Saunders Park is an urban park in Halifax,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. It is located in

West End, Halifax The West End is a neighbourhood of Halifax Regional Municipality in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located on the western half of the Halifax Peninsula. The West End is predominantly middle class with man ...

on Chebucto Road at the site of the now defunct Halifax Civic Airport (on west side of Connaught Avenue between Bayers Road and Chebucto Road), the city's first aerodrome built on the former Bluebell Farm in 1931. The airfield had two grass airstrips, initially at 1800 x 600 feet and 2000 x 600 feet and extended by 200 and 250 respectively in 1938. It operated until 1941 when the land was converted to an army base and civil airport operations were moved to Dartmouth Airport (now

CFB Shearwater Shearwater Heliport , formerly known as Canadian Forces Base Shearwater and commonly referred to as CFB Shearwater and formerly named HMCS ''Shearwater'', is a Canadian Forces facility located east-southeast of Shearwater, Nova Scotia, on the ...

) and then to

Halifax International Airport Halifax Stanfield International Airport is a Canadian airport in Goffs, Nova Scotia, a rural community of the Halifax Regional Municipality. It serves the Halifax region, mainland Nova Scotia, and adjacent areas in the neighbouring Maritime pr ...

in 1960. The hangars and terminal building were located near the present day park along Connaught Avenue. The park serves the neighbourhood of

Westmount Westmount () is a city on the Island of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is an enclave of the city of Montreal, with a population of 19,658 as of the 2021 Canadian census. Westmount is home to schools, an arena, a pool, a public li ...

. The park is named after Donald Saunders whose contribution to aviation in Halifax is explained on a plaque under the memorial sculpture in the park:

"This park was created for the citizens of Halifax and is named Saunders Park to commemorate the life work of a pioneer in Canadian aviation. Wing Commander Donald W. Saunders was associated with the development of aviation in the Halifax area for many years. He was instructor to the Halifax Flying Club from 1928 to 1937, served with the Royal Flying Corps in the War of 1914-1918 and with the Royal Canadian Air Force in World War II. From 1931-1937 Wing Commander Saunders was Manager of the Halifax Municipal Airport. This park is located on a portion of the old airport. During the War of 1939-1945 this area was occupied by Military District Number Six Depot, Canadian Army."

Image:Saunders-Park plaque.jpg, Plaque at Saunders Park Image:Saunders-Park today.jpg, Saunders Park, showing today's roads and housing

References

External links

History of Westmount Park and Chebucto Field
{{authority control Parks in Halifax, Nova Scotia Defunct airports in Nova Scotia