The story of an Australian training in Canada in WWII

Hello once again.

#3 Secondary Flight Training School
(or S.F.T.S.) was located in Calgary at what is now Mount Royal University (originally Mount Royal College). Pilots from around the world came to Canada to train to fight the Nazis, Italians and Japanese in WWII.

I went to Mount Royal College in the early 90's and had no idea that it had once been an airport (the airport closed in 1965). The old hangars can still be seen on the north side of the original student residences and along Crowchild Trail near the ATCO plant. I used to park my car to attend MRC in the middle of what had been the runways.

I met an interesting veteran at the Calgary Aerospace Museum who told me that the airport was known as R.C.A.F. Station Lincoln Park after the war and was mostly used for repair and storage of surplus aircraft and as an emergency landing field. If you ever have the chance, be sure to visit the Calgary Aerospace Museum and the Nanton Lancaster Museum too...both have an impressive collection of the history of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and you can get right up to most of the artifacts.

These photos were purchased off Ebay from Australia. The photographer was George Price whose family called him "Mac" as his full name was George Garnet McLeod Price. He was in the Royal Australian Airforce at Rochmond R.A.A.F. Base New South Wales. He had always wanted to fly, however, at first he was an engineer in the R.A.A.F. He was then sent over to Canada with others for pilot training and finally got his "wings"...every pilot candidate's dream.

The boys were well looked after by the Canadians and they appeared to have a great time. Entertained, wined and dined! They were well looked after by the Air Force Mother's Auxiliary who used to send cards home advising that, "they had seen 'your son' and that he was well" ect. By the time these men returned to Richmond, Australia the war ended and "Mac" therefore did not go to war.

Mac married his childhood sweetheart, Eileen who was a W.A.A.F. (Womens Auxiliary Airforce). She was very worried about all the beautiful girls that Mac met up with over there.

He finally left the R.A.A.F., having been offered a job as Chief Engineer with the Guinea Air Traders, Lae New Guinea about 1945/46. Eileen went with him but came home when she was 3 months pregnant.

Mac was killed in an air crash of a Lockheed Hudson at Lae in 1948. He was only 25 years old. They were taking natives to the Bulola Gold Fields and it was his day off. Nonetheless, he was asked to go along and bring back a plane from Wau. They had only taken off when it crashed on a small island in the Markham River. The accident report stated that the pilot was inexperienced, got in to difficulties and could not right the plane. They were all killed, 27 natives and 5 crew, including Mac who by all rights shouldn't have been on that plane as it was his day off.

Mac's daughter Catherine was born 5 months later without ever getting to know her father.

A great big thank you to Mac's sister, Patricia who not only offered these photos on Ebay but was kind enough to share some personal history of the men in these pictures with all of us.