations closed in 1967