RCAF Station Jarvis
| RCAF Station Jarvis | |
|---|---|
The site of No. 1 B&GS in 2014.
|
|
| Active | 19 August 1940 – 17 February 1945 |
| Country | Canada  
|
| Branch |
Royal Canadian Air Force .svg){kind=small}
|
| Role |
British Commonwealth Air Training Plan Aircrew training |
| Part of | No. 1 Training Command |
| Schools | No. 1 Bombing and Gunnery School |
| Station Magazine | The Fly Paper |
| Commanders | |
| G/C | G. E. Wait - 1940 |
| W/C | W. F. Hanna - 1942 |
| G/C | A. D. Bell-Irving, MC - 1942 |
| W/C | W. Peace, DFC - 1943 |
| G/C | W. J. McFarlane - 1944 |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Trainer |
Avro Anson Fairey Battle Westland Lysander Bristol Bolingbroke North American Yale North American Harvard |
Coordinates: 42°49′44″N 080°02′39″W / 42.82889°N 80.04417°W
Royal Canadian Air Force Station Jarvis was a Second World War British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) station located near Jarvis, Ontario. The station was home to No. 1 Bombing and Gunnery School and is usually known by that name. Bombing and Gunnery schools trained Air Gunners, Wireless Air Gunners, Air Observers, Air Bombers, and Navigator-Bomb Aimers. These airmen served as aircrew on bombers and maritime patrol aircraft.
The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan was a temporary wartime measure that ended on 29 March 1945. No. 1 B&GS opened 19 August 1940 and closed on 17 February 1945. During this time 6,500 airmen were trained at Jarvis.
Like most of the BCATP airfields, the station at Jarvis was located in a sparsely populated rural area close to rail lines and highways. Like the other Bombing and Gunnery Schools, a body of water was nearby, in this case Lake Erie, which provided space for bombing and gunnery ranges.
In 1934 American Airlines built an emergency landing strip six kilometres southeast of Jarvis. This airstrip included a beacon light, radio range, and radio operator. The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) used this airfield as the site for No. 1 B&GS.
Construction of the airfield and facilities was overlapped with the start up of training operations. Contractors arrived on the site on 11 April 1940, followed by an advance party of airmen on 25 July 1940. The first six aircraft, Fairey Battles, flew in on 9 August 1940, and just ten days later the school opened with a class of 39 air observer trainees. Initial construction continued until early 1941.
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