When Sunnybrook Military Hospital opened in 1948, each treatment block in the main building was identified by a plaque representing military or places of battle where so much was sacrificed. Although the plaques were removed when Sunnybrook transitioned from a Veterans facility to a fully affiliated academic general hospital in 1966, they were rededicated in 2018. Spitfire Wing is currently called D Wing.
First flown in 1936, the Spitfire would become famous as the leading British fighter of the Second World War. A total of 20,351 (excluding naval variants) were built which was more than any other British warplane. No. 403 Squadron first flew the Spitfire on Canadian operations in March 1941 and a total of 14 Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) squadrons would eventually fly this type of aircraft. Of these squadrons, ten were fighter or fighter-bomber squadrons in Europe, three formed a RCAF fighter-reconnaissance wing, and one squadron, No. 417 Squadron, flew fighter-bombers in North Africa, Sicily, and Italy. The first enemy jet fighter, a German Me 262, to be shot down fell to a Spitfire from No. 401 Squadron. Interestingly, despite the large number of Spitfires flown operationally by Canadians, the RCAF only had a handful of Spitfires on official establishment strength throughout the war. These aircraft were primarily unarmed reconnaissance variants used for various test and photographic missions. The first Spitfire in Canada, on loan from the Royal Air Force, was used in 1940 to test the first “G” suit, which also was invented in Canada.
