There are so many great museums in our country to visit, especially here on the prairies. Museums like the Military Museum of Alberta, The RCMP Heritage Centre in Regina, and Human Rights Museum in Winnipeg are just a few that come to mind. However, there is a museum in Brandon, MB that is a must see especially if you had relatives in World War Two.
The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum (BCATP) is located on the northern edge of Brandon at McGill Field, which is the municipal airport in the wheat city. The museum houses several World War Two era planes, vehicles, and technology that pilots and personnel used while training. Aircraft such as the Tiger Moth, the Cornell, the Fleet Finch, and Harvard are all on display along with vintage fire trucks, runway clearing equipment, and uniforms pilots would wear. The museum gives visitors the ability to sit in one of the planes to see what it was like for many of these pilots and to gain an understanding of the technology that these pilots would use. Some of the technology was pretty crude, but some was also very innovative for the time.
Besides Canadians, men from the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand would come to Canada and learn to become pilots before being sent to airfields on the war front. There were several BCATP fields built across the prairies near small communities where pilots would earn their wings. Places Like Brandon, MB, Davidson, SK, and Mossbank, SK are just a few of the locations that were home to training facilities. The BCATP Museum historians have done a great job collecting information on many of the people who trained at the bases and have put together an amazing book on those who lost their lives while flying. There’s even a chapel located in the museum with pews, a vintage organ, and stories of how religion played an important part in the lives of these pilots.
The BCATP was a massive project in Canada with over 8,300 buildings built, 799 of which were hangers. Over 26 million gallons of fuel storage, 300 miles of water and sewer infrastructure, 2000 miles of power lines, and 535 miles of underground electrical cable were all constructed at the various bases around the country. The museum in Brandon is located in Hanger 1 in what was known as No. 12 Service Flying Training School, which was built in 1940 and completed in 1941. The base was decommissioned after the war in 1945 and the museum was opened in 1981.
Whether you’re a history enthusiast, had family in the war, or just someone who wants to know more about the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, this museum is really worth checking out and supporting.
