RCAF Station Halifax
No 1 “Y” Depot

The RCAF, No. 1 “Y” Embarkation Depot Halifax, Nova Scotia

A logical question to ask, was why attach the letter “Y” to the No. 1 Embarkation Depot name?

It really came down to the fact that RCAF Depots (regardless of their purpose), were named with a preceding letter, and number if there was more than one Depot of that type. For example:

• “E” Equipment Depots;
• “M” Manning Depots;
• “S” Supply Depots;
• “T” Training Depots;
• “X” Explosive Depots, etc.

Unfortunately, as identified above, the most logical letter for an Embarkation Depot, namely the letter “E”, was already in use by RCAF “Equipment Depots”.

As a result, the Embarkation Depot was named as the No. 1 “Y” Embarkation Depot and the name and the function quickly became synonymous within Canadian military circles.

New personnel at No. 1 “Y” Embarkation Depot normally arrived from across Canada via the Canadian National Railways at the CNR Station ( image 1 – red # 1 ).

The CNR Station was located immediately adjacent to an ocean going, deep water harbour and both the existing Pier 21 and Ocean Terminal facilities, which were large enough to accommodate multiple troopship embarkations simultaneously. ( image 1 – red # 2 ) were an incredibly efficient means to transport personnel.

The No. 1 “Y” Embarkation Depot site itself in 1943 was located in the Windsor Park / Exhibition Grounds area of the city of Halifax ( image 1 – red # 3 ), which was located within marching distance of the both the CNR Station and Pier 21. The capacity of the main No. 1 “Y” Embarkation Depot site ( image 4 ), was approximately 2500 airmen and shortly after my Dad transited through the Depot, swelled to almost 3000 airmen. There was also a smaller quantity of accommodations for another 500 personnel at Pier 21 in the “Embarkation Shacks” as they were known.

Due to consistent overcrowding in Halifax generally, and a shortage of housing for Royal Canadian Navy members in particular, the Halifax RCAF “Y” Depot location was closed and transferred to Lachine, Quebec in January, 1944 and was reconstituted there as No. 1 “Y” Embarkation Depot, Lachine.

The RCAF site was then commissioned by the Navy as HMCS Stadacona II from Jan-Sep 1944 before being renamed as HMCS Peregrine on 1 Oct 1944 until its closure in Mar 1946.