Manitoba Air Cadet Squadron Roll Call

MANITOBA SQUADRON'S ROLL CALL

With the start of the Air Cadet Program in 1941 squadrons were started at schools throughout the province in both the cities and small communities alike. No statistics exist to indicate the number of air cadets that participated in the training but suffice it to be told that most recruits into the RCAF had had some level of the program before they enlisted. The program was popular with teen boys and the number of squadrons grew until 1945 when 59 Air Cadet Squadrons operated in the province. Some twenty squadrons functioned within the present boundaries of Winnipeg alone.

At wars end, people wanted to forget the war years and the Air Cadet Program became less popular with the result that many of the squadrons disbanded. Some amalgamated with other squadrons, some held on for a few years before they closed; some were to reopen after a period of time. Seventy-one Air Cadet Squadrons have functioned in the Province of Manitoba, twenty-four remain active.

The following is the roll of squadrons that are active or have functioned in Manitoba:

Squadron	Location	Date	Status
6 Jim Whitecross	Winnipeg	September 24, 1941	Active
9 Neepawa	Neepawa	September 24, 1941	Active
50 Dauphin	Dauphin	November 25, 1941	Disbanded 1948
50 LCol Barker, V.C.	Dauphin	August 6, 1953	Active
82 Brandon Rotary	Brandon	January 12, 1942	Active
136 Roland	Roland	June 3, 1942	Disbanded March 1948
158 Fisher	Fisher Branch	September 1, 1989	Active
159 Alf Bocking	Norwood	August 28, 1942	Disbanded November 18, 1946
162 River Heights	Winnipeg	September 18, 1942	Disbanded November 7, 1945
165 North Norfolk	MacGregor	September 22, 1942	Disbanded November 18, 1946
170 St. James	Winnipeg	October 3, 1942	Active
174 Fort Rouge	Winnipeg	October 16, 1942	Disbanded October 9, 1943
175 St Johns	Winnipeg	September 28, 1942	Disbanded 1950
176 Boeing of Canada	Winnipeg	October 16, 1942	Active
177 Air Canada	Winnipeg	October 19, 1942	Active
178 Tiger	Virden	November 9, 1942	Disbanded August 1948
179 Killarney	Killarney	June 1, 1983	Relocated Morden September 1990
179 Killarney	Killarney	October 16, 1942	Disbanded March 1982
179 Morden	Morden	September 1990	Active
182 Kinsmen-Kelvin	Winnipeg	October 30, 1942	Disbanded November 18, 1946
182 G.M. Stefnufastur	Gimli	September 1, 1983	Active
189 Portage	Portage La Prairie	October 30, 1942	Disbanded February 24, 1945
191 West Winnipeg Rotary	Winnipeg	November 11, 1942	Active
199 St. Vital	St. Vital	November 7, 1942	Disbanded November 18, 1946
199 St. Vital	Winnipeg	January 29, 2003	Active
212 Souris	Souris	November 18, 1942	Disbanded June 28, 1945
220 Red River	Winnipeg	November 27, 1942	Active
229 Doric Boissevain	Boissevain	December 10, 1942	Disbanded January 31, 1946
234 Minnedosa Collegiate	Minnedosa	December 11, 1942	Disbanded January 31, 1946
249 Beausejour	Beausejour	January 16, 1943	Disbanded March 28, 1946
249 Beausejour	Beausejour	March 2, 1967	Active
252 St. Boniface Kiwanis	Winnipeg	January 16, 1943	Disbanded November 7, 1945
262 Carberry	Carberry	April 14, 1943	Disbanded August 1948
263 Melita	Melita	April 14, 1943	Disbanded May 1950
263 Intrepid	Melita	August 15, 1962	Active
265 Pilot Mound	Pilot Mound	April 1943	Disbanded 1951
272 B'Nai B'Rith	Winnipeg	May 7, 1943	Disbanded March 1948
286 Transcona	Transcona	June 14, 1943	Disbanded May 21, 1945
289 Rock Lake	Mather	June 29, 1943	Disbanded January 31, 1946
290 Hartney	Hartney	June 29, 1943	Disbanded November 18, 1946
298 Selkirk	Selkirk	July 15, 1943	Disbanded March 1948
301 Alan McLeod	Stonewall	July 20, 1943	Disbanded March 1948
301 Alan McLeod, V.C.	Stonewall	January 29, 2009	Active
302 Flin Flon	Flin Flon	November 24, 1948	Disbanded December 31, 1979
302 Flin Flon	Flin Flon	July 22, 1943	Disbanded August 1948
303 The Pas	The Pas	July 22, 1943	Disbanded June 30, 1946
303 The Pas	The Pas	February 8, 1952	Active
304 Alexander	Alexander	July 20, 1943	Disbanded January 31, 1946
305 Teulon	Teulon	July 28, 1943	Disbanded March 1948
306 Sperling	Sperling	August 2, 1943	Disbanded August 1948
307 Gateway	Emerson	August 2, 1943	Disbanded November 18, 1946
307 Stoneybrook	Steinbach	February 1, 2006	Active
309 Morden	Morden	August 2, 1943	Disbanded 1951
317 Strathclair	Strathclair	August 25, 1943	Active
318 Whitemouth	Whitemouth	August 26, 1943	Disbanded October 18, 1944
320 Rivers	Rivers	August 26, 1943	Disbanded March 1948
320 Rivers	Rivers	September 16, 1948	Disbanded January 1, 1974
323 Lord Kitchener	North Kildonan	September 1, 1943	Disbanded December 31, 1943
328 John Baskerville	Winnipeg	September 28, 1943	Disbanded August 1948
329 Morris	Morris	October 15, 1943	Disbanded March 1948
339 Plum Coulee	Plum Coulee	October 25, 1943	Disbanded November 7, 1945
344 Cartwright	Cartwright	November 6, 1943	Disbanded March 12, 1948
378 South Norfolk	Treherne	July 3, 1944	Disbanded March 1948
380 City of Winnipeg	Winnipeg	November 21, 1944	Disbanded November 24, 1945
390 Gordon Bell	Winnipeg	November 9, 1945	Disbanded November 6, 1957
519 Swan Valley	Swan River	February 3, 1950	Active
573 Andrew Mynarski, V.C.	Winnipeg	May 26, 1953	Active
575 Terrier	Portage La Prairie	September 2, 1953	Active
677 Russell	Russell	July 3, 1958	Active
680 Waskada	Waskada	September 16, 1958	Disbanded December 10, 1964
695 Beaver	North Kildonan	May 7, 1959	Disbanded March 28, 1968
737 Northern Pride	Thompson	May 27, 1963	Active
793 Louise	Pilot Mound	May 1, 1970	Disbanded April 30, 1980

