RCAF Station Claresholm was a

British Commonwealth Air Training Plan The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), or Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS) often referred to as simply "The Plan", was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zea ...

station that trained pilots for

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 opposin ...

service. The station was located near

Claresholm Claresholm is a town located within southern Alberta, Canada. It is located on Highway 2, approximately northwest of the City of Lethbridge and south of the City of Calgary. One of the Famous Five involved in the Persons Case, Louise McKinne ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

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History

World War II

No. 15 Service Flying Training School (SFTS) opened on 9 June 1941, and closed on 30 March 1945. The school used

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and

Cessna Crane The Cessna AT-17 Bobcat or Cessna Crane is a twin-engine advanced trainer aircraft designed and made in the United States, and used during World War II to bridge the gap between single-engine trainers and larger multi-engine combat aircraft. The ...

aircraft, and its relief airfields were RCAF Woodhouse, a few kilometers east at , and RCAF Pulteney, a few kilometers north. No. 2 Flying Instructor School (FIS) was established as a sub unit of No. 15 SFTS on 27 April 1942 but relocated in September 1942 to

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. Student pilots at No.2 FIS flew Tiger Moths and Cessna Cranes.

Aerodrome information

In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed at with a variation of 23 degrees east and elevation of . Six runways were listed as follows:

Relief landing field – Woodhouse

The primary Relief Landing Field (R1) for RCAF Station Claresholm was located southeast of the community of Claresholm. In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed at with a variation of 23 degrees east and elevation of . Three runways were listed as follows: A more accurate set of coordinates can be found at "Map: Cranbrook-Lethbridge, Air Navigation Edition." ''Hydrographic and Map Service: Canada Department of Mines and Resources, Surveys and Engineering Branch'', July 1941. at this location the outline of the three runways is still visible on Google Earth. The site is presently used for agricultural purposes.

Postwar

Claresholm was placed on care and maintenance status until reactivated in 1951 as a

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 centre run by No. 3 Flying Training School (flying Harvards). The station closed again in 1958 when the school was relocated to Gimli,

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

. It is now the

Claresholm Industrial Airport Claresholm Industrial Airport (formerly known as RCAF Station Claresholm) is located south southwest of Claresholm, Alberta, Canada. The airport opened in 1941 as RCAF Station Claresholm as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan a ...

. , hangars 2 to 4 are derelict and deteriorating.

References

External links

Bomber Command Museum of CanadaClaresholm Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Claresholm Canadian Forces bases in Canada (closed)

Military airbases in Alberta Defunct airports in Alberta Military history of Alberta 1941 establishments in Alberta