RCAF Station Penhold
General Information
Base / Station: Penhold
- RCAF Station Penhold 1940-Oct 44
- RCAF Station Penhold 12 May 52-May 65
- CFB Penhold May 65-Aug(?) 95
Province: Alberta
Dates of Operation or Period of Information: 1941-44, 1952-1995
Units:
- No 2a “M” Depot (Temporary)
- Manning Depot, Basic Military Training for Air Force Personnel.
- Formed – 28 April 1941
- No 36 Service Flying Training School
- Formed – 20 August 1941
- Disbanded – 3 November 1944
- multi-engine school
- Aircraft Flown:
- Oxford
- No 4 FTS
- Formed – 25 May 1952
- Disbanded – 19 May 1965
- advanced flight school
- Aircraft Flown:
- Harvard
- 743 Comm Sqn
- Formed – March 1964
- 43 Radar Sqn
- Pinetree site, was not co-located. click on link for more information
- Regional Emergency Government Headquarters for Alberta
- Primary Relief Landing Field – Innisfail (R1)
- Secondary Relief Landing Field – Blackfalds (R2)
Commanding Officers:
- Group Captain M.P. Martyn
Financial Impact:
Date / Reason for Closure:
Site Evolution
- The Publication On Track…the Pilot’s Air Travel Guide (First Annual Edition – 1978) lists the Aerodrome as “Red Deer Indust” – See photos on this page.
Current Status: forms nucleus for larger industrial airfield, most original runways/taxiways/ramp and base buildings still exist
Image from the
RCAF Pilots Manual of Aerodromes and Seaplane Bases
circa 1942.
Site Plan – 1952
Source – 1 Canadian Air Division, RCAF
Please click on the image if you would like to download a PDF copy of this site plan.
On Track – 1978
Location – Google Map
Photo Gallery
Regional Emergency Government Headquarters
The Regional Government Headquarters for Alberta was located near the Penhold Base. The cold war fallout bunker was decommissioned in the 1994 and was eventually demolished in 2001. (see image below for the likely location of the former bunker.)
Station Magazine
“Penhold Log”
Daily Diary – Links – No. 2a “M” Depot (Temporary)
1941
Though in existence until 23 August 1941 I have not found the Daily Diary of the school for the month of August 1941. Effective 23 August 1941 The school was disbanded and all personnel were merged into No 3 “M” Depot, Edmonton, Alberta.
Daily Diary – Links – No. 36 Service Flying Training School
1942
Fatalities
This list was compiled from the entries in the Daily diaries of No. 36 Service Flying Training School and other sources. The list likely does not include all fatalities of personnel who died while stationed at RCAF Station Penhold, and likely includes some errors. Currently this list contains 25 personnel.
26 December 1941
6 January 1942
29 January 1942
30 January 1942
10 March 1942
27 July 1942
29 October 1942
9 April 1943
13 June 1943
14 July 1943
16 September 1943
2 January 1944
26 January 1944
17 March 1944
24 April 1944
5 May 1944
4 June 1954
2 December 1954
28 July 1955
Aircraft List
Courts Martial
The following personnel were recommended for courts martial and a file was created on the Charged Offence, not all Offences were tried. This list is not complete but I will be working my way through the reels in the upcoming months.
- Warrant Officer Sidney Graham Green (RAF- 58718)
- Trial Date – 9 January 1942
- File is 72 pages.
- Flying Officer Leonard Charles Greening (RAF-152033)
- Charges Dismissed
- File is 31 pages.
- Pilot Officer Peter Jensen (RAF-173143)
- Trial Date – 26 May 1944
- File is 111 pages.
- Leading Aircraftman Ian Patrick Mayhew (RAF-1572223 (Continued)
- Trial Date – 21 October 1944
- File is 83 pages.
- Corporal Edward Baden Smith (RAF-574840
- Trial Date – 9 June 1944
- File is 44 pages.
- Flying Officer Edward Storer (RAF-152590)
- Charges Dismissed
- File is 26 pages.
- Pilot Officer William Wilson (RAF-164421)
- Trial Date – 19 September 1944
- File is 119 pages.
Course List
No 36 Service Flying Training School
For More information – External Links
- Wikipedia
- MilitaryBruce.com – Canadian Military History by Bruce Forsyth
- Bomber Command Museum of Canada
http://civildefencemuseum.ca/penhold-ab
http://civildefencemuseum.ca/cfb-penhold-archives
Thank you for your links… I feel the links would be more appropriately attached to the page on the Penhold Radar site. Which so far is woefully incomplete. I will add them to the links list on the page… https://rcaf.info/rcaf-stations/alberta-rcaf-stations/rcaf-station-penhold-radar/
Looking for more info on ground equipment during the 50ties to 70 era. Articulary 3/4ton dodge amb.
I have thought about adding pages detailing different support equipment used by the RCAF over the last century. I am not sure if and when I will branch into that area of documentation. Are there specific questions you have?
My parents were married at the Chapel on CFB Penhold in March 1959. Any idea where that might have been? I’d like to visit it if it still exists.
I am looking for information on a possible marriage in 1978 at the RC Church on base, CFB Penhold.
My Dad was Capt. Joly and we lived at 214 Pine St. for about 5 years.
The marriage was between David Roland Joly and Miss Jessica Harper. Ay info. would be greatly appreciated.
David, I have nothing on this, is there something specific that you are looking for? Maybe other site users will have what you are looking for.
Nathan
My name is David Denis and my family lived at 229 Pine Street until summer 1977. I think I hung around with your younger brother. Was your dad not the base commander?
I studied and wrote a piece on the fatal accident of Oxford X6734 where F/O Merry (135135) and pupil LAC Conway (NZ435950) perished.My primary subject for research, Cyril Devaux, participated in the search for the missing aircraft as part of his traing while attending course 106.
https://thelogbookproject.com/crash-of-oxford-x6734/
Also interviewed close relatives to F/O Merry as it turns out the Merry and Devaux families are today joined through marriage – how things work out 🙂