RCAF Station Vulcan
General Information
Base / Station: Vulcan
Province: Alberta
Dates of Operation or Period of Information: 1942-45
Units:
- No 2 Flying Instructors School
- Formed as a sub-unit of No 15 Service Flying Training School at Claresholm, Alberta on 27 April 1942
- Formed as an Independent Unit at Vulcan, Alberta on 3 August 1942.
- Moved to Pearce, Alberta on 3 May 1943
- became inactive on 29 December 1944
- disbanded on 20 January 1945
- Aircraft Flown:
- Various
- No.19 Service Flying Training School
- Aircraft flown:
- Anson
- Aircraft flown:
- Primary Relief Landing Field – Ensign (R1)
- Secondary Relief Landing Field – Champion (R2)
Commanding Officers:
- W/C B.C. Andrew, AFC (as at 20 September 1944)
Site details:
Aerodrome:
Runways:
Railway Spur: Was provided by the Canadian Pacific Railway, agreement was cancelled in 1947 and track removed after that. The spur line right of way was declared surplus in 1950.
Financial Impact:
Date / Reason for Closure: 14 April 1945, reduced need for aircrew
Current Status: civilian airfield, all three runways are there at vulcan as well as 6 of the 7 hangars and part of the firehall and the gun butt
Image from the
RCAF Pilots Manual of Aerodromes and Seaplane Bases
circa 1942.
Site Plan – 1950
Source – 1 Canadian Air Division, RCAF
Please click on image to download a PDF copy.
Training Area Map – No 19 Service Flying Training School
Location – Google Map
Photo Gallery
Thank you to Mike Anglin for sharing this photo with me (National Defence Image)
Station Magazine
“$2 for a Name”
Station Magazine
“Vulture Kulture”
Station Magazine
“Vulcan Annual”
Station Magazine
“Wings Over Vulcan”
Daily Diary – Links – No. 2 Flying Instructor School
For the Daily Diary of No 2 Flying Instructor School Prior to 3 August 1942, please refer to the Daily Diary of No 15 Service Flying Training School, Claresholm, Alberta
Effective __ May 1943, No 3 Flying Instructor School Moved to Pearce, Alberta. Please refer to Pearce for further Daily Diary Index.
Daily Diary – Links – No. 19 Service Flying Training School
Fatalities
This list was compiled from the entries in the Daily diaries of No. 2 Flying Instructor School and No 19 Service Training Flying School; and other sources. The list may not include all fatalities of personnel who died while stationed at RCAF Station Vulcan. With input from various sources, so far there were 15 deaths of service personnel that were stationed at Vulcan.
21 September 1942
14 October 1942
9 December 1942
6 January 1943
13 February 1943
6 June 1943
1 October 1943
23 February 1944
30 January 1945
Aircraft List
Course List
No 19 Service Flying Training School
Course List
No 2 Flying Instructors School
For More information – External Links
- Wikipedia
- MilitaryBruce.com – Canadian Military History by Bruce Forsyth
- Bomber Command Museum of Canada
- Facility Disposal File:
Other Sources:
Hi, my name is Kyle Joseph.
I am seeking information on my great-grandfather, John Herbert Victor Matthews, a flying officer/Flight Lieutenant posted to the No. 2 Flying Instructor School at Vulcan/Pearce from 1942 to 1945. I am unsure if you have any tips on where to start searching for him in the collection of diaries and information, but if you could help me in any way, that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you so much for all you have done to compile this information. It touches the hearts of my family and, I suspect, other families across the country to be able to find lost information on their loved ones.
Thank you for your time,
-Kyle