The plan to train Commonwealth pilots and aircrew on Canadian soil from 1939-1945 was a critical component to the Allied victory in the Second World War. As part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), Canada graduated 131,553 men from training stations across the country. This thesis examines the experience of two British Columbia communities, Delta and Abbotsford, as hosts to BCATP stations. It concludes that both sites experienced a profound social and economic impact as a result of their role in training pilots and aircrew. Hosting a training station meant an immediate influx of jobs, infrastructure, money and excitement. In addition, the airfields left behind after the war ended still exist today as viable economic entities in their communities and as valuable hubs in Canada’s aviation network. / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:uvic.ca/oai:dspace.library.uvic.ca:1828/3883 |
| Date | 16 April 2012 |
| Creators | Richdale, Ryan |
| Contributors | Zimmerman, David |
| Source Sets | University of Victoria |
| Language | English, English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | Available to the World Wide Web |
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