RCAF Station Fingal was a Second World War British Commonwealth Air Training Plan

British Commonwealth Air Training Plan

The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan , known in some countries as the Empire Air Training Scheme , was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, during the Second World War...

 (BCATP) station located near Fingal

Fingal, Ontario

Fingal is a community near the north shore of Lake Erie 25 km west of St. Thomas Ontario, located within the township of Southwold in Elgin County. RCAF Station Fingal was a major centre for air force training at a large base during WW2, also Fingal has a variety store, a tire shop....

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It was operated and administered by the Royal Canadian Air Force

Royal Canadian Air Force

The history of the Royal Canadian Air Force begins in 1920, when the air force was created as the Canadian Air Force . In 1924 the CAF was renamed the Royal Canadian Air Force and granted royal sanction by King George V. The RCAF existed as an independent service until 1968...

 (RCAF).

Fingal hosted No. 4 Bomber and Gunnery School (No. 4 B&GS), which trained bomb aimers and air gunners. The school opened November 25, 1940 and closed February 17, 1945. Aircraft used included the Fairey Battle

Fairey Battle

The Fairey Battle was a British single-engine light bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company in the late 1930s for the Royal Air Force. The Battle was powered by the same Rolls-Royce Merlin piston engine that gave contemporary British fighters high performance; however, the Battle was weighed...

, Northrop Nomad, Westland Lysander

Westland Lysander

The Westland Lysander was a British army co-operation and liaison aircraft produced by Westland Aircraft used immediately before and during the Second World War...

, Bristol Bolingbroke and Avro Anson

Avro Anson

The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was...

.Flight Ontario BCATP Schools - Fingal Retrieved 2009-11-02 Bombing ranges were located near Melbourne

Melbourne, Ontario

Melbourne is a small community located within Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada. It lies on the boundary between two municipalities, Strathroy-Caradoc and Southwest Middlesex. About half the population of Melbourne lives in each municipality....

, Frome, Tempo

Tempo, Ontario

Tempo, Ontario is a former neighbourhood in London, Ontario, just South of Lambeth. Tempo no longer goes by Tempo, just London. Its residents usually call the area "South of the 401 overpass"....

, and Dutton

Dutton, Ontario

Dutton, Ontario is a community in the Township of Dutton/Dunwich, Elgin County, Ontario, Canada. Dutton is located southwest of St. Thomas.Originally part of Dunwich Township, Dutton was originally called Bennettville, then Lisgar. When the Canada Southern Railway was built in 1872, the station...

. There was also a bombing range on Lake Erie

Lake Erie

Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...

. A marine unit was based in Port Stanley

Port Stanley, Ontario

Port Stanley is a community in the Municipality of Central Elgin, Ontario, Elgin County, located on the north shore of Lake Erie at the mouth of Kettle Creek.-History:...

.Bruce Forsythe's Military History Page.No. 4 Bombing and Gunnery School Retrieved 2009-11-02