Link to:
Commanding Officers | Photos & Maps | Sources
This site, on 640 acres of land east of Dauphin in the Rural Municipality of Dauphin, was the largest of its kind used for training of military personnel during the Commonwealth Air Training Plan of the Second World War. The base was sometimes referred to as Paulson Airport because it was serviced by a spur line from the Canadian National Railway, near a small siding to the south called Paulson. Chosen due to its close proximity to Lake Dauphin, near which bombing and gunnery practice took place, construction of the facility began in late 1940 and most buildings were completed by January 1941.
Six large aircraft hangars were erected by the Claydon Construction Company. Other nearby buildings included barracks and mess halls for officers and enlisted men and women; a 10-bed hospital; a dental clinic; garages and workshops, a recreation and dance hall, fire station, and stores. Two large concrete tanks held water for drinking and other uses, and a small sewage treatment plant was on the northern edge of the property. In the centre of the site was a parade ground. The total cost of construction was around $1.25 million. The Royal Canadian Air Force took command of the site from civilian contractors in early June 1941 and it achieved full operational status on 23 June 1941. In early November, electrical power to the site was provided by the Manitoba Power Commission.
The base operated 24 hours a day, with the first aircrew training classes beginning in late June 1941. Courses typically took 25-26 weeks for each cohort of pilots, gunners, and observers. The final classes received their wings on 2 February 1945 and the school closed a couple of weeks later. By April 1945, 150-200 personnel were transferred to other facilities. Eventually, nearly all buildings were sold and moved away, or were demolished. One of the building was moved to the site of Eclipse School for use as a schoolhouse.
At the time of a June 2015 site visit, the only remaining building was an Officers Mess, which had been moved from its original site for use as farmyard storage. Paved roads around the grounds were cracked and mostly overgrown with vegetation, although the concrete floors of the six hangars and a few buildings were still readily visible. Trees had grown through cracks in the paved runways, and the areas around the runways were mostly sown to agricultural crops. Sewer drains and water lines were still visible at several spots around the site.
Period
Commanding Officer
1941
Wing Commander W. I. Riddell
1941
Wing Commander R. F. Gibb (Acting)
1942-1943
Group Captain W. E. Dipple
1943-1945
Group Captain H. E. Stewart
1945
Squadron Leader H. C. Jewsbury (Acting)
Map of the No. 7 Bombing and Gunnery School, showing six aircraft hangars adjacent to a taxi strip, from which training aircraft could travel to any of three runways (July 1940)
Source: Richard Kutcher
Closeup map of the base infrastructure (July 1940)
Source: Richard Kutcher
Aerial view of the former hangar sites (June 2015)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Aerial view of the heavily treed former runways (June 2015)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Aerial view of a concrete riflery range at the north end of the facility (June 2015)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Former riflery stop butt at the north end of the facility (August 2021)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
Former sewage treatment plant at the north end of the facility (August 2021)
Source: Gordon Goldsborough
The former Officers Mess, the only major remaining building at the site (June 2015)
Source: Gordon GoldsboroughSite Coordinates (lat/long): N51.13406, W99.86553
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Manitoba Business: Claydon Brothers Construction Company / Claydon Construction Limited
Historic Sites of Manitoba: No. 1 Air Navigation School (Wheatland, Municipality of Riverdale)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: No. 1 Air Navigation School Monument (Municipality of Riverdale)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: No. 5 Air Observers School (Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: No. 3 Bombing and Gunnery School (Macdonald, RM of Portage la Prairie)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: No. 7 Bombing and Gunnery School (Paulson, RM of Dauphin)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: No. 14 Elementary Flying Training School / No. 7 Air Observers School / Southport Aerospace Centre (Southport, RM of Portage la Prairie)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: No. 19 Elementary Flying Training School (RM of Wallace-Woodworth)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: No. 26 Elementary Flying Training School (Municipality of North Cypress-Langford)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: