British Commonwealth Air Training Plan artifact found.

Report and Photos by Wes Krause
President, CAHS Medicine Hat
posted April 2023
At the Municipal Airport in Medicine Hat Alberta a very important Second World War artifact was discovered and needs attention.  This artifact has come to attention of the Medicine Chapter of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society last year and efforts were undertaken to promote its preservation and relocation.

Background:

In December 1939 Canada entered into an agreement with England, known as The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), to develop an extensive aircrew training program for the Royal Air Force, hosted in Canada. The Royal Canadian Air Force coordinated and organized the instructors and selected locations across Canada suitable as training bases. Over 130,000 crewmen and women from every commonwealth country including England, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United States, South Africa, Poland, France and The Netherlands were housed, fed, and trained at these sites between 1939 and 1945.

Medicine Hat was selected for No. 34 Service Flying Training School, opening as a Royal Air Force school on April 8, 1941. This base was located at the present site of the Medicine Hat Municipal Airport. The facility featured large hangars and dozens of ancillary buildings. Sadly, there are very few reminders of that history left. But what remains is a very important artifact that needs our attention.

The artifact:

A wind vane which was erected at No. 34 S.F.T.S. in 1941 which is still on site at the Medicine Hat Municipal Airport, although it is hidden in a remote corner of the airport property. The wind vane was a critical component for flight training, as it indicated the direction of the wind at ground level. The vane is roughly shaped like an aircraft and mounted on a pedestal which allows the structure to rotate freely according to the wind. This worked in conjunction with an elevated Wind Sock that assisted pilots in determining wind effects during training.

Plea for help to the City of Medicine Hat:

This piece of history has survived for more than 75 years, and although it is showing its age, it is still largely complete in its structure. We recognize the importance of preserving and even highlighting this artifact and hope it could be restored and relocated as a monument to Medicine Hat’s contribution to the war effort of 1939 to 1945.

As a representative of the Medicine Hat Chapter of the Canadian Aviation Historical Society I ask if there is something that can be done, through the City of Medicine Hat and its numerous departments and committees, that would facilitate the preservation of this last remaining artifact of the air base.  There would be some restoration required in order to maintain its condition and to present a striking monument to those who served at No 34 S.F.T.S.

Information requested:

Shortly after this memo was forwarded to City of Medicine Hat volunteer Heritage Resources Working Group, considerable progress has been made in moving the project forward to achieve the aforementioned goals of preservation and relocation.  With all of this in mind we, The Medicine Hat Chapter, are asking CAHS members if they know of any resources we can access to provide more detailed information on the construction of the Wind Vane, or any other history pertaining to it.  Additionally, any suggestions of preservation techniques would also be helpful.
 
Thank you in advance.

Wes Krause
President
Medicine Hat Chapter
CAHS
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