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RCAF Station Port Albert

Coordinates:43°53′N81°42′W / 43.883°N 81.700°W /43.883; -81.700
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Second World War Royal Air Force Training Base
RCAF Station Port Albert
Port Albert, Ontario
Near Port Albert, Ontario in Canada
No. 31 ANS, circa 1940s[1]
Site information
OwnerRoyal Canadian Air Force
OperatorRoyal Air Force
ConditionReverted to farmland
Location
RCAF Station Port Albert is located in Ontario
RCAF Station Port Albert
RCAF Station Port Albert
Coordinates43°53′N81°42′W / 43.883°N 81.700°W /43.883; -81.700
Garrison information
GarrisonNo. 31 Air Navigation School
Airfield information
IdentifiersIATA: none,ICAO: none
Elevation691 ft (211 m)AMSL
Runways
DirectionLength and surface
6/243,000 ft (910 m) Hard Surfaced
14/323,000 ft (910 m) Hard Surfaced
1/193,000 ft (910 m) Hard Surfaced
Airfields

RCAF Station Port Albert was aSecond World War,Royal Canadian Air Force station located near Port Albert,Ontario,Canada in theAshfield–Colborne–Wawanosh township. The station was home to theRoyal Air Force's No. 31 Air Navigation School.

In the summer of 1940 theUnited Kingdom was faced with the loss ofNorway,Denmark, theLow Countries, andFrance, and theBritish Isles came under constant air attack by the German air force, in what is known as theBattle of Britain. The British decided to move some of their air training schools elsewhere, and reached an agreement with the Canadians to transfer fourteen training schools to Canada. The first was No. 7 Service Flying Training School from Peterborough, England, which was relocated toKingston, Ontario asNo. 31 Service Flying Training School, and the second was Navigation School No. 48 General Reconnaissance from St. Athan, Wales, which moved to Port Albert as No. 31 Air Navigation School in October 1940. The school opened 18 November 1940 and closed 17 February 1945. The RAF school was integrated into theBritish Commonwealth Air Training Plan in 1942.[2]Like other RAF schools in Canada, it was subject to RCAF administrative and operational control.[2]

The Canadian navigatorGroup Captain Kenneth C. Maclure developed his method of Grid Navigation while stationed at No. 31 Air Navigation School in 1941, and in 1945, became one of the first men to fly over theNorth Pole.[3]

Aerodrome information

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In approximately 1942, the aerodrome was listed asRCAF Aerodrome - Port Albert, Ontario at43°53′N81°42′W / 43.883°N 81.700°W /43.883; -81.700 with a variation of 6 degrees west and elevation of 691 ft (211 m). The aerodrome was listed with three runways as follows:[4]

Runway NameLengthWidthSurface
6/243,000 ft (910 m)150 ft (46 m)Hard Surfaced
14/323,000 ft (910 m)150 ft (46 m)Hard Surfaced
1/193,000 ft (910 m)150 ft (46 m)Hard Surfaced

Postwar

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The Memorial Cairn

The site came under the control of the Canadian Government's War Assets Corporation, and by the summer of 1949 the buildings had been demolished or sold to other governments and private individuals. The Royal Canadian Branch 309 Lucknow, Ontario building and the Dungannon Agricultural Society hall are both buildings moved from No. 31 Air Navigation School.

Mr. Reg McGee purchased the property in 1950, and for a few years in the late 1950s the London Automobile Sports Club held car races on the runways. McGee's sons sold the site in 1969, and subsequently the airport site has had several more owners, who used it as farmland.

A memorial cairn was erected in 1988 on Highway 21 near the north entrance road to Port Albert.[1]

There are still a few signs of No. 31 on the airfield site in 2017.

  • Runway area, 2017
    Runway area, 2017
  • Hangar line and fence, 2017
    Hangar line and fence, 2017
  • Main entrance, 2017
    Main entrance, 2017

In 2020, the old airfield is easily identified from the air. Compare these modern aerial photos with the 1940 aerial photo.

  • Southwest view, 2020
    Southwest view, 2020
  • South view, 2020
    South view, 2020
  • East view, 2020
    East view, 2020

TheHuron County Museum & Historic Gaol inGoderich, Ontario has an extensive and accessible collection of artifacts from No. 31 Air Navigation School.

Remembrance

[edit]

Mr. Eugene McGee compiled a list of thirty-six airmen who died while serving at Port Albert. Three of the men were members of theRoyal Canadian Air Force, one man was from theRoyal New Zealand Air Force, but most of them served in theRoyal Air Force orRoyal Navy. Some perished inLake Huron orGeorgian Bay, and their remains have not been recovered. The names of these missing men are recorded on theOttawa Memorial. The others are buried at various locations in Canada, including theMaitland Cemetery inGoderich, Ontario. McGee's list is publicly displayed at theHuron County Museum & Historic Gaol.

The airmens' graves at Maitland Cemetery

References

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  1. ^abMcGee, E. C. (1987).History of Port Albert. Goderich, Ontario: McGee, E. C.
  2. ^abHatch, F. J. (1983).The Aerodrome of Democracy: Canada and the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, 1939-1945. Ottawa: Directorate of History, Department of National Defence. p. 68, 69.ISBN 0-660-114437.
  3. ^"Kenneth Cecil Maclure".Canadian Aviation Hall of Fame. Archived fromthe original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved6 July 2020.
  4. ^Staff writer (c. 1942).Pilots Handbook of Aerodromes and Seaplane Bases Vol. 1. Royal Canadian Air Force. p. 153.
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