I am trying to track a pilot who completed his course at 34 SFTS, Medicine Hat, Alberta in July 1942. Does anyone know of a source for course photographs and lists of airmen on them for this time. Many thanks
I too am researching a pilot who completed this course by the name of Flight Lieutenant William Appleton Cuthbert.I am researching an relative of mine (Bill Cuthbert) who was in the RAFVR during WW2. He was born 14 Apr 1912, in Richmond, York and passed away in 1966 and worked as a bacteriologist after the War. The only information I have is that I know he trained in Canada at no. 32 and then no. 34 Service Flying Training School in Medicine Hat, Alberta? on the Airspeed Oxford bomber trainer and possibly remained over there as an Instructor. I have ordered his service record but believe it might take 6 months to arrive due to Covid backlog. All advise and information will be a great help, especially if a photo exists of him in uniform.
Here’s a link to the Op Records of 34 SFTS. This will probably “NOT” give you his name…..but I found that if you go thru them (the time period that they were their) if they were involved in any type of “air incident” their name could be their. It’s a tough slog to go thru these, as Hertiage Canadiana has NO search engine on these files….so you have to read page by page…..but if you have dates, that can help (you still have to find the dates in the files)…..AND, the files are sometimes NOT IN ORDER……so if you don’t find a date you have to KEEP LOOKING….as they may be somewhere else in the reel John, if he indeed was an instructor at the school……his name will may be in these records when he arrived and when he departed and any thing else he may have been involved in (air incidents etc). In fact this record has quite a few photo’s albeit they are not excellent photo’s to see (LAC “may” still have the originals?) There are 3 reels of info Royal Canadian Air Force operations record book... - Héritage Royal Canadian Air Force operations record book... - Héritage Royal Canadian Air Force operations record book... - Héritage EDIT. I just had a quick look, they have LOT’s of Course photo’s with names in the 1944 reel, unfortunately the quality is unreadable……again, LAC in Ottawa may have the originals still They also have copies of the base newspaper (almost all the bases in Canada had “newspapers”) and names could be in their also……especially of STAFF
John, follow up to you. Here is No 32 SFTS link Royal Canadian Air Force operations record book... - Héritage
Archivist, I took a look for you, and this School actually POSTED their class lists (which is unusual)….…..if this isn’t the right one or you don’t see his name, you could give me his name and I’ll search further
Here’s a photo, as you can see quality is not good. Microfilming wasn’t the best method to capture photos. But the originals may still be on file??
Did more research for you. Below is information on the BCATP in specific, the Service Flying Training Schools Service Flying Training Schools Graduates of the EFTS "learn-to-fly" program went on a Service Flying Training School (SFTS) for 16 weeks. For the first 8 weeks the trainee was part of an intermediate training squadron; for the next 6 weeks an advanced training squadron and for the final 2 weeks training was conducted at a Bombing & Gunnery School. The Service schools were military establishments run by the RCAF or the RAF. There were two different types of Service Flying Training Schools. Trainees in the fighter pilot stream went to an SFTS like No. 14 Aylmer, where they trained in the North American Harvard or North American Yale. Trainees in the bomber, coastal or transport pilot stream went to an SFTS like No. 5 Brantford where they learned multi-engine technique in an Airspeed Oxford, Avro Anson or Cessna Crane. If I have found the right course for you (and you can confirm) then he spent 16 weeks on Course #51 at No 34 SFTS, Medicine Hat Alberta (side note: about a 2 1/2 hour drive from my home town) Here’s is the Training syllabus for Course #51 (I outlined the course and week in a red box). The First document shows the course was broken down into TWO flights, and each of those flights had a RED and BLUE section. The men in each flight/Section would train together. So when looking at the syllabus you look for 51 and and RED and BLUE to see what each group was doing on each day. You can also they kept them “working”, almost 7 days a week, with a few days off At the end of the training, you can see they spent a LOT of time on the Mo-Skeet-O Range. During World War II the military used skeet to teach gunners the principles of leading and timing on a flying target. So this wasn’t for FUN, (though it may have been after weeks of lessons, tests and flying). I believe they used the acronym “Mo-Skeet-O” as the Prairie provinces especially, has lots of “mosquito” (and still do) and this was just a play on words, so to speak…..also the Canadian Mosquito’s are SO LARGE (how large are they), they needed clearance from the Control Tower to land at Canadian Air Force Bases…… And this is the Operational Record book for the date they graduated
John, would your William Appleton Cuthbert service number be 115195 I think I found him, at No 34 SFTS, Course No 27…..course and record below. I’ll see if I can find more
Temujin, thank you very much indeed for your time & effort and invaluable information regarding Flt/Lt Wm Cuthbert. I can see why he stayed on as an instructor, coming 3rd in class. It is very much appreciated.
Your welcome John. You may already have this, but found his Obit…..it doesn’t give me any more info (like where he served as a Instructor).. In the 34 SFTS Ops diaries I see where a “recruiting team” from the Central Flying School (trained instructors) came to the unit at the same time he graduated. I went thru the diaries of CFS and could not spot his name….If I spot anything else, I will post up of course Cheers