The First World War (1914–1918) - part 5

Camp Borden — now Canadian Forces Base Borden — in Ontario was the birthplace of military aviation in Canada. In January 1917, a group of Royal Flying Corps officers, led by Lieutenant Colonel Cuthbert Hoare, arrived at Camp Borden, which had been used as a camp by the Canadian Expeditionary Force the previous year. Under Hoare’s leadership, the organization known as the Royal Flying Corps Canada (RFC Canada) built Canada’s first flying station from the ground up and trained thousands of air and groundcrew for service overseas.

The aerodrome portion of Borden, which had remained empty since January 1919, was taken over by the CAF in July 1920. By the time the RCAF was formed on April 1, 1924, RCAF Station Borden was the most important station in terms of assets, personnel and flying activities.

The Sopwith Camel, easily the best known airplane of the Great War, was quite fast for the era, reaching a top speed of 113 miles per hour (181 kilometres per hour). The aircraft had a reputation for being difficult to fly, but that didn’t stop pilots from destroying more enemy aircraft with it than with any other aircraft. It was one of Captain William Barker’s favourite aircraft, and he won many of his aerial victories while flying a Sopwith Camel.