RCAF Station Moose Jaw
General Information
Base / Station: Moose Jaw
Province:
Period(s) of Use: 1941 – Present
Site Plan:
Elevation:
Units:
- No. 32 Service Flying Training School
- Relief Landing Field – Buttress
- Relief Landing Field – Burdick
- Relief Landing Field – Caron – The station at Caron, SK was converted into a relief field on closure of the EFTS located at the station in ___
- No 2 Flying Training School
- Moved from Gimli, Manitoba between 4 May-23 June 1953.
- 431 Squadron – “The Snow Birds”
Structures:
Commanding Officers:
- Group Captain C.E.H. James, M.C. (Military Cross)
- 1 January 1941 – 14 August 1942
- Group Captain N.E. Morrison, A.F.C. (Air Force Cross)
- 14 August 1942 – at least November 1942
- Group Captain E.J. George
- at November 1943 – at April 1944
Aircraft Flown:
Financial Impact:
Date / Reason for closure:
Site details:
- Aerodrome:
- Runways: On 29 May 1952 it was announced that the runways would be expanded with the reactivation of the station post war.
Married Quarters:
Site Evolution:
- The Publication On Track…the Pilot’s Air Travel Guide (First Annual Edition – 1978) lists the Aerodrome as “Moose Jaw” – See photos on this page.
- In the 29 May 1952 edition of the Winnipeg Free Press it was announced that the Station was going to be reactivated. At this time it was announced that the Flying Training School that was located at Gimli would be relocated to Moose Jaw. With the announcement came an investment of 6.5 million dollars to reconfigure and extend the Runways, construct a new:
- control tower,
- supply building,
- messes, and
- quarters.
Current Status:
Site Plan – 1941
On Track – 1978
Moose Jaw Aerodrome (Part 1)
Moose Jaw Aerodrome (Part 2)
Location – Google Map
Station Magazine
“Prairie Flier”
Photo Gallery
(National Defence Image – MJ69-215)
(National Defence Image – IW78-54)
Daily Diary – Links – No 32 Service Flying Training School
1944
Fatalities
This list was compiled from the entries in the Daily diaries of No 32 Service Flying Training School, No 2 Flying Training School, and No 431 Squadron and other sources. The list likely does not include all fatalities of personnel who died while stationed at RCAF Station Moose Jaw, and likely includes some errors. Currently this list contains 75 personnel.
23 January 1941
26 April 1941
5 May 1941
20 May 1941
2 July 1941
12 July 1941
27 August 1941
28 August 1941
6 January 1942
14 January 1942
28 January 1942
11 March 1942
18 July 1942
25 July 1942
20 September 1942
9 January 1943
12 April 1943
7 May 1943
17 June 1943
8 July 1943
- Flying Officer Benedikt Blatney
- Leading Aircraftman Alfred Charles Channon
- Leading Aircraftman Svatoplunk Maly
- Pilot Officer George Moffat Urwin
21 July 1943
11 August 1943
18 August 1943
- Leading Aircraftman Trefor Nicholas Cooke
- Flying Officer Leonard James Crouch
- Leading Aircraftman Denis Daly
4 September 1943
13 March 1944
5 August 1953
29 October 1953
30 December 1953
22 September 1954
5 May 1955
6 July 1956
9 January 1957
21 May 1958
6 October 1964
27 July 1965
28 July 1965
8 October 1966
13 June 1967
13 July 1969
30 July 1969
20 March 1972
10 June 1972
22 August 1973
31 May 1976
3 April 1978
3 May 1978
30 October 1979
16 April 1980
5 June 1989
3 September 1989
10 December 1998
21 July 2003
10 December 2004
18 May 2007
9 October 2008
17 May 2020
Notable Alumni
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.
- Squadron Leader Henry Marsden (RAF-70445)
- Charges stem from service at Assiniboia, Saskatchewan
- Charged with:
- 7 Counts of In a daily flying log and flight authorization form, signed by him. Being privy to the making of a false statement.
- 2 counts of Neglect to the prejudice of Good Order and Air Force discipline.
- Trial Date – 11 October 1943
- File is 246 pages
- member was found not guilty of all charges.
Notes
- Mutiny – from the ORB.
- on 16 July 1943 a group of airmen decided to stage a protest of orders issued by the commanding officer of No. 32 SFTS. There is no mention of this, on the date of the offence in the ORB. The first mention of the mutiny was on 4 October 1943 in the ORB when the men were put to General Courts Martial. The Courts Martial continued until 14 October. At that time 2 members were acquitted. Between the October and November sections of the ORB there is a discipline appendix dated 16 July 1943 that details the event. On 12 November 1943 the station was ordered on parade and the sentences of the 13 remaining airmen was promulgated. The pulmigation is detailed starting on page 1136 of the ORB. All members found guilty of participating in the mutiny were sentenced to between 9 and 18 months of detention. At some point in the future I will add more to this.
Related documents:
Course List
No 32 Service Flying Training School
For More information – External Links
- Wikipedia
- MilitaryBruce.com – Canadian Military History by Bruce Forsyth
- Site Plan:
- Aerodrome Disposal File:
Am wondering if you can help me. My father, Kenneth Ian McLean D.o.b. 19.8.1933 has just turned 90 years old. He was in the RAF around the early 1950s and has very fond memories of being based at Moosejaw around those years with the Canadian Airforce. As a special Christmas present, I was wondering if you have any records of him that you could send me a photograph of; or a photo of the base as it looks now; or indeed any memorabilia relating to the years during 1950. Any information would be much appreciated.
Thank you so much for your recent comment. Unfortunately I have very little from RCAF Station Moose Jaw in the post war years. I may be able to find the Annual historical reports for this time period but they are unlikely to hold much in the type of information you are looking for. As for recent photos or photos from the 50’s I can take a look at some resources, but can not promise anything.