MANITOBA AIR CADET SQUADRON STORIES

328 JOHN BASKERVILLE SQUADRON

On reviewing the list of squadrons above it was noted one in Winnipeg was No. 328 John Baskerville Squadron. Research revealed that No. 328 Squadron operated at the St. John's High School in Winnipeg. The history of the school notes that a cadet unit was formed in 1940 but that in 1943 it became the John Baskerville Air Squadron. No. 328 John Baskerville Squadron was started on September 28, 1943 and was disbanded in August 1948. But the question remained, "who was/is John Baskerville?"

Flight Lieutenant John Edward Baskerville, son of William Francis and Minnie Maude Baskerville, of Winnipeg, Manitoba and husband of Jane Beatty Baskerville, of Winnipeg was a former student of St. John's High School. The family resided at 254 Lansdowne Avenue in north Winnipeg. Flight Lieutenant Baskerville was killed on operations with No. 51 Squadron, Royal Air Force during the night of 19/20th March 1940 (Tuesday/Wednesday). No. 51 Squadron's History notes:

"(Whitley N1405) Took off at 20.35 hrs from Dishforth in the first attack of the war on the German mainland and the largest raid of the war so far. It was a reprisal raid ordered by the British Government for their raid on the Orkney Islands when German aircraft attacked British ships in Scapa Flow but some dropped bombs on land and killed 1 civilian and wounded 7 more civilians in a village.

30 Whitley's and 20 Hamden's took part and reports were made that the bombing was accurate. 20 tons of high explosive was dropped together with 1,200 incendiary bombs.

This Whitley N1405 was the only aircraft lost and was shot down by anti-aircraft fire and crashed into the sea just off the northern tip of Sylt. All crew were killed."

Flight Lieutenant John Edward Baskerville 37537 R.A.F. Age 25, was pilot of the Whitley N1405 in which he and the other four of his crew were killed. It is also noted his co-pilot was another Canadian, Pilot Officer Emery Orville Fennell 40293 R.A.F. Age 23 of Canora, Saskatchewan, the remainder were from the United Kingdom. Both Baskerville and Fennel are listed as members of the Royal Air Force but other listings have them as members of the Royal Canadian Air Force. While Baskerville and Fennell may not have been the first Canadian casualties of World War Two they certainly were the earliest of Bomber Commands casualties over Germany with many more to follow. They are buried in the Kiel War Cemetery.

Baskerville Island in Sharpe Lake, Manitoba is named after Flight Lieutenant John Baskerville. It is located in North East Manitoba north of the Ontario border.

If you can add to the No. 328 John Baskerville Squadron's story or any other squadron's, please contact the Manitoba Provincial Committee of the Air Cadet League of Canada.

AIR CADET LEAGUE OF CANADA

MANITOBA PROVINCIAL COMMITEE