RCAF Station Carberry
General Information
Base / Station: Carberry
Province: Manitoba
Dates of Operation: 1940 – 1944
Location:
Units:
- No. 33 Service Flying Training School
- Primary Relief Landing Field (R1) Petrel
- Secondary Relief Landing Field (R2) Oberon
Structures:
Commanding Officers:
- Group Captain C.H. Brill
- as at June – Aug 1942
- Group Captain T.B. Bruce, M.C. –
- ? 1943 – ? Nov 43
- as at Mar and Apr 1943
- Group Captain J.S.T. Fall
- ? Nov 43 – ?
Unit Duties / Information:
December 26, 1940 No. 33 Service Flying Training School was opened to give pilots advanced flying training. This school, as with all others across Canada prefixed by a ‘3’, was an RAF school that had been sent over from Britain due to the danger involved in training there.
In the beginning, these RAF schools functioned separately from the BCATP but, in June 1942, modifications were made to the agreement and they incorporated into the BCATP system and, consequently, RCAF administration.

Image from the
RCAF Pilots Manual of Aerodromes and Seaplane Bases
c.1942
Aircraft Flown: Anson
Financial Impact:
Station Magazine/Newspaper: Gen!
Date / Reason for closure:
- November 17, 1944 No. 33 SFTS closed with the acceleration of the BCATP phase-out. In response to the changing tide of the war overseas and the forecasted end to it shortly, many air training centres were closed and the personnel discharged.
- Disbandment Order:
Site details:
Aerodrome:
Runways:
Railway Spur:
Married Quarters: None
Site Evolution:
- The Publication On Track…the Pilot’s Air Travel Guide (First Annual Edition – 1978) lists the Aerodrome as “Carberry – Lat:49 51N – Long:99 20W – GMT-6(5) – 62SE, E-17 – Abandoned”
Current Status: abandoned airfield, all runways still exist but overgrown, one hangar still exists as part of MacCain indust. Plant
Site Plan – 1944

Source – 1 Canadian Air Division, RCAF
Please click on image to download a PDF copy.
Site Plan – 1952

Source – 1 Canadian Air Division, RCAF
Please click on image to download a PDF copy.
Location – Google Map
Daily Diary – Transcription Links – No. 33 Service Flying Training School
The Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum, Brandon, Manitoba has created a transcription of this Daily Diary.
Their web site is AirMuseum.ca
Fatalities
This list was compiled from the entries in the Daily diaries of No. 33 Service Flying Training School and the list of fatalities in Canada compiled by the Bomber Command Museum of Canada in Nanton, Alberta. The list likely does not include all fatalities of personnel who died while stationed at RCAF Station Carberry, and likely includes some errors. Currently we have 27 fatalities listed for Carberry.
4 April 1941
12 April 1941
19 April 1941
27 April 1941
29 June 1941
20 July 1941
16 August 1941
19 August 1941
19 February 1942
1 March 1942
19 October 1942
- Leading Aircraftman Paul Ernest Sayer
- Leading Aircraftman Dennis Malcolm Watson
- Leading Aircraftman John Arthur Woods
25 August 1943
3 December 1943
- Flying Officer John Francis Lee
- Leading Aircraftman Alastair Farquhar Blue
- Leading Aircraftman John Harold Bolsworth
- Leading Aircraftman Timothy Gurney Whiteland
17 February 1944
20 May 1944
29 May 1944
16 August 1944
13 September 1944
Aircraft List
Anson
AX496
FP988
JS197
6391
8446
8457
8468
8637
8745
9607
9670
Harvard
2717
2790
2924
2926
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.
- Flying Officer Philip Arthur Clough (RAF-42394)
- Charged for Fraud
- Trial – 8 February 1943
- File is 86 pages in length.
- Member was found guilty and sentenced to dismissal from his majesties forces. However there were procedural issues with the trail and it was recommended that the member tender his resignation.
- Pilot Officer Edwin William Crisp (RAF-135646)
- Tried by Summary Trail – 20 November 1943
- File is 24 pages
- Flight Lieutenant Douglas John Drake, DFC, DFM (RAF-47872)
- Charged for flying offences
- Trial – 31 October 1944
- File is 105 pages in length.
- Member was found guilty and sentenced to a reprimand and forfeiture of seniority.
- Flying Officer John Edwin Foster (RAF-127334)
- Trial Date – 11 April 1944
- File is 121 pages.
- Warrant Officer George Leslie Merrison (RAF-509551)
- Charged with offences related to Assault and Conduct to the prejudice of the Good Order and Discipline
- Trial Date -21 January 1944
- This file is 229 pages
- Found guilty of charge 2, sentenced to a reprimand.
- Flying Officer Clive Westgarth Simpson (RAF-153329)
- Trial Date – 9 August 1944
- File is 126 pages
- Leading Aircraftman Dennis Gordon Smith (RAAF-21058)
- Charged for flying offences
- Trial Date – 16 October 1944
- File is 91pages in length.
- Guilty of Charge 1, sentenced to 40 days detention.
- Flying Officer Hamilton Alan Trow (RAF-152038)
- Trial Date – 29 August 1944
- File is 190 pages
- Flying Officer John Tyrer (RAF-134538)
- Trial Date – 11 April 1944
- File is 133 pages
Course List
No 33 Service Flying Training School
For More information – External Links
- Wikipedia
- MilitaryBruce.com – Canadian Military History by Bruce Forsyth
- Manitoba Historical Society