SASKATCHEWAN

15 Wing Moose Jaw:

Originally opened on 1 June 1941 as No. 32 Service Flying Training School. Relief Landing Fields were also constructed near Buttress and Burdick. By the time the school closed 17 October 1944, 1,207 pilots had graduated. RCAF Detachments Buttress and Burdick were abandoned.

No. 2 Reserve Equipment and Maintenance Unit occupied the aerodrome until it closed in 1947. The aerodrome then became a civilian airport, but the Department of National Defence retained control of the property.

The post-war growth of the RCAF resulted in many WWII stations being re-activated. In July 1952 RCAF Station Moose Jaw re-opened as the new home of No. 2 Flying Training School, which re-located to the station from RCAF Station Gimli.

In 1964, RCAF Station Moose Jaw became the first all-jet training station with the arrival of the Canadian-built CT-114 Tutor jets, an aircraft still flown by 431 Air Demonstration Squadron, “The Sonwbirds”.

As part of the Unification, the station was re-named Canadian Forces Base Moose Jaw.

The end of the Cold War in 1991 placed that future of CFB Moose Jaw in doubt, but the base, re-named 15 Wing Moose Jaw in 1993, did survive.

Today, 15 Wing Moose Jaw is the home of the NATO Flying Training Centre, established in July 2000, whose mandate is to train pilots not only for Canada, but for her NATO allies and friendly, non-NATO countries.

On 27 May 2004, members of the Air Force Association of Canada and 15 Wing unveiled a plaque honouring the men and women who served at No. 32 SFTS.

The former RCAF Detachment Burdick is now the Moose Jaw Municipal Airport, a small general aviation airport.

Source Material: 15 Wing web site – www.moosejaw.dnd.ca.

17 Wing Detachment Dundurn:

Originally opened in 1929 as a militia summer camp.  Soldiers were quartered in tents until the construction of permanent buildings as an Unemployment Relief Effort in 1933, under the direction of Captain (later Major-General) Chris Volkes.

Shooting ranges, an airstrip and 45 permanent buildings were built along with roads, railway spurs and several bridges. A field post office was set up the following year.

During World War II, Camp Dundurn became a major training centre and transit point for personnel going overseas.

The RCAF also built a bombing range at the camp and the Canadian Womens’ Army Corps established one of its first units in Canada at Camp Dundurn .

A27 Canadian Armoured Corps Training Centre re-located to Camp Dundurn on 28 January 1942 from Camp Borden. The school was re-named A27 Canadian Reconnaissance Training Centre.

The camp became a transit and holding area for troops awaiting demobilization immediately after the war. 1947: No. 6 OAD (Ordinance Ammunition Depot) was formed.

Although A27 CRTC closed in March 1945, the camp was used as a demobilization centre for returning soldiers.

No. 6 Ordinance Ammunition Depot was formed at the camp in 1947 and Permanent Married Quarters were constructed.  The ammunition magazines were expanded to become a full ammunition compound.

In the early to mid 1960s, a reorganization and consolidation occurred within the Canadian Military. Several Army, Navy and RCAF bases were either downsized, merged or closed. As a result, Camp Dundurn was downsized to a detachment of CFB Moose Jaw in 1966. No. 6 Ordinance Ammunition Depot was re-named Canadian Forces Ammunition Depot Dundurn.

Today the camp, now a detachment of 17 Wing Winnipeg, continues to serve as the home of Canadian Forces Ammunition Depot Dundurn, a training area and rifle ranges.

The Detachment has a complement of around 200 permanent personnel, with activity peaking in the summer when cadet and reserve army units arrive for extended training exercises.  The Canadian Forces Housing Agency still maintains 28 PMQs (now called Residential Housing Units) for military members.

The camp and training areas encompass 82, 000 acres and around 50 buildings, with CFAD Dundurn being the main lodger unit.  Other units include 23 Health Services and 13 Military Police Flight.

Source Material: information supplied by Will Chaburn, Member Regina Chapter, Canadian Aviation Historical Society (2001), CF Det Dundurn Detachment Fire Service web site – http://www.geocities.com/platoontwo, History of the Air Cadets Glider Training web site – http://www.mts.net/~rgspra/hist.html, information supplied by the Canadian Forces Housing Agency (2011), 17 Wing Detachment Dundurn web site – http://www.cg.cfpsa.ca/cg-pc/dundurn/en/informationandfaq/Pages/default.aspx, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CFD_Dundurn & the Town of Dundurn web site – http://sesd.sk.ca/dundurn/town/default.htm.