RCAF Station Pearce, or RCAF Aerodrome Pearce or BCATP Station Pearce, was a

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

training air station of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP). It was located northeast of

Fort Macleod Fort Macleod ( ) is a town in southern Alberta, Canada. It was originally named Macleod to distinguish it from the North-West Mounted Police barracks (Fort Macleod, built 1874) it had grown around. The fort was named in honour of the then Commiss ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...

History

World War II

The Pearce aerodrome was the home of three training schools: No. 36 Elementary Flying Training School (EFTS), a

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

school which operated from March to August 1942 (flying Tiger Moths and

Stearman Stearman is a surname. Notable people with the name include: * Lloyd Stearman (1898–1975), American aviation pioneer * Richard Stearman (born 1987), English footballer * William Stearman (1813–1846) English cricketer * William L. Stearman (b ...

s); No. 3 Air Observer School (AOS) (using Ansons), which operated from September 1942 to June 1943; and No. 2 Flying Instructor School (FIS), which flew Cornells,

Cranes Crane or cranes may refer to: Common meanings * Crane (bird), a large, long-necked bird * Crane (machine), industrial machinery for lifting ** Crane (rail), a crane suited for use on railroads People and fictional characters * Crane (surname), ...

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s, Finchs, Harvards,

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Tiger Moth The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary trainer aircraft. ...

s and Ansons. No. 2 FIS operated from May 1943 to January 1945, having moved from Vulcan.

Aerodrome information

In approximately 1942 the aerodrome was listed at with a variation of 23 degrees east and elevation of . Three runways were listed as follows:

Postwar

In 1945, after the end of the war in the Pacific,

Avro Lancaster The Avro Lancaster is a British World War II, Second World War heavy bomber. It was designed and manufactured by Avro as a contemporary of the Handley Page Halifax, both bombers having been developed to the same specification, as well as the S ...

bombers which the RCAF intended to be used against Japan as part of the

Tiger Force (air) Tiger Force, also known as the Very Long Range Bomber Force, was the name given to a World War II British Commonwealth long-range heavy bomber force, formed in 1945, from squadrons serving with RAF Bomber Command in Europe, for proposed use again ...

were flown to Pearce for storage and dispersal. According to one source, 83 Lancasters arrived at the airfield on a single afternoon in September, with many of their pilots putting on an impromptu airshow before landing their aircraft for the last time.Dave O'Malley, "Last call for the Avro Lancaster: From Tiger Force to derelict on the Alberta prairie", Mar 13 2014, http://www.rcaf-arc.forces.gc.ca/en/news-template-standard.page?doc=last-call-for-the-avro-lancaster-from-tiger-force-to-derelict-on-the-alberta-prairie/hspruu8s The aerodrome is still visible today; however, all of the structures from the old station have been removed. A memorial cairn has been installed at the site of the original guard house to inform visitors of the station's history.

References

BCATP Information from Bombercrew.com
Retrieved April 4, 2011

Retrieved April 4, 2011

Retrieved April 4, 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Pearce Pearce Pearce Pearce Military airbases in Alberta Military history of Alberta 1940s establishments in Alberta Military installations closed in the 1940s