RCAF Station Aylmer
General Information
Location/Base: Aylmer
Province: Ontario
Years in Use: 3 July 1941 – 30 Sept 1961
Units:
- No 14 Service Flying Training School
- Established via Formation order issued 19 May 1941
- School opened 3 July 1941
- Ordered to move to Kingston, Ontario by movement order dated 10 August 1944
- started move to Kingston, Ont, 15 August ’44 small det remained at Aylmer to complete training courses 106, 107 and 108
- Ordered disbanded 24 August 1945.
- School disbanded effective 7 September 1945
- No 1 Flight Engineers’ School- 1 Jul ’44- 31 Mar ’45- moved from Arnprior, Ontario
- No 103 Aircraft Holding Unit- 22 Sep ’44- 15 Nov ’44
- Technical and Engineering School – End Mar ’45- 1 Mar ’46
- No 1 Technical Training School- 1 Mar ’46- end ’48, reformed 2 April ’51, renamed Technical Officers Training School, later relocated to Centralia, Ontario
- No 2 Manning Depot- 1 May ’49
- No 2 Composite Training School (No2 KTS) Apr ’51- June ’54 [absorbed into No1 TTS]
- No 11 Examination Unit Oct ’51- ’51
- Academic Training School May ’49-Oct ’50
- Education centre to provide academic training to bring recruits up to RCAF standards
- School of English-’49
- No1 Personnel Selection Unit (Airmen) ’49 – March ’51 (moved to St Johns, Quebec)
- Aeronautical Engineering School May ’51-Jan ’54 became No1 TTS’s No1 Training Sqn
- Support Services School-’60-
- Relief Landing Field – St Thomas (Yarmouth Center)
- Relief Landing Field – Tillsonburg
Image from the
RCAF Pilots Manual of Aerodromes and Seaplane Bases
circa 1942.
Aircraft Types:
- No 14 SFTS-
- Anson MkII,
- Harvard MkII, MkIIB, MkIIA,
- Yale
- Walrus for air-sea rescue,
- Lysanders to tow targets
- No 1 FES-
- Halifax,
- Beauforts,
- Hampdens,
- Hurricanes,
- Ansons,
- Battles,
- Finches,
- Harvards,
- Kittyhawks,
- Moths
- Bermudas,
- Tomahawks,
- Hudson
Commanding Officers:
- W/C G.N. Irwin 3 Jul ’41-9 Jul ’43
- S/L [W/C] Lew Ingram 9 Jul ’43- 6 Jan ’44, 22 Jun ’44- 15 Aug ’44
- G/C G.E. Nash 6 Jan ’44- 22 Jun ’44
- W/C A James remained w/ small SFTS det after 15 Aug ’44
- S/L Adams OC FE school
Financial Impact:
Date/Reason for Closure/Current Status: 1961- transferred to Ont Government,
- used mainly as Ontario Police College
- hangers have been used as
agricultural storage by Ont Flue Cured Tobacco Board, Elgin Co-operative and Canadian Canners
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
Station Magazine
“”
Operational Record Book – Links – No. 14 Service Flying Training School
Fatalities
This list was compiled from the entries in the Daily diaries of No. 14 Service Flying Training School and other sources. The list likely does not include all fatalities of personnel who died while stationed at RCAF Station Aylmer, and likely includes some errors. Currently this list contains 35 personnel.
9 October 1941
5 December 1941
20 January 1942
24 February 1942
1 April 1942
10 April 1942
28 April 1942
4 June 1942
13 July 1942
26 August 1942
1 October 1942
5 December 1942
6 January 1943
5 February 1943
21 June 1943
24 June 1943
19 July 1943
28 July 1943
4 January 1944
19 January 1944
13 March 1944
14 March 1944
21 April 1944
4 May 1944
Aircraft List
Course List – No 14 Service Flying Training School
This List is incomplete and will be enhanced as my time permits and as requests are received.
| Course Number | Start Date | Graduation Date | Number of Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course 73 | 14 May 1943 |
For More information – External Links
- Wikipedia
- MilitaryBruce.com – Canadian Military History by Bruce Forsyth
Thank you for this website. My father Geoffrey Ellwood Hawthorn graduated May 15, 1943 (perhaps one day or so earlier). In my collection, I have a newspaper article from May 15. The article contains a photo of Billy Bishop who attended. The article also mentioned my father as a graduate.
My father served at Skipton-on-Swale 424 Squadron where he flew about 35 missions from July 1944 to early January 1945, all in Halifax bombers. His entire crew survived with nothing more than a bit of flack damage on one flight. He made a single flight (July 1944) in Halifax LW170 that, in 1945 ditched on a very calm Irish Sea after running out of fuel. A pefect landing and all survived.
Gary, Thank you for your comment. I have checked the daily diary for No 14 SFTS, Aylmer. It appears that based on your information your father graduated, Course 73 on 14 May 1943. The daily diary mentions Air Marshal Bishop presenting the wings, I am sure your father was awed receiving his wings from such a revered flying ace. I will add a page for your fathers course to this page and maybe we will find other members families as this project moves forward. Thank you again for reaching out.