The Aircraft Identity Corps was a Canadian

civil defence Civil defense or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from human-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency management: prevention, mitigation, preparation, response, ...

organization operating between 1940 and 1945. The corps' mission was to report suspicious aircraft and guard against German, Japanese, and Italian attack. The use of observers was deemed important because

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

was not yet in widespread use. It was rebuilt as the Long Range Air Raid Warning System in 1950. The Aircraft Identity Corps was formed in 1940 by Air Vice Marshal George Croil for service during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. By the war's end in 1945 it had over 30,000 members. Among the corps' responsibilities was a system of 266 observation posts extending from the Sault Ste. Marie locks in northern Michigan to

Hudson Bay Hudson Bay, sometimes called Hudson's Bay (usually historically), is a large body of Saline water, saltwater in northeastern Canada with a surface area of . It is located north of Ontario, west of Quebec, northeast of Manitoba, and southeast o ...

, to protect the strategically important locks against a possible long-range German air attack. The joint US and Canadian defence of these locks was coordinated by the US Army's Central Defense Command. In the then-separate

Dominion of Newfoundland Newfoundland was a British dominion in eastern North America, today the modern Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It included the island of Newfoundland, and Labrador on the continental mainland. Newfoundland was one of the orig ...

, there was an

Aircraft Detection Corps Newfoundland The Aircraft Detection Corps Newfoundland was created by the Commission of Government of the Dominion of Newfoundland. Aircraft Detection Corps Newfoundland was an all-volunteer civilian unit meant to observe for suspicious planes and ships. Som ...

. At the behest of the

Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...

(RCAF), the Commissioner of Defence for Newfoundland,

L. E. Emerson Sir Lewis Edward Emerson (May 12, 1890 – May 19, 1949) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Dominion of Newfoundland, Newfoundland. He represented Placentia East from 1928 to 1932 and St. John's East (provincial electoral district), ...

, amalgamated the Aircraft Detection Corps Newfoundland with the Canadian Aircraft Detection Corps. On March 15, 1942, Emerson circulated a communiqué stating the "Aircraft Detection Corps Newfoundland" would be organized by the RCAF as a unit of the Canadian Aircraft Identity Corps. One of the letter's recipients was Newfoundland public figure P. W. Crummey, an Aircraft Detection Corps Newfoundland volunteer. Attached to the communique was a letter from Flight Lieutenant H. H. Graham, commanding officer of Torbay Airport, No. 1 Group RCAF, St. John's; glossaries of airplanes and ships; an identity card; and procedural instructions. At war's end, Aircraft Identity Corps volunteers in Canada and the Dominion of Newfoundland received a brass Volunteer Aircraft Observer button and certificate of thanks from Canada's

Department of National Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...

. Some Aircraft Detection Corps Newfoundland volunteers qualified for the United Kingdom's Defence Medal.

References

{{Reflist Ground-based air defence observation corps Air force units and formations of Canada Military units and formations of Canada in World War II Military units and formations established in 1940 Military units and formations disestablished in 1943

See also

References