Flying eastwards from Kelowna, while level at 13,000 feet, the craggy snow covered Canadian Rocky Mountains abruptly give way to an expansive flat landscape. Broken only by an occasional river valley this vast cultivated land stretches seamlessly, to the left, the right and straight ahead. A unobstructed vista that remained largely unchanged for over 1,300 kilometres all the way to the Bazflyer's destination of Brandon, a small city in southern Manitoba. Yes, the vastness of Canadia's prairie lands can be well appreciated from above.
Although the Prairies visibly support agriculture, in fact lots of agriculture, this flat featureless topography unselfishly served a quite different purpose during the Second World War (WW2). It was the exploration of this purpose that attracted the Bazflyers to visit Brandon.
The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), often referred to as simply "The Plan", was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, during the Second World War. The delivery of this scheme became a Canadian contribution to the war effort. Winston Churchill later stated "The Plan was Canada’s greatest contribution to the allied victory”, while it was referred to by President Roosevelt as the ‘aerodrome of democracy’.
By the end of the war, the Plan had produced 131,553 aircrew, including pilots, wireless operators, air gunners, and navigators for the Air Forces of Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The challenge was formidable. But when the free world needed a champion, Canada answered the call. At its high point in late 1943, an organisation of over 100,000 administrative personnel operated 107 schools and 184 other supporting units at 231 locations all across Canada.
Brandon was not only one of the pilot training bases, it uniquely has the only museum in the world dedicated as a memorial to those airmen who trained and served, and especially those who died, while serving their country in the air war of 1939-1945.
Of the more than 131,000 trainees who graduated in Canada under the Commonwealth Air Training Plan, New Zealanders formed more than 5%. Many of these young men together with fellow Australian’s, passed through Brandon before going on to serve in Europe and elsewhere. Sadly many never did return home.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Robert Laurence Binyon (1869-1943)
Right hand downwind for landing runway 26 at Brandon (CYBR)
This sign is reminiscent of the number of dance halls established during the Second World War especially where there were large numbers of military service personnel. This sign was located in Brandon and used in the movie, “For the Moment” starring Australian actor Russel Crow and Christine Hirt.
Old photo of a bevy of Brandon beauties entertaining off duty aircrew trainees
A selection of aircraft types used to train WW2 aircrew at Brandon
George Eaton, like so many airmen during WW2, was just 22 years when the Lancaster in which he was the bomb aimer, was was shot down over Germany in December 1944. This was the ‘38 Dodge he bought before signing up for the war and training at Brandon. An only child, George's parents kept the car that is now part of the museum’s collection and a tribute to the many who never returned home.
North American Harvard, the same type of trainer in which Bazflyer1 completed pilot training 50 years ago.
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