RCAF Station Winnipeg
Ellice Avenue Station
General Information
I am having an issue naming this facility. It was the original home of No 5 Air Observer School, the second home of No 5 Air Observer School seems to be to home of record in most sources. It was also a separate facility to No 8 Repair Depot that was housed only a block or 2 north of this station. Feel free to comment below if this name is problematic.
Base / Station:
- Winnipeg
Province:
Dates of Operation:
- 1939- Unknown but somewhere about the end of the second world war.
Units:
- No. 5 Air Observers School
- Opened January 6, 1941 under the supervision of Yukon Southern Airlines. In January 1942 this company merged with 6 other companies to form CP Airlines which then assumed responsibility for the training of the personnel in this unit.
- The School Remained at this location unit their new facility opened in late October/ early November 1943 at which time it was moved.
- Air Observer Schools were responsible for giving navigators/bomb aimers their initial training before they were sent to the Navigation Schools for advanced training.
- Aircraft Flown:
- Anson
- Course List
- No 14 Elementary Flying Training School
- October 28 – December 5, 1940
- the school was initially located at Winnipeg pending the completion of the facilities at Portage la Prairie.
- Aircraft Flown:
- Finch and
- Tiger Moth
- No 3 Wireless School – Flying Squadron
- For more information on No 3 Wireless School please see link.
- The Flying Squadron was originally co-located with No 8 Repair Depot.
- The Flying Squadron was relocated to this facility on 8 November 1943 following the relocation of No 5 Air Observer School to their new facility.
- Aircraft Flown:
- Finch,
- Fort,
- Norseman,
- Stinson 105,
- Tiger Moth, and
- Yale
- No 8 Release Center
Image from the RCAF Pilots Manual of Aerodromes and Seaplane Bases circa 1942.
Date / Reason for closure:
No. 112 Squadron was assigned to the Canadian Active Service Force for overseas duty with the 1st Division. It was transferred to Rockcliffe September 10, 1939 to train on the Lysander aircraft before being sent overseas.
No. 14 EFTS was transferred to Portage la Prairie upon completion of the base December 5, 1940.
No. 5 Air Observer School (April 30, 1945) was disbanded due to the decrease in the level of fighting and subsequent lack of need for aircrew. Also factoring in this decision was the non-renewal of the BCATP agreement.
Financial Impact:
Commanding Officers:
- G/C Randall
- G/C Ingalls DSO, DFC, CD,
Date / Reason for closure:
Current Status:
- Still an active RCAF Base. The Aerodrome is shared between the Winnipeg International Airport and the Military. One hangar, one base building still exists (south),several hangars still exist on Bristol Aerospace compound
Site Plan – 1942
(1942) (Source 1 Canadian Air Division)
Please click the photo to download a high definition PDF of the Site Plan.
Location – Google Map
Photo Gallery
(Source 2022-502-019 – Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada, B&W dig, James D. MacDonald collection, MacDonald Bros)
Station Magazine – “The Drift Recorder”
Daily Diary – Links – No. 14 Elementary Flying Training School
1940
Effective 5 December 1940, No 14 Elementary Flying Training School was relocated to its Permanent Home at Portage la Prairie, Manitoba.
Daily Diary – Links – No. 5 Air Observer 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 5 Air Observer School, No 2 Air Navigation School, No 2 Air Observer School and other sources. The list likely does not include all fatalities of personnel who died while stationed at RCAF Station Winnipeg, and likely includes some errors. Currently this list contains 18 personnel.
2 July 1942
8 April 1944
16 April 1944
4 February 1952
5 February 1953
7 December 1954
18 May 1956
- Flying Officer Francis Philip Coyle
- Pilot Officer Brian Cox
- Flying Officer John Terrance King
- Flying Officer Anthony George Mullholland
- Flight Cadet Joseph Jacques Richard Ovide Plourde
6 December 1956
4 February 1957
Aircraft List
Course List
No 5 Air Observer School
For More information – External Links
- Wikipedia
- Military Bruce – Canadian Military History by Bruce Forsyth
- Manitoba Historical Society