RCAF Station Pennfield Ridge
I would like to extend a huge thank you to G. Christian Larsen for his assistance with this page.
General Information
Base / Station: Pennfield Ridge
Province: New Brunswick
Dates of Operation or Period of Information: 1941 – 1945
Units:
- No 2 Air Navigation School
- formed 21 July 1941
- Conducted a four week intensive course on astro navigation designed to qualify students for night navigation
- Aircraft:
- Avro Anson
- When No 2 Air Navigation School disbanded it was absorbed into No 1 Air Navigation School, Rivers, Manitoba. The school was the redesignated No 1 Central Navigation School, Rivers, Manitoba.
- 30 April 1942, school disbanded later reformed in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
- No 2 Operational Training Unit
- Unit Formed – 6 July 1942
- Unit suspended – 19 August 1942 due to aircraft shortages. All personnel posted out
- Squadron Leader E. Lawrence O’LEARY (C/1920) – Commander
- No 34 Operational Training Unit (RAF)
- sailed from Gourock, Scotland 8 April 1942
- arrived at Yarmouth, Nova Scotia 18 April 1942
- The plan was initially to establish the Unit at Yarmouth, however this plan changed as the plan progressed.
- Was moved to Pennfield Ridge on a “Temporary” basis over the period of 14-27 May 1942
- this move became permanent by air force order on 31 August 1942.
- the purpose of this unit was to provide advanced training of bomber crews prior to full operational deployment in the theater of operations.
- A Detachment of the unit was formed at Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. This detachment was composed of the Armament Training Wing. This detachment trained the first 9 courses. These courses were trained at both locations. The dates the Yarmouth Detachment was in place were 20 August 1942 – 30 April 1943.
- Aircraft:
- Lockheed Ventura
- Avro Anson
- Became inactive effective – 30 April 1944
- Disbanded – 19 May 1944
- RCAF Station Pennfield Ridge
- This unit was formed on the disbandment of No 34 (Royal Air Force) Operational Training Unit
- Operational Training Squadron
- a sub unit of RCAF Station Pennfield Ridge
- with Flight Lieutenant Van Elslande – Commander
- Aircraft:
- Transport Conversion Squadron
- a sub unit of RCAF Station Pennfield Ridge
- Flight Lieutenant L.B. Stevenson – Commander
- Aircraft:
- Eastern Air Command School of Survival
- a sub unit of RCAF Station Pennfield Ridge
- organized – May 1945
- Flight Lieutenant G. Durrell – Commander
- This school gave an extensive course in survival measures for those heading to the far East
Commanding Officers:
- Wing Commander Frank Robert MILLER (C/139)
- Group Captain Anthony Caron EVANS-EVANS (GB19018)
- 17 April 1942 – 6 February 1943
- Group Captain Anthony LEACH, MC (GB07202)
- 6 February 1943 – 19 May 1944
- Group Captain William Waldo Scott ROSS (C/638)
- 20 May 1944 –
Financial Impact:
- In 1939 Pennfield Ridge had a population of 188. By 1943 it was over 5,000 as a direct result of the Pennfield Ridge Air Station & the Canadian Infantry Training Centre, located 1/4 mile in behind the Air Station.
Date / Reason for Closure:
Current Status:
- for many years No 3 runway was home to the Pennfield International Dragway, drag racing facility. The dragway closed in 1996.
- The aerodrome was listed as abandoned in the 19 July 2018 edition of the Canadian Flight Supplement, I would need to review older flight supplement to determine exactly when the aerodrome was formally declared abandoned.
- In 2006 Acadian Seaplants Ltd purchased the site. Prior to this date they had been using runway 9-27 for drying seaweed to convert into fertilizer. since that time they have expanded the drying operation to encompass all runways and the taxiway.
Image courtesy of Matt Heintz
Site Plan – 1948
(Circa 1948) (Source 1 Canadian Air Division)
If you would like a PDF Copy Please Click to Download.
Location – Google Map
Photo Gallery
Station Magazine
“The Adventura”
Daily Diary – Links – No 34 (Royal Air Force) Operational Training Unit
Daily Diary – Links – No 2 Operational Training Unit
1942
unit suspended
Fatalities
This list was compiled from the entries in the Daily diaries of No. 34 (Royal Air Force) Operational Training Unit, No 2 Air Navigation School and other sources. The list likely does not include all fatalities of personnel who died while stationed at RCAF Station Pennfield Ridge, and likely includes some errors. Currently this list contains 77 personnel.