No. 26 Elementary Flying Training School, Eden Relief Field / Eden Airport (RM of Rosedale)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: No. 10 Service Flying Training School / Barker Airport (RM of Dauphin)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: No. 10 Service Flying Training School, North Junction Relief Field (RM of Dauphin)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: No. 10 Service Flying Training School, Valley River Relief Field (RM of Dauphin)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: No. 12 Service Flying Training School / Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum (Brandon)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: No. 12 Service Flying Training School, Chater Relief Field / Chater Aerodrome (RM of Elton)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: No. 12 Service Flying Training School, Douglas Relief Field (Municipality of North Cypress-Langford)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: No. 17 Service Flying Training School (Municipality of Souris-Glenwood)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: No. 17 Service Flying Training School, Hartney Relief Field / Hartney Aerodrome (Municipality of Grassland)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: No. 18 Service Flying Training School / No. 2 Flying Training School / Canadian Forces Base Gimli / Gimli Industrial Park Airport (Municipality of Gimli)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: No. 18 Service Flying Training School, Netley Relief Field / Netley Field (RM of St. Andrews)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: No. 33 Service Flying Training School (Municipality of North Cypress-Langford)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: No. 33 Service Flying Training School, Oberon Relief Field / Oberon Aerodrome (Municipality of North Cypress-Langford)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: No. 33 Service Flying Training School, Petrel Relief Field / Petrel Aerodrome (Municipality of North Cypress-Langford)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: No. 3 Wireless School (500 Shaftesbury Boulevard, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Brandon Winter Fair Building / Brandon Arena / No. 2 Manning Depot (Eleventh Street, Brandon)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: No. 5 Release Centre / Jameswood Place South (Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: No. 8 Repair Depot / Jameswood Place (Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: No. 2 Equipment Depot / No. 7 Equipment Depot / Carpiquet Barracks (Notre Dame Avenue, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: First Flight Monument (Memorial Park, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Cardale Air Crash Monument (RM of Oakview)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church (Rorketon, RM of Lakeshore)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Abandoned Manitoba
“Biggest yet, Air School at Paulson opens,” Winnipeg Free Press, 23 June 1941, page 3.
“Paulson Air School opens,” Winnipeg Tribune, 24 June 1941, page 5.
“Victory Turrets: Paulson Gunners are active,” Winnipeg Free Press, 26 September 1941, page 1.
“Power ready for Paulson Air School,” Winnipeg Free Press, 31 October 1941, page 20.
“Joe-Jobs aid flying safety,” Winnipeg Free Press, 10 June 1942, page 3.
“Air School at Paulson wins Pennant Award,” Winnipeg Free Press, 7 November 1942, page 4.
“Stewart takes Command of Air Force School,” Winnipeg Free Press, 1 February 1943, page 11.
“7 Manitobans get Wings at Paulson Air School,” Winnipeg Free Press, 28 June 1943, page 5.
“Paulson Bombing School sets record,” Winnipeg Free Press, 3 August 1943, page 7.
“City briefs [Group-Capt. H. E. Stewart],” Winnipeg Free Press, 17 March 1945, page 6.
Wings Over Dauphin: A History of a Forgotten Era by Elsie Lesyk, 1995.
We thank Yvonne Lozinski, Richard Kutcher, and George Penner for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough and Nathan Kramer.
Page revised: 20 May 2022
Historic Sites of Manitoba
This is a collection of historic sites in Manitoba compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. The information is offered for historical interest only.
Browse lists of:
Museums/Archives | Buildings | Monuments | Cemeteries | Locations | OtherInclusion in this collection does not confer special status or protection. Official heritage designation may only come from municipal, provincial, or federal governments. Some sites are on private property and permission to visit must be secured from the owner.
Site information is provided by the Manitoba Historical Society as a free public service only for non-commercial purposes.
Send corrections and additions to this page
to the MHS Webmaster at webmaster@mhs.mb.ca.Help us keep history alive!
