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BRITISH COMMONWEALTH
AIR TRAINING PLAN

LE PLAN D’ENTRAINEMENT
AÉRIEN DU COMMONWEALTH

Created as a result of an agreement signed by the
United Kingdom and Canada on 17 December, 1939, this
Plan was one of Canada’s most important contributions
to the Allied war effort in World War II. Over 130,000
airmen from the forces of the Commonwealth and other
countries, including pilots, navigators, bomb aimers,
wireless operators and gunners, trained at schools
established across Canada. Many of the instructors who
were the mainstay of the Plan came from the Trenton
base. Airfields built for the Plan became an important
part of Canada’s postwar aviation network.

Ce programme, fruit d’un accord conclu par le Royaume-
Uni et le Canada le 17 décembre 1939, fut l’une des plus
importantes contributions apportées par notre pays à
l’effort de guerre des Alliés pendant la Seconde Guerre
mondiale. Plus de 130 000 pilotes, navigateurs,
bombardiers, opérateurs radio et mitrailleurs de pays du
Commonwealth et d’autres États reçurent leur formation
aux écoles établies d’un bout à l’autre du Canada.
Nombre de leurs instructeurs venaient de la base de
Trenton. Après la guerre, les aérodromes aménagés aux
fins du programme constituèrent une partie importante
du réseau de transport aérien du Canada.

Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.
Commission des lieux et monuments historiques du Canada.

Government of Canada - Gouvernement du Canada

PER ARDUA AD ASTRA

SINCE ITS BIRTH DURING
WORLD WAR II, "TUSKER" SQUADRON
HAS SERVED CANADA WITH PRIDE AND
DISTINCTION. FROM CEYLON TO THE
ARCTIC, EUROPE TO THE MARITIMES, IT
HAS "WATCHED OVER THE WAVES."

THIS MONUMENT IS ERECTED TO
COMMEMORATE THE BRAVE AND
DEDICATED MEMBERS OF 413
SQUADRON, PAST AND PRESENT.

IN MEMORY OF
R C A F
AND
ALLIED AIR FORCES
OF
BOMBER COMMAND

ERECTED BY BOMBER COMMAND
ASSOCIATION OF CANADA

IN HONOUR OF ALL THOSE
WHO HAVE SERVED
THE SQUADRON SINCE
1 SEPTEMBER 1934

EN HOMMAGE A TOUT
CEUX ET CELLES QUI
ONT SERVI A L’ESCADRILLE
DEPUIS LE 1ER SEPTEMBRE 1934

"THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE"

RESCUE
RCAF

PARA RESCUE ASSOCIATION
OF CANADA

IN MEMORY OF LOADMASTERS
WHO SACRIFICED THEIR LIVES
IN SERVICE TO THEIR COUNTRY

1958 - LAC R. BURLOCK - KFA
1974 - MCPL P. LACOSTE - KFA
1974 - MCPL R. CATON - KFA
1974 - CPL B. STRINGER - UN OPS
1980 - MCPL A. WOODHAM - KFA
1982 - SGT. J. GIONET - KFA
1982 - MCPL L. SMITH - KFA
1989 - MCPL M. PAPINEAU-COUTURE - KFA
1989 - MCPL C. CASTONGUAY - KFA
1991 - MCPL R. PITRE - KFA
1993 - SGT A. MICHAUD - KFA
1993 - MCPL R. MC WILLIAM - KFA

REMEMBER BYGONE DAYS

DEDICATED IN MEMORY TO ALL
WHO SERVED WITH 405 SQUADRON RCAF
BOMBER - PATHFINDER - COASTAL COMMANDS
1941 - 1945

MARITIME COMMAND
1951

"DUCIMUS"

NO. SIX REPAIR DEPOT
RCAF
1940-45
MERUIMUSUT VOLARENT

RCAF NO. 5 INITIAL TRAINING SCHOOL (5 ITS).
BELLEVILLE

IN WORLD WAR II, THE RCAF NO. 5 ITS OCCUPIED THIS FACILITY
FROM 1941 TO 1944 UNDER AN AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE FEDERAL
AND ONTARIO GOVERNMENTS. IT WAS ONE OF SEVEN SUCH UNITS
THAT OPERATED UNDER THE RCAF-DIRECTED COMMONWEALTH AIR
TRAINING PLAN IN CANADA. IT PROVIDED INITIAL TRAINING FOR
POTENTIAL AIRCREW. INSTRUCTION IN MATHEMATICS, LINK TRAINER,
ARMAMENT, FLIGHT THEORY, COMMUNICATIONS, METEOROLOGY,
DISCIPLINE, NAVIGATION AND OTHER RELATED SUBJECTS PRECEDED
FINAL TESTING AND SELECTION. GRADUATES WERE POSTED TO
OTHER AIR FORCE BASES IN CANADA FOR CONCENTRATED AND
ADVANCED TRAINING TO “WINGS” STANDARDS IN ONE OF SEVERAL
AIRCREW BRANCHES.

THE RCAF DIRECTED THE TRAINING OF AIRMEN FROM CANADA,
AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, THE UNITED KINGDOM AND THE UNITED
STATES. OF THE 131,500 AIRMEN TRAINED IN CANADA DURING THE
WAR, NEARLY 70,000 WERE CANADIANS AND, OF THAT MAGNIFICENT
NUMBER, 6,664 RECEIVED THEIR INITIAL TRAINING HERE.
THIS COMMEMORATIVE PLAQUE IS DEDICATED TO ALL WHO
SERVED HERE AT NO. 5 ITS, AND ESPECIALLY TO THOSE WHO GAVE
THEIR LIVES IN THEIR AIR FORCE SERVICE TO THEIR COUNTRY
….…THEY WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN!

“PER ARDUA AD ASTRA”
(THROUGH ADVERSITY TO THE STARS)