Armour Heights Field was home to a

Royal Flying Corps The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...

airfield in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Canada during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and was one of three in the area. Many RFC (later,

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

) pilots trained in Canada due to space availability. The airfield was opened in July 1917, but closed in 1919 as the war had ended. It was later developed as a

residential development A residential area is a land used in which housing predominates, as opposed to industrial and commercial areas. Housing may vary significantly between, and through, residential areas. These include single-family housing, multi-family resident ...

and remains as such today. In 1917, an airfield was constructed near the site of the present Avenue Road and Route 401 interchange, and early the following year, the

School of Special Flying A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...

opened. Student pilots received instruction on the basics of flight,

aerial reconnaissance Aerial reconnaissance is reconnaissance for a military or Strategy, strategic purpose that is conducted using reconnaissance aircraft. The role of reconnaissance can fulfil a variety of requirements including Artillery observer, artillery spott ...

and

aerial combat Aerial warfare is the use of military aircraft and other flying machines in warfare. Aerial warfare includes bombers attacking enemy installations or a concentration of enemy troops or strategic targets; fighter aircraft battling for contro ...

. However, the school had a short life as it closed around the time the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

was signed, on November 11, 1918. The airfield had six hangars and a smaller structure housing offices. In 1919, Bishop-Barker Airplanes Limited, founded by World War I Royal Flying Corps veterans William "Billy" Bishop and

William Barker William Barker may refer to: Politicians *William Barker (translator) ( 1570), English translator and MP for Great Yarmouth and Bramber *William Barker (MP for Berkshire) (died 1685), English Member of Parliament for Berkshire * Sir William Barker ...

, took over the

aerodrome An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes inc ...

. This business venture offered a charter services, aircraft sales and maintenance company, but was also short-lived and closed in 1921, and one of Canada's busiest airfields at the time was simply abandoned. Evidence of the field's tarmac was still visible until late 2015 on Ravenhill Road, but was paved over shortly after. This was the last piece of visual evidence of the aerodrome's existence. The site is now the

Canadian Forces College The Canadian Forces College (CFC) is a military staff college for senior and general officers of the Canadian Armed Forces. It provides graduate-level military education courses designed to develop leadership abilities within the Canadian Forces ...

, which teaches the Command and Staff courses to officers of all three service branches. The only remnant of the

days is the stone building currently housing the Armour Heights Officers Mess, a Tudor-Revival home built in 1914 by George and Moorhouse Architects for

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

Frederick Burton Robins (1866-1948), Honorary Colonel of the

Toronto Scottish Regiment The Toronto Scottish Regiment (Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother's Own) is a Primary Reserve infantry regiment of the Canadian Army based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The regiment was first formed in 1915 as the 75th (Mississauga) Battalion, CEF, ...

and real estate developer.http://canadianorangehistoricalsite.com/ThomasKaiser.php
/ref> Robins had acquired the land from family of original settler John Armour, for whom the area is now named.

References

External links

Bruce Forsyth's Military History Page
{{authority control Defunct airports in Ontario Royal Flying Corps airfields

See also

References

External links