They were the first purpose-built military aircraft hangars in Canada, and they are now the oldest example of this type of construction in our country. For more than eight decades, Canada's Air Force personnel have worked, paraded, taught, learned and even played within their walls. Under their characteristic bowed roofs, four generations of Airmen and Airwomen have contributed to the conception, the birth, the nurturing and to all the development phases of a national Air Force in Canada. They are the Royal Flying Corps hangars of Camp Borden, and while their proud past is well documented and appreciated, their future may not be so promising.

In a previous issue of the magazine Airforce ("Borden Hangars Commemorated", Fall 2002), the Borden hangars were brought in the limelight following the unveiling of a plaque from the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. The plaque, now mounted on a block of granite in front of one of the hangars, identifies the hangar line as a National Historic Site. As this recognition elevates Borden's hangars to the same level as historic Louisburg and the Citadelle de Québec, the story may have left the Air Force community with the impression that the hangars had gained some kind of financial or legal protection in the process. It is not the case. In fact, three of the eight remaining hangars are in very poor condition and are now being considered for demolition.

Unfortunately, the recognition given to the 1917 hangar line provided neither the funding nor any mechanism to obtain the extraordinary funding necessary to its maintenance and preservation. Among the many historic places in Canada, only the National Historic Sites operated and maintained by Parks Canada are legally protected. Those managed by other departments (including DND) enjoy limited protection only through Treasury Board policy. Given the high costs associated with preserving these old buildings and the limited funds available at base level for the maintenance of infrastructures, it is quite possible that one of Canada's national treasures will soon become a much smaller National Historic Site.

An important point that was left out of the "Borden Hangars Commemorated" story is the fact that even though the commemorative plaque was unveiled in 2002, the designation as a National Historic Site actually took place in 1989, when there were 11 hangars left standing. Three hangars were taken down in the early 1990s even though they had been designated individually as "Classified Federal Heritage Buildings" in 1987, and collectively as a National Historic Site in 1989.

Whether the entire hangar line should be restored to its original state or only a few hangars preserved, it is not the mandate of 16 Wing or Canadian Forces Base Borden to advocate any one specific solution. As a training base, Borden's primary responsibility is the training of personnel in support of Canadian Forces operations at home and abroad, and no one would dare suggest the reallocation of already stretched training resources or funds to the preservation of historic buildings, no matter how important they are.

Yet as the custodian of Air Force heritage in Borden, it is certainly the ethical responsibility of the members of 16 Wing to raise awareness about the situation, particularly among the Air Force community. With its designation as a National Historic Site, the Borden hangar line is now a national asset. Therefore, its future should be of a national concern. In the end, the funding necessary to its preservation should be a national problem that calls for a national solution.

MWO Norm Marion
16 Wing HQ
PO Box 1000, Stn Main
CFB Borden
Borden, ON
L0M 1C0

RFC Hangar Exterior 1940 - Avro Anson
(click for larger image)

RFC Hangar Exterior 1923 - First CAF pilots
(click for larger image)

RFC Hangar Line - Aerial 1917
(click for larger image)

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