CFB Borden


Canadian Forces Base Borden, formerly RCAF Station Borden, is a Canadian Forces base located in Ontario. The historic birthplace of the Royal Canadian Air Force, CFB Borden is home to the largest training wing in the Canadian Armed Forces. The base is run by Canadian Forces Support Training Group and reports to the Canadian Defence Academy in Kingston.

History

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. It was named for Sir Frederick William Borden, former Minister of Militia. In May 1916, the Barrie and Collingwood companies of the 157th Battalion, CEF, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel D.H. MacLaren, began construction of the camp. Camp Borden was selected in 1917 for a military aerodrome, becoming the first flying station of the Royal Flying Corps Canada.
During the inter-war period, the aerodrome was used as the training location for the nascent Royal Canadian Air Force and was renamed RCAF Station Borden. Camp Borden's training grounds were expanded in 1938 to house the Canadian Tank School. The Siskins were a RCAF aerobatic flying team that was established in 1929 at Camp Borden.
During the Second World War, both Camp Borden and RCAF Station Borden became the most important training facility in Canada, housing both army training and flight training, the latter under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. The BCATP's No. 1 Service Flying Training School was located here until 1946. Relief landing fields were located at Alliston and Edenvale. A third landing field, known locally as Leach's Field, was operated by Camp Borden from the 1920s to the 1950s. The L-shaped airstrip was rudimentary; the "runways" at Leach's Field utilized the existing ground surface. It was primarily used for touch-and-go flying.
fire house, Camp Borden, Ontario
at Camp Borden in 1916
During the Cold War, Borden's importance as an RCAF facility in Ontario declined in favour of CFB Trenton, CFB Uplands and CFB North Bay. However, its use as an army facility stayed consistent until 1970 when a major reorganization of the combat arms' schools resulted in the transfer of the Infantry School and Armoured School to CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick. On the other hand, numerous "purple" schools were established or expanded from existing service training establishments, including the Canadian Forces School of Administration and Logistics, the School of Aerospace Ordnance Engineering and the Canadian Forces Health Service Training Centre. The February 1, 1968 unification of the RCAF with the Royal Canadian Navy and the Canadian Army resulted in the creation of the Canadian Forces. The military facilities consisting of Camp Borden and RCAF Station Borden were grouped under a new name, Canadian Forces Base Borden. The aerodrome was closed in 1970 and the base saw use as a regular and reserve training facility for Canadian Forces Land Force Command, as well as hosting various land-based training courses for Canadian Forces Air Command.
In a 1990s reorganization of the Canadian Forces following the end of the Cold War, CFB Borden's air force training facilities were grouped under the name 16 Wing Borden. The eight surviving Royal Flying Corps hangars at the base have been designated a National Historic Site of Canada.

Plaque

The Ontario Heritage Foundation, Ministry of Culture and Recreation erected a plaque in 1976.

Activities and facilities

Although originally an air force training base, CFB Borden is now a training base for several elements of the Canadian Forces:
In approximately 1942, the aerodrome was listed at with a variation of 8 degrees west and elevation of. Three runways were listed as follows:
Runway NameLengthWidthSurface
5/23Hard surfaced
11/29Hard surfaced
18/36Hard surfaced

At some point after the Second World War, runway 11/29 was abandoned and the other two runways were shortened. Just prior to 2004, the runways were listed as follows:
Runway NameLength
5/23
18/36

In 2004, the decision was made to close the remaining runways to all aircraft other than helicopters. Only the taxiway and a small section of runway 05/23 remain today. A helicopter pad is still active at the base of the former runway.

Units

The main units of Canadian Forces Base Borden are:

Integral

The aircraft control tower is dedicated to the memory of Royal Flying Corps Cadet James Harold Talbot. Talbot became the first fatality at Camp Borden when his Curtiss J.N.4 'Jenny' aeroplane crashed on April 8, 1917. 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. Worthington Park, a part of the Base Borden Military Museum complex, is named after Major-General F. F. Worthington, the father of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps. General Worthington is buried in Worthington Park.

Air shows

On specific days, the CFB Borden organised air shows. For example:
The Building O-102 at CFB Borden was recognized as a federal heritage building in 1995. Constructed in 1948 to plans prepared in 1945, Building O-102 is associated with the massive construction and modernization program undertaken by the Department of National Defence at the end of WWII.

Architecture

CFB Borden has several Federal Heritage buildings on the Register of the Government of Canada Heritage Buildings: