British Commonwealth Air Training Plan National Historic Event
Multiple plaque locations
HSMBC plaque
(© Parks Canada / Parcs Canada, 1989)
Address :
Multiple plaque locations
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
1983-11-18
Other Name(s):
-
British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
(Designation Name)
Research Report Number:
1983-029, 1990-011
Importance:
Schools established across Canada to train Commonwealth airmen in World War II
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: Highway 2, Yukon Street at Anson, Trenton, Ontario
Additional plaque: grassed over block near water tower on base, Commonwealth Air Training Museum, Brandon Municipal Air, Brandon, Manitoba
The BCATP, one of Canada's most important contributions to the Allied war effort in World War II, was created by an agreement signed on 17 December 1939. Over 130,000 airmen from the Commonwealth and other countries trained at schools across Canada, many in Western Canada, where clear skies and unbroken horizons were ideal for flying. Their presence had a significant impact on the social and economic life of the region. Airfields built for the Plan became an important part of Canada's postwar aviation network.