The Aircraft Detection Corps Newfoundland was created by the

Commission of Government The Commission of Government was a non-elected body that governed the Dominion of Newfoundland from 1934 to 1949. Established following the collapse of Newfoundland's economy during the Great Depression, it was dissolved when the dominion became ...

of the

Dominion of Newfoundland Newfoundland was a British dominion in eastern North America, today the modern Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It was established on 26 September 1907, and confirmed by the Balfour Declaration of 1926 and the Statute of Westmi ...

. Aircraft Detection Corps Newfoundland was an all-volunteer civilian unit meant to observe for suspicious planes and ships. Some participants have qualified for the Defence Medal. The Commissioner of Defence for Newfoundland was L. E. Emerson. In 1942 he amalgamated the Newfoundland Aircraft Detection Corps with the Canadian

Aircraft Identity Corps The Aircraft Identity Corps was a Canadian civil defence organisation operating between 1940 and 1945. The corps's mission was to report suspicious aircraft and guard against German, Japanese, and Italian attack. The use of observers was deemed im ...

. In the spring of 1942, the Aircraft Detection Corps volunteers received manila envelopes with a letter from L. E. Emerson, Commissioner of Defence for Newfoundland stating that "Aircraft Identity Corps Newfoundland" would be reorganized as an instrument of 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 ...

. In the same package was a letter from

Flight Lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...

H. H. Graham, who was the commanding officer of Torbay Airport (No. 1 Group R.C.A.F. St. John's). The envelope had glossaries of airplanes and ships; an

identity card and instructions. At war's end, the volunteers also received a brass Volunteer Aircraft Observers button for his lapel pin and certificate of thanks from

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 ...

Department of National Defence Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017 Ground-based air defence observation corps Royal Canadian Air Force Military units and formations established in 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1943

See also

References