This instruction was provided on a contract basis and the OAC remained under the control of the Province of Ontario.

The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan was a temporary wartime measure scheduled to end on 29 March 1945.

[2] The school actually closed on 12 January 1945, when an air force transition team took over, and on 22 February 1945 the RCAF formally withdrew and returned the campus to the OAC.

[note 3] The establishment of the station caused a political controversy that was widely reported on in the Toronto and Guelph daily newspapers, and farm publications in Ontario.

On 28 February 1941 the Premier of Ontario, Mr. Mitchell Hepburn, announced the gift of OAC to the federal government for the war effort.

[5] A debate ensued and on 7 March 1941 the legislature voted for a compromise that would keep the OAC open for classes while permitting the RCAF to use the campus for No.

[6] The RCAF would get the dormitories and instructors it wanted and the OAC and OVC could continue, although their students would have to live off-campus.

Eventually facilities for 1,500 RCAF personnel were made and included police and fire services, motor transport, hospital and post office.

[9] Russell neglected to mention topics like aircraft identification, aircraft radio equipment used by the RAF and RCAF, radio troubleshooting and repair, and that students were expected to learn skeet shooting, how to swim and how to right a capsized dinghy.

The most important wireless signaling skill was proficiency in Morse Code; the airmen were expected to send and receive at 18 words per minute.

The day began with physical training and they were also expected to perform duties such as cleaning dormitories and moving heating coal about the campus.

Hundreds of members of the public toured the dormitories, hospital and kitchens, and watched demonstrations of wireless signalling, first aid, and cooking.

In November 1942 the process was: Near the end of Wireless School trainees[note 6] moved out of the classroom and began to practise signalling in aircraft.

This phase lasted several weeks and consisted of message transmission, signalling, and direction finding (DF) during local and cross-country flights.

[note 7][14] In the beginning they were bussed from Guelph to Burtch on a daily basis; but some time later a permanent camp was built there.

4 WS from many lands including Canada, Newfoundland, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Trinidad, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the United States.

Some of the top trainees in each class elected to become Navigators and moved on to Air Observer School (AOS).

[note 8] By the time the school closed, between 5,000 and 5,800 wireless operators had passed through its doors and of these well over 1,000 died in service.

162 Squadron RCAF operated Canso aircraft on anti-submarine patrols from various locations including RAF Wick, Scotland.

On 13 June 1944 Canso 9816 attacked and sank U-boat [U-715] 200 miles north of the Shetland Islands.

The Canso was damaged during the attack, made a forced landed on the sea and was abandoned by the crew.

They were rescued by flying boat eight hours after the forced landing, but three of their number perished before help arrived.

[note 9] The class size was 18 and the course lasted 4 or 5 weeks, with Professor Hugh D. Branion and Miss Jesse Lambden of the OAC in charge.

[20] The purpose of the school was to provide people who were skilled in preparing highly nutritious meals, making efficient use of rations, and who understood the RCAF diet.

Thousands of technicians were required to install and maintain radar sets in aircraft and ground stations.

The RCAF began sending airmen to the OAC in June 1941 for theoretical training in electronics, radio, and radar.

The class size was 75 and the course lasted 13 weeks with Professor W. C. Blackwood of the Physics Department in charge.

6 Manning Depot in Toronto and on 2 January 1942 left for duty at RCAF Station Uplands.

She was part of the last class of airwomen wireless operators trained by the RCAF in World War 2.

The auditorium on the second floor of Ryan's offered dancing to live music on Wednesdays and Fridays.