RCAF Station Gimli
General Information
Base / Station: Gimli
Province: Manitoba
Period of Information:
- 1943 – 1945
- 1946 – 1971
Units:
- No. 18 Service Flying Training School
- formed – 6 September 1943 and was responsible for advanced pilot training before they were sent on to their respective operational training unit (OTU) for further training. The school was created via Formation Order 24 June 1943.
- The original opening date was supposed to be 9 August 1943 but was amended to be 6 September on 14 July 1943.
- The school in Gimli was disbanded on 31 May 1945, by air force order issued on 7 June 1945 (not sure how the school was retroactively disbanded). The school was then re-formed in Souris, Manitoba the next day. The reformation order was also issued apparently retroactively on the 7th of June 1945.
- The school was then finally disbanded in Souris on 5 September 1945, the disbandment order was issued on the 23rd of August 1945.
- No. 1 Winter Experimental and Training Flight
- No. 1 Pilot Conversion School
- No. 10 Repair Depot
- No 2 Loran Unit
- Formed November 1946
- No. 2 Flying Training School
- Had been disbanded at Yorkton, Saskatchewan – 6 December 1945.
- Reformed at Gimli, 1 December 1950
- This school provided new pilots with their elementary flying training much the same as had done the Elementary Flying Training Schools during the second world war. The school trained some personnel through an agreement reached by countries involved in NATO.
- 14-16 June 1953 – moved to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.
- No. 2 Advanced Flying School
- moved from Portage la Prairie – September 1964
- Central Flying School
- No. 3 Advanced Flying School
- formed at Gimli 15 August 1953
- provided jet training.
- redesignated No. 1 Flying Training School – 31 August 1964
- No. 1 Flying Training School
- No. 1 FTS was redesignated No. 1 Canadian Forces Flying Training School 23 July 1970.
- No. 1 Canadian Forces Flying Training School
- Primary Relief Landing Field – Netley Lake (R1)
Image from the RCAF Pilots Manual of Aerodromes and Seaplane Bases c.1942
Dependant School:
- Goulding School No. 2337 (1951-1971)
Unit Duties / Information:
In March, 1944 No. 1 Winter Experimental and Training Flight was moved to Gimli from Kapuskasing, ON. The purpose of this unit was to find the cold weather limits of aircraft operability, mainly cold starting and the effects of cold weather on controls. In an effort to increase speed and control expenditures, when a problem was found, the unit was to make modifications to the systems but only to the extent necessary for acceptable results.
No. 1 Pilot Conversion School was opened in June, 1945 to train pilots to fly heavy bombers in the Pacific Theatre. Unlike the majority of flying schools – this school was not opened as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, the agreement having expired two months prior.
In March, 1946 No. 10 Repair Depot was created to act as third line maintenance for RCAF equipment. This is to say that equipment which could not be repaired using individual base facilities were sent to No. 10 to be repaired.
Gimli was used as a summer flying base for auxiliary squadrons following the war and was occupied by a small maintenance staff throughout the remainder of the year.
1959 – the Smokers, an aerobatic team, was formed with its home base being Gimli.
Aircraft Flown:
- No. 18 SFTS – Anson
- No. 1 WETF – Lancaster, Hudson, Ventura, Spitfire VIII, Mosquito 25, Fairey Battle I
- No. 1 PCS –
- No. 2 FTS –
- No. 2 AFS –
- CFS –
- No. 3 FTS /
- No. 1 FTS /
- No. 1 CFFTS –
Financial Impact: 4.5 MILLION LATE 60’S, $8,000,000 loss to community upon closing, offset by $1,400,000 federal and provincial government grant
Commanding Officers
| Period | Commanding Officer |
| 1943-1944 | Group Captain Acheson Gosford Goulding (1893-1951) |
| 1945 | Wing Commander E. A. Weaver |
| 1945-1947 | ? |
| 1947 | Squadron Leader R. D. Walker |
| 1947-? | ? |
| ?-1950 | Wing Commander P. S. Delaney |
| 1950-1951 | Wing Commander Harry E. Bishop |
| 1951 | Wing Commander Maurice Lipton |
| 1951 | Group Captain D. B. Richer |
| 1954-1956 | ? |
| 1956 | Wing Commander N. Burden (Acting) |
| 1956-1958 | Group Captain C.G. Ruttan DSO, CD |
| 1958-1962 | Group Captain H.R. Studer AFC, CD |
| 1962-1964(5)? | Group Captain G. Sutherland CD |
| 1965-1966 | Group Captain J.A. Arnott CD |
| 1966-1969 | Colonel M.J. Dooher CD |
| 1968(9)?-1971 | Colonel James F. Dunlop DFC, CD |
| 1971 | Captain B. Jackson |
Date / Reason for closure:
- No. 1 Pilot Conversion School closed in August 1945 when the war with Japan ended.