14 January 1941
15 January 1941
21 August 1941
25 August 1941
- Flight Leiutenant Walter Samuel Leslie Smallman
- Sergeant George Thomas John Woodhams
- Sergeant Sydney Street
- Aircraftman 1st Class Gerald John Eliott
9 May 1942
23 July 1942
20 November 1942
- Aircraftman 1st Class Thomas Frederick Sargeant
- Pilot Officer Harold Otho Male
- Flying Officer Stanley Evan Sutherland **
22 November 1942
16 December 1942
5 January 1943
23 January 1943
- Pilot Officer Geoffrey Alexander Norriss
- Pilot Officer Philip William McCarthy
- Pilot Officer Bayden Bala Williams
26 January 1943
6 February 1943
8 February 1943
26 February 1943
- Sergeant Donald Stuart Bates
- Sergeant Evan Williams
- Sergeant Thomas Marshall Otto
- Pilot Officer Norman Clifford Harris
13 March 1943
- Pilot Officer Thomas Anthony Corr
- Pilot Officer Fintan Howard Lalor
- Flight Sergeant David Armstrong Cannon
- Ordinary Seaman Ronald Herbert Faulkner
14 April 1943
23 April 1943
29 May 1943
3 June 1943
- Sergeant Roland Frank Brier
- Sergeant Francis Robert Carter
- Sergeant Frederick John Stiles
- Pilot Officer Selwyn Noel Langdale
9 June 1943
12 June 1943
25 June 1943
- Pilot Officer George Wellington Cowie
- Pilot Officer Clifford Avery Griffiths
- Sergeant Arthur Cornelius Mulcahy
- Pilot Officer John Clarke Loucks ****
10 July 1943
10 August 1943
- Sergeant Trevor Alexander Albrey
- Sergeant Russell Laws
- Pilot Officer Robert Alexander Ledingham
- Pilot Officer Joseph Cletus Allen
26 August 1943
19 December 1943
- Sergeant Herbert Lawrence Anderson
- Sergeant George Christopher Cull
- Pilot Officer Carlyle George Christensen
- Sergeant Roy Joseph Barts
19 March 1944
2 September 1944
16 October 1944
6 December 1944
21 March 1945
3 June 1945
- Flying Officer Sulo Matt Harju
- Flight Sergeant William Gordon Davidson
- Sergeant Roy Edward Bough
- Sergeant Robert Leonard Bouch
22 June 1945
* This member died while posted to Pennfield Ridge, New Brunswick however he was executed after being convicted of Murder.
** Was promoted to the rank of Flying Officer, 1 October 1942 – Information gathered from his service file by G. Christian Larsen
*** Added first name – Information gathered from his service file by G. Christian Larsen
**** Middle name was Clarke – Information gathered from his service file by G. Christian Larsen
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.
- Corporal Ralph Kenneth Bates (RAF-615927)
- Charged with:
- 1 count of While on Active Service , Striking his superior officer
- Alternate charge, 1 count of Striking an Airman
- Trial Date – 22 September 1942
- this file is 77 pages.
- Member was found Not Guilty of Both Charges, however was found guilty of offering violence
- sentenced to:
- loss of seniority and
- a reprimand.
- Charged with:
- Flight Sergeant John Fenwick (RAF-246332)
- Charged with multiple counts of Conduct to the Prejudice of Good Order and Air Force Discipline
- Was also separately charged with Absent Without Leave for the period of 17-31 October 1942
- Trial Date – 9 November 1942
- This file is 132 pages but covers multiple courts martials.
- Member plead guilty and was sentenced to reduction in Rank, to the Rank of Sergeant.
- The file also contains a courts martial that occurred for Absent Without Leave that occurred in Kingston, Ontario the previous year.
- Aircraftman 1st Class James George Price (RAF-1298732)
- Trial Date – 22 February 1944
- File is 54 pages
- Leading Aircraftman John Earl Shields (RAF-945510)
- Tried via Summary Trial
- File is 26 pages
- Corporal Andrew Waterhouse (RAF-627775)
- Charged with 1 count of Striking an Airman
- Trial Date – 22 September 1942
- The file is 72 pages.
- Member was found guilty
- sentenced to:
- Reduction in Rank and
- a Severe Reprimand.
Course List
No 2 Air Navigation School
Course List
No 34 Operational Training Unit
For More information – External Links
- Wikipedia
- MilitaryBruce.com – Canadian Military History by Bruce Forsyth
- Pennfield Parish Military History Society Page – by G. Christian Larsen
- Pennfield Parish Military History Society – Facebook Group