At the height of the First World War, the Borden Military Camp opened at a location on a glacial moraine west of Barrie in 1916 to train units for the Canadian Expeditionary Force.

Although this training had ended, the CAF continued, reorganized, and eventually evolved into the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).

[5][6][7] Camp Borden's training grounds were expanded in 1938 to house the Canadian Tank School.

The L-shaped airstrip was rudimentary; the "runways" at Leach's Field utilized the existing ground surface.

The eight surviving Royal Flying Corps hangars at the base have been designated a National Historic Site of Canada.

Camp Borden was established during the First World War as a major training centre of Canadian Expeditionary Force battalions.

The Camp (including this structure) was officially opened by Sir Sam Hughes, Minister of Militia and Defence, on July 11, 1916, after two months of intensive building.

Training facilities were expanded in 1917 with the institution of an air training programme under the Royal Flying Corps, Canada, and the construction of the first Canadian military aerodrome, regarded as the finest military aviation camp in North America.

The main units of Canadian Forces Base Borden are:[18] The aircraft control tower is dedicated to the memory of Royal Flying Corps Cadet James Harold Talbot.

The Air Force Annex of the Base Borden Military Museum is dedicated in memory of First World War Victoria Cross recipient Lieutenant Alan Arnett McLeod, the youngest Canadian airman to receive the award.