- No. 1 WEFT was moved to Edmonton in September 1945 due to some frustrations experienced with mild weather at the Gimli location.
- FATE OF NO. 10 REPAIR DEPOT??
- Approval was given to move the Central Flying School to Winnipeg June 30, 1964. WHEN WAS IT OPENED IN THE FIRST PLACE??
- August 31, 1971 the base at Gimli was closed. No. 1 CFFTS was moved to Cold Lake to continue its operations.
Current Status:
- inner runway/taxiways used for civil airfield,
- outer runway used for drag racing, some base buildings still exist
Site Plan – 1952
Source – 1 Canadian Air Division, RCAF
Click image to download a PDF Copy
Site Plan – 1953
(October 1953) (Source 1 Canadian Air Division)
Click image to download a PDF Copy
Location – Google Map
Station Magazine
“Gimli Star”
Station Magazine
“Framfari”
Welcome Guide
April 1970
Operational Record Book – Links – No. 18 Service Flying Training School
Historical Report – Links – RCAF Station Gimli
1950
RCAF Reserve Squadron Summer Camp Gimli (1950)
1951
Station Organization Chart – 2 May 1951
Station Standing Orders – 1 May 1951
1 June 1951 – 30 November 1951
1952
1 June 1952 – 30 November 1952
1953
1 June 1953 – 30 November 1953
1954
Historical Report – Links – No 2 Flying Training School
1952
1 June 1952 – 30 November 1952
No further Historical record in this file.
School relocated to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan effective 15 June 1953.
Daily Diary Index – No 2 Loran Unit
1946
Fatalities
This list was compiled from the entries in the Daily diaries of No. 18 Service Flying Training School as well as other sources. The list does not include all fatalities of personnel who died while stationed at RCAF Station Gimli. From my reading there were 63 deaths of service personnel that were stationed at Gimli.
1 June 1944
15 July 1944
13 October 1944
27 October 1944
3 December 1944
24 December 1944
24 December 1944
9 October 1945
15 August 1949
11 December 1949
26 April 1951
25 May 1951
10 January 1952
1 February 1952
1 August 1952
27 February 1954
26 April 1954
27 April 1954
30 June 1954
17 July 1954
21 October 1954
29 January 1955
1955-04-07
- Flying Officer Kenneth Gordon Foster **
- an un-named NATO flying training student **
25 July 1955
22 August 1955
24 November 1955
22 February 1956
26 March 1956
3 April 1956
9 April 1956
29 May 1956
27 August 1956
27 November 1956
29 April 1957
8 June 1957
2 September 1957
24 May 1958
1 March 1959
9 March 1959
1 September 1959
28 December 1959
21 March 1960
30 April 1960
25 May 1962
20 June 1962
21 August 1963
13 May 1964
16 August 1964
4 November 1964
25 September 1965
13 March 1969
* though no longer posted to Gimli at the time of her death, her illness presented while posted to Gimli and she did not recover prior to her death.
** though not posted to Gimli at the time of death these incident occurred at RCAF Station Gimli
Aircraft List
Anson
8363
Course List
No 18 Service Flying Training School
For More information – External Links
- Wikipedia
- MilitaryBruce.com – Canadian Military History by Bruce Forsyth
- Manitoba Historical Society
Thank you for this very informative site. However, is it possible to complete the Historical Report-Links-RCAF Stn Gimli for the years 1965-71 as I am interested in reading this particular period as my father retired from there in 1965. They flew a special formation on his initials JH at his retirement parade. He was the CFI S/LO John Howarth serial # 19745
Mary, thank you for the comment and the compliment. Unfortunately, so far I have not found the last 5 years of historical reports so far. I believe that the Canadiana site only hosts until 65 but let me see what I can come up with. Thanks again for reaching out… Keep an eye on the page.
Nathan
Hi Mary. Do you have a sister Elenore? I knew here in Gimli in the early 60’s when she was married to Wayne W. Elroy,
Hi,
I am currently preparing a career legacy piece regarding the work of Dr. S.R.M. Sinclair.
Dr. Sinclair earned his Wings in 1962, completing his Pilot and Officer Training at the RCAF Gimli Station.
Any information you may have available concerning Dr. Sinclair’s time with the RCAF and Gimli would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Susannah Sinclair
In the mid-1980s the private company, Vega Helicopters, submitted a proposal to train some 400 Saudi Arabian military personnel how to fly helicopters and had they won the bid Gimli was to be rehabilitated for their use. I wonder if you’ve seen any mention/discussion of this?