RCAF Station Dafoe
General Information
Base / Station: Dafoe
Province: Saskatchewan
Dates of Operation or Period of Information:
- 26 May 1941 – 17 Feb 1945
Units: No.5 Bombing and Gunnery School
Unit Duties / Information: B & G S
Aircraft Flown:
- Anson,
- Battle,
- Bolingbroke, and
- Lysander
Commanding Officers:
Financial Impact:
Date / Reason for Closure: 17 Feb 45, reduced need for aircrew
Post RCAF Evolution:
- The Publication On Track…the Pilot’s Air Travel Guide (First Annual Edition – 1978) lists the Aerodrome as “Dafoe – Lat:51 56N – Long:104 34W – GMT-6 – 72NE,E-17 – Abandoned”
Current Status: abandoned N51 56 W104 34, condition unknown
Image from the
RCAF Pilots Manual of Aerodromes and Seaplane Bases
circa 1942.
Location – Google Map
Photo Gallery
Facebook Photo and Caption by Debra-Larry Kunz – 19 January 2023
Facebook Photo and Caption by Debra-Larry Kunz – 19 January 2023
Station Magazine
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Related Articles in publications
– Magazine of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society – Roland Groome (Regina) Chapter 1993-09
– Magazine of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society – Roland Groome (Regina) Chapter 1993-10
– Magazine of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society – Roland Groome (Regina) Chapter 2006-03
– Magazine of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society – Roland Groome (Regina) Chapter 2013-04
School Daily Diary – Links – No. 5 Bombing & Gunnery School
Fatalities
This list was compiled from the entries in the Daily diaries of No. 5 Bombing & Gunnery School and other sources. The list may not include all fatalities of personnel who died while stationed at RCAF Station Dafoe. With input from various sources, so far there were 43 deaths of service personnel that were stationed at Dafoe.
1 December 1941
- Leading Aircraftman Ronald Kenneth Crothers
- Sergeant Joseph Leandre Gilles Cote
- Leading Aircraftman Colin Alfred Coles
23 March 1942
- Leading Aircraftman Donald Francis Hood
- Leading Aircraftman George Gerald Joseph Hower
- Flight Sergeant Harry Naoum
- Leading Aircraftman Emerson Philip Harris
7 April 1942
23 July 1942
- Leading Aircraftman Joseph Philip Arthur Bail
- Sergeant Eustace Hedley Dunn
- Leading Aircraftman Osborne Victor Nickerson
9 December 1942
- Leading Aircraftman Frederick Walter Selfe
- Flight Sergeant Jack William Phillips
- Leading Aircraftman Reginald Ivor Morgan
10 January 1943
- Corporal James Alexander Meneilly
- Sergeant Raymond Charles Chappell
- Leading Aircraftman William Raymond Moisley
- Sergeant Terry John Sugrue
16 January 1943
29 March 1943
- Leading Aircraftman Reginald Robert MacFarlane
- Leading Aircraftman Cecil Malcolm McKenzie
- Sergeant Edward Walsh
8 July 1943
24 July 1943
26 November 1943
- Sergeant Peter Edward Galgan
- Flight Sergeant William Leslie Hill
- Leading Aircraftman John Barnes
- Leading Aircraftman Thomas Banks Rendell Crosthwaite
8 February 1944
9 February 1944
24 May 1944
- Pilot Officer Frederick Lloyd Butcher
- Leading Aircraftman Stanley Edwin Steeden
- Leading Aircraftman Howard John Rolls
- Leading Aircraftman Stephen Newton
- Warrant Officer 1st Class William David Mitchell
30 October 1944
Aircraft List
Course List – No 5 Bombing & Gunnery 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 No 27 – Air Observer | 15 September 1941 | 25 October 1941 | 39 Graduates |
| Course 37 – Air Gunner | |||
| Course 63 – Air Bomber | 6 November 1942 | ||
| Course 42 – Air Gunner | 9 November 1942 | ||
| Course 64 – Air Bomber | 20 November 1942 | ||
| Course 43 – Air Gunner | 23 November 1942 | ||
| Course – 42B – Wireless Air Gunner | 7 December 1942 | ||
| Course 65 – Air Bomber | 8 December 1942 | ||
| Course 66 – Air Bomber | 29 December 1942 | ||
| Course 67 – Air Bomber | 9 January 1942 | ||
| Course 44 – Wireless Air Gunner | 11 January 1943 | ||
| Course 45 – Wireless Air Gunner | 28 January 1943 | ||
| Course 68 – Air Bomber(?) | 7 February 1943 | ||
| Course 46 – Wireless Air Gunner | 8 February 1943 | ||
| Course 72 – Air Bomber | |||
| Course 79 – Air Bomber | |||
| Course 107A | 28 July 1944 |
For More information – External Links
- Wikipedia
- MilitaryBruce.com – Canadian Military History by Bruce Forsyth
- Aerodrome Disposal File:
- Site Plan: