Pennfield Ridge Air Station Remembered
By G. Christian Larsen, 11 November 2008

Pennfield - My earliest recollections of Remembrance Day service is from when I was involved in Boy Scouts with the late Paul and Jeane (Justason) Mowatt of Bayside. One year I was chosen to lay a wreath with a World War I veteran at the cenotaph in St. Andrews. These days I am actively involved in the Remembrance Day services at Beaver Harbour and over the years have slowly watched the ranks of our veterans grow ever smaller. The need to remember within me becomes even stronger as it is now up to us, the younger generation, to carry onwards with their journey of remembrance.

    Still it is more then just remembering for me. My maternal grandfather, Steve Mosher, served in the 105^th A/T Battery during World War II. I also had a great uncle, George B. Drake, who, along with his son, served in the 5^th Siege Battery during World War I. George would return from overseas service whereas his son did not. The loss of George’s only son was not only a personnel loss for the family, but also ended the family surname within that branch of my family line. Countless other family members have served as well including my uncle Jim Wattling.

Another interesting item of note is that the property I currently reside on was once occupied by World War 1 and 2 veteran James Robinson "Bob" Maxwell. As Bob’s great grandson John Gardner once wrote: "He always looked like he wore his glasses too tight because of a grove between his ear and head. That was where the bullet passed. He had seen Vimy Ridge and lived to tell the tale…He lived the years after the war in a little house in Pennfield on the Mealey Road…" The man and his little house are both long since gone, but never forgotten. John will be in Blacks Harbour once again this year paying tribute his "Grampy Bob."

    Since September of 1989 I have been researching many of the local older family lines from Pennfield Parish and have been hosting two genealogical websites (Pennfield Parish and Lepreau Parish) for a number of years to further preserve the rich history of this area. I have also been involved in "The Beaver Harbour Community Ventures Ltd." since 1999, serving as chairman of the archives committee since that time and now serving as president of the board of directors as well. In January of 2007 I decided to take a break from my family research to study the history of the former WWII Air Station at Pennfield Ridge and the former WWII army training grounds at Camp Utopia. It began as a personal journey of discovery for me to simply learn more about these forgotten places, but quickly the ground swell of support from veterans has pushed my research into something much more. This was one of the main reasons I decided to form "Pennfield Parish Military Historical Society" which will celebrate its first anniversary on November 28^th. This society is a "not-for profit" organization dedicated to the preservation of the history of Pennfield Ridge Air Station, Camp Utopia and Pennfield Parish veterans. We work with the veterans and members of the community to record, among other things, the "living" history. With each passing year, as older family members die, we risk losing some part of our heritage forever.

    My path of research has one basic rule that guides me and this is to simply to let the research go where it needs to go. This is not as easy as it sounds because my research has far outgrown its original purpose and has taken on a life of its own. In interviewing veterans I quickly discover that personal reflections come in the form of what is important to the veterans themselves. Sometimes these stories have nothing to do with the research I am conducting and yet, in the end, it helps to tell a much richer and more meaningful story overall. The veterans have become my teachers, teaching me what I need to know and allowing me to become their voice to carry on their mission of remembering.

    The Pennfield Ridge Air Station opened as No.2 Air Navigation School (A.N.S.), under Royal Canadian Air Force command, on 21 July 1941. It contained nearly 40 buildings - today only the 25 yd. range (concrete firing abutment) and four munitions bunkers remain. The chief purpose of No.2 ANS was to provide advance astronomical training for air observers and air navigation. An article published in "The Saint Croix Courier" 24 July 1941 states: "The school is described as splendidly situated to provide training under diversified weather conditions, including operation in fog similar to that encountered over sections of Europe." No.2 ANS officially closed on 30 May 1942 and was re-located to No.1 C.N.S. in Rivers, Manitoba. 

Advanced Navigational Course - Graduation Day (1942).

    During its brief existence of only approximately eleven months, No.2 A.N.S. turned out thousands of airmen, most of who saw active service overseas and many of these did not return home. An example of this can be found in the "Nominal Roll No.39 Air Observers Course" which graduated from Pennfield Ridge 25 May 1942. This listing shows a graduating class of one hundred and nine pupils and subsequent research by me shows at least forty-six of those never returned home. This means approximately 42% of the class were gone at the close of the war. One graduate from this class was the late Cam Wallace who flew 90 operations on two tours of duty with Bomber Command. After Cam’s death in 2000 his son found a handwritten list of just the Canadians his father knew that died in the Air Force during the war and there were more than one hundred and thirty names on it. The list gives you a hint that war was not a good place to try and make lasting friends.

