Canadian Forces Base Clinton, CFB Clinton for short, was a

Canadian Forces Base A Canadian Forces base or CFB (french: links=no, base des Forces canadiennes, BFC) is a military installation of the Canadian Armed Forces. For a facility to qualify as a Canadian Forces base, it must station one or more major units (e.g., army r ...

located near

Clinton Clinton is an English toponymic surname, indicating one's ancestors came from English places called Glympton or Glinton.Hanks, P. & Hodges, F. ''A Dictionary of Surnames''. Oxford University Press, 1988 Clinton has frequently been used as a given ...

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 Ca ...

. It initially opened in July 1941 as RAF Station Clinton under the

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 ...

as a training unit for

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

operators during a period when radar was a

top secret Classified information is material that a government body deems to be sensitive information that must be protected. Access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of people with the necessary security clearance and need to know, ...

device. UK, Canadian, US and other servicemen were trained at Clinton, with practical flights being carried out at nearby

RCAF Station Centralia RCAF Station Centralia was a Royal Canadian Air Force training base located just outside the village of Centralia near Exeter, Ontario, Canada. It became one of the largest training stations in Canada. It was turned over to civilian use after 1967 ...

. Clinton remained the primary radar training site for Canadian Forces personnel through the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

era, with continued expansions throughout the 1950s and 60s. As part of a centralization effort, CFB Clinton was closed in 1971, with the site abandoned by 1972. A number of buildings remain on the site, including a large "golf ball" radome.

History

RAF radar training school

The station was established in July 1941 by the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

(RAF) as RAF Station Clinton under the

Radar training school

From its start, the station hosted the No. 31 Range and Direction Finding (RDF) School (RDF was the British cover name for

). In July 1943, No. 31 RDF was decommissioned and No. 5 Radio School was created in its place by the

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 ...

(RCAF), with the station becoming RCAF Station Clinton. In June 1944 the BCATP began to scale back and No. 5 Radio School was transferred to the RCAF's Home War Operations Training command.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. Unlike many RCAF stations across Canada, RCAF Station Clinton was not mothballed at the end of the

Second World War 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 ...

and in November 1945 became home to the No. 1 Radar and Communications School (No. 1 R&CS), which it co-hosted with nearby

. During the

, RCAF Station Clinton hosted other units, including No. 12 Examination Unit, No. 1 Air Radio Officer School, School of Food Services, and the Aerospace Engineering (AERE) Officer School. The February 1, 1968 merger of the RCAF with the

Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack s ...

and

Canadian Army The Canadian Army (french: Armée canadienne) is the command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also respo ...

to form the

Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Air Force. ...

saw RCAF Station Clinton change its name to Canadian Forces Base Clinton or CFB Clinton. The merger saw the Canadian Forces rationalize and consolidate many of its facilities to avoid duplication and CFB Clinton was closed by 1971 with its remaining units distributed to other facilities. Following the closure of the base, the buildings were sold to real estate developer John Van Gastel and now make up the small village of

Vanastra, Ontario Vanastra is a dispersed rural community and unincorporated place in the municipality of Huron East, Huron County in southwestern Ontario, Canada, southeast of the community of Clinton. It is located on the former property of a top secret Royal ...

. Some of the original radar equipment has been relocated to the Secrets of Radar Museum in London, Ontario. The museum is located at this time at the 427 Wing, 2155B Crumlin Road North, London. The importance of the work done at RAF Clinton was that not only the radar was created and improved upon, but the common microwave stems directly from that research.

Murder of Lynne Harper

On June 9, 1959, 12-year-old Lynne Harper, who lived in the married quarters on the base disappeared after accepting a ride on the bicycle of 14-year-old classmate

Steven Truscott Steven Murray Truscott (born January 18, 1945) is a Canadians, Canadian man who was wrongly convicted and sentenced to death in 1959 for the rape and murder of classmate Lynne Harper. Truscott had been the last known person to see her alive. He w ...

. After a search which included hundreds of members of the RCAF from the station, her body was discovered a short distance from the station. Truscott was arrested, denied many of the civilized considerations not yet enshrined in law as 'rights' (such as full disclosure of the evidence against him) and convicted of Capital Murder. He was not convicted of rape yet this was always presented as a motive. His sentence was to be death by hanging but this was commuted to life in prison. This death sentence is often credited for bringing an end to the death penalty in Canada. In addition Truscott never exhibited any pathological behaviors that would be used by criminal profilers to include him in a pool of suspects. He was eventually exonerated when his conviction was overturned after 45 years."Court Of Appeal Finally Clears Steven Truscott". ''City News''. August 2007; http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_14138.aspx .

References

Bruce Forsyth's Canadian Military History Page
* Maccaulay, Horace R. The Military Base at Clinton, Ontario. Ottawa: Horace R. Maccaulay, 2005. Print. * Whilsmith, Gwyneth J., ed. Tuckersmith Memories 1935–1985. Exeter, Ontario: Corporation of the Township of Tuckersmith, 1985. 274–79. Print. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cfb Clinton

Buildings and structures in Huron County, Ontario