Canada, Commonwealth. A Framed Photograph of the R.C.A.F Training Centre in St. Thomas, Canada

A framed black-and-white photograph depicting the Royal Canadian Air Force (R.C.A.F) training centre located in St. Thomas, Canada. In the picture are a series of low-standing concrete structures, along with a large board on the front lawn reading “Royal Canadian Air Force Technical Training Centre” with a water tower in the distance. It is contained in a light grey wooden frame behind a pane of glass, with a paper backer, and a twisted metal wire spanning across the frame horizontally for hanging. It measures 418 mm (w) x 172 mm (l), with light loss to the painted surface of the frame, but the glass and photograph behind it fully intact, in overall better than very fine condition.

Footnote: The only facility of its kind in Ontario during the Second World War, No. 1 Technical Training School in St. Thomas was established by the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1939 to produce skilled ground crews for active wartime service. It was housed in a hospital complex and operated in compliance with Canada’s commitment to establish air training facilities in sites removed from the theater of war. Equipped to handle more than 2,000 students at a time, the school offered six-month courses for aircraft electricians and aero-engine, airframe, and instrument mechanics in addition to specialized training for fabric and sheet metal workers. When the war ended in 1945 the school was closed and the complex was returned to the Ontario Department of Health.