Was someone in your family tree among the 185,000 fliers who wore an RAF blue uniform during the Second World War? Of these 70,000 were killed. Despite the danger, volunteers stepped forward for training to follow in their footsteps and “slipped the surly bonds of earth, and danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings”.
Many RAF and other Allied fliers trained in Canada. Contested skies above Britain were no place for neophyte pilots and aircrew. Food and fuel were in short supply. An ocean away, Canada had no such problems.
The prairies and the farmlands of Southern Ontario provided excellent conditions for training, good flying weather for much of the year, and ready access to parts and supplies from the industrial might of the United States. Even the cold of a Canadian winter was good training for the temperatures experienced at flight level on a bombing run!
The pre-war aviation scene
Pre-war aviation in Canada was largely civilian, bridging scattered communities, many with no road access. The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) had just 150 officers and 1,000 airmen. Canada needed to move fast – and did so by establishing the British Commonwealth