    After No.2 A.N.S. closed it re-opened 1 June 1942 as No.34 Operational Training Unit (O.T.U.), under Royal Air Force command. The purpose of No.34 O.T.U. was to bring the four members of the aircrew (Pilot, Navigator (Nav.), Wireless Air Gunner (WAG) and Air Gunner (A/G)) together for the first time to train as a crew. One of these crews was that of Cy Poissant (Pilot), Peter Ryan (Nav.), Fred Bing (WAG) and Paul Saumer (A/G). This crew, after completing their training at Pennfield Ridge, would receive ground refresher courses in Bournemouth, England until they joined the RAF medium bomber 98 Squadron. Cy and Peter would complete 42 operations (50 take-offs) together. Paul, a family friend of Cy’s before the war, would be grounded after their 30^th operation (35^th take-off) for medical reasons and was replaced by George Olson. Fred would also be grounded for medical reasons for their last 8 operations and was replaced by Trevor Grice. In recalling events from over 60 years ago Cy remarks: "Three times, when we got back to base, our very dependable Mitchell bomber ‘G for George’ was shot up so bad by German anti-aircraft guns that it had to be replaced by a new plane with the identifying ‘G’ painted on it, but, thanks for Accidental Nature that could not care less, no one in out {our} crew was ever touched by flak." The entire crew, minus one now with the passing of Peter Ryan in 2003, has remained in touch all these years via telephone and/or letters.

Course 30 (Air Gunners)  
No.34 O.T.U., Pennfield Ridge - 6 March 1944.

    No.34 O.T.U. closed on 19 May 1944 and was once again taken over the Royal Canadian Air Force on 20 May 1944. This station consisted of an Operational Training Squadron and a Transport Conversion Squadron. A smaller training unit in the form of the Eastern Air Command School of Survival gave an extensive course in survival measures for those heading to the Far East. Sometimes returning veterans from overseas duties were often posted here to finish up their service. An example of this is the late S/L Percy "Butch" Calvesbert. He finished up his tour of duty with the 608 Squadron in June 1943 and was sent to Canada to train pilots for the duration of the war. He was first sent to No.31 Operational Training Unit in Debert, NS and then onto Pennfield Ridge in August 1944. It was while at Pennfield Ridge that, between 21 August 1944 and January 1945, Percy flew 450 hours as an instructor accident free that led to recognition of his talents. A year later we was awarded the Air Force Cross.

Dance at Pennfield Ridge Air Station (ca1943)

    RCAF Station was closed for the final time on 1 October 1945.

Locals recall impact the base had

    The history of the Air Station is much larger then the air service personnel who were stationed at the base over the years. While it is true that their stories help to tell the overall history of the base, those who were part of the community also have stories to tell.

The late Art Hawkins had numerous stories to recount about "the Ridge" where he spent 94 yrs. of his life. Art was an iconic figure in the community who was always a delight to talk to and his willingness to share stories with you was a true treasure. Art’s wife Lois speaks about her father Elmer Justason helping out, as many of the local residents did, during the initial construction phase of the base. Lois also recalls, among other things, attending square dances at McKay’s Dance Hall on the Ridge and Murphy’s Dance Hall in Elmsville. Lois’ sister Vera married W/O1 Howard Gostnell, a flying instructor at the base. Vera herself worked, for a period of time, at the Y.M.C.A. canteen located at the base.

    Ernest McDowell grew up in the shadow of the Air Station twice having his parent’s expropriated from their land. In September 1940 when construction of the base was underway the Pennfield Ridge School house and the McDowell homestead were relocated to the South side of the highway. Further expansion of the base in 1943/4 saw the family once again removed from their house. Ernest, being too young for military service but living in such close proximity to the base, worked as a "waterboy" earning money by carrying drinking water by pail for the construction crews. 

Mabel Fitz-Randolph of South Musquash, sharing almost a century of memories, recalls the sounds of the bombers as they passed directly over her house on the training runs to bomb targets on the Musquash marsh. She also remarked that the bombs did not always hit their intended marks and recounted one event about one bomb hitting a local house. She went onto to say it went through the roof, down through a piano and into the basement. Fortunately no one was hurt in the incidence and damage was quickly repaired. 

Pennfield Parish historian G Christian Larsen with Mabel Fitz-Randolph (12 October 2008)

    Numerous residents speak of the restaurants on the Ridge – "Do-Fly-In" and "Air Bowl Restaurant" to name a few. Others recount attending the local movie theaters in either Blacks Harbour or St. George. The stories are countless and too numerous to recount them all here.

    One just needs to ask a veteran or a local resident about the Air Station to realize that the memories of the base and the time surrounding its existence still exists. They are forever pressed between the pages of the memories of those who lived through events that forever changed the course of our history. The ranks of those who remember however is growing smaller and smaller with the marching of time. Therefore I spend whatever time I can seeking out those who remember and ask them to share their memories with me. To share their stories of remembrance so that they may be recorded for future generations to enjoy and to ensure our history is forever remembered. After all, we must always remember that although history is of the past, it is for the future.