Home  |   Museum  |   Bomber Command  |   Aircrew Chronicles  |   Aircrew Losses  |   Nose Art  |   BCATP  |   Lancaster  |   Media

Bomber Command Museum Chronicles

There is a bit of High River history not known by many of today's residents. It concerns an amusing, and perhaps dubious part, that High River played in the defense of Canada. Defense of Canada, you ask? How could this have happened out here in the boondocks?

Well, it concerned the High River Air Station, a crude collection of portable First World War Hangars made of wood frames and originally covered with canvas. These distinctive barn-like buildings, with curved roofs and sloping sidewalls were anchored to the ground with a bit of concrete on the prairie grass northeast of town in 1921. The purpose of this Dominion Government establishment was to create a base from which airborne forestry patrols could be carried out on the eastern slopes of the Rockies. Additional duties included RCAF development flying, the testing of airplane engines in cold weather, parachute jumping practice and the exploration of mountain passes for air routes.

For about ten summer seasons, from its initial setup in 1921 to 1931, airplanes of mostly First World War vintage carried out daily patrols looking for tell-tale smoke, and thus were able to alert ground forces of fire early. In 1931 an act of Parliament transferred the resources of this province, and the care of same to the provincial government. With the responsibility of forest protection taken from the Dominion government, then wrestling with the massive problems of the great depression, the Air Station was closed and left in the care of a watchman. Elsewhere in Canada, in the late twenties and early thirties, the RCAF carried out mostly non-military duties with the exception of that of the fighter aircraft which the RCAF possessed. These fighter aircraft, less than a dozen in number, were purchased in 1929 and to the taxpayer formed a very visible element of the RCAF. They formed an aerobatic display squadron. This thrilled Canadians from coast to coast, especially in 1931 -displaying formation aerobatics much as the Snowbirds of today. Because this aircraft, a fabric-covered biplane painted silver in colour and built by the Armstrong Whitworth Company in Britain, was called the 'Siskin', this aerobatic squadron was called 'The Siskins'. Just as happens nowadays, the penny-pinching government did not see a need to update their air force, and so into the mid-thirties the Siskins became obsolete, in fact more than obsolete, they probably became an embarrassment. By 1938, their existence near Ottawa in the centre of Canada was such an embarrassment that the Siskins were shipped out to a less obvious station in Calgary. The remnants of the squadron with about five remaining airplanes, were dutifully serviced and flown from the then, new airport at Lincoln Park (now the site of Mount Royal University). The commanding officer of the squadron, even then prominent for his pioneering efforts in aviation, was Squadron Leader Elmer Fullerton.

ln late 1938, with a war imminent, the government finally purchased some new fighter airplanes able to fly 320 rnph, almost 200 mph faster than the poor old Siskins being replaced. The Siskins were flown down to the High River Air Station and put-in storage in one of the old hangars previously mentioned. Several months later, September 3, 1939, war was declared by Britain, and by Canada a week later. The High River Air Station, now housing what had been in the previous year Canada's front line fighter defense, was bolstered with some guards. The following story was related to me by Bill Smith, manager of the Calgary Flying Club, some thirty years ago. "I was instructed lo go down to High River to examine the facilities for use as a flying training base, and on landing there I found three militia guards, very agitated and nervous. I asked what was the matter? Well, it seemed that one older militia guard, who had apparently served in the First War, had been regaling the two younger guards with stories of the great conflict, and his part in it. The younger guards, perhaps somewhat bored and not unused to playing pranks, decided to spook the older guard, and created some noises in the back of one of the hangars by firing blanks from their service rifles. The older guard, not to be intimidated by 'foreign saboteurs' on the base, poked his service Lee Enfield rifle into the hangar and let off a volley of shots. He created a hell of a mess, bullets ricocheting off concrete, engines, and metal parts. There were smashed engine magnetos and numerous holes in the Siskins. A commercial airplane, Fairchild CF-AOP, stored there while on a contract of aerial mapping was also damaged. Next time I came to High River, the Siskins were gone." Records indicate that this incident happened September 6, 1939. It is not recorded what happened to the prank-playing guards. The Siskins were subsequently shipped out to serve in a technical training school and thousands of airplane mechanics learned their trades disassembling and assembling the myriads of tiny parts on these old airplanes. When they were too worn out even for that, they were sold by war assets or melted down in war-scrap drives.

What is this legacy of High River in the defense of Canada you ask? Well, High River may have been the site of the first shots fired in anger by a Canadian in the Second World War. It was certainly the first time that these airplanes, Canada's front line fighter defence for nine years, were ever fired upon in anger.

The site of this 'great conflict' is today an open field of prairie grass. Only some remnants of the hangar foundations are still visible in the ground between the roadway and the red wartime hangar which now houses a manufacturing plant. A mural of one of the Siskins is featured on the wall of the Telus Building in High River. The mural is technically accurate, except the colour of the Siskin should be silver, not yellow. It should be performing aerobatics in front of a crowd, not fire spotting as the painting shows.

1.   At 11.00 hours September 7th, 1939, the undersigned officer [Flying Officer E.L. Beach, Officer Commanding No.1(F) Detachment, RCAF] received a telephone call from an airman, acting in the capacity of caretaker at High River Sub-station, to the effect that damage had been done to Siskin aircraft in storage at High River, as a result of rifle fire by Militia personnel stationed there as guards by Military District No.13. The firing occurred, he stated, at 23.00 hours on September 6th, 1939.

2.   The undersigned immediately informed Brigadier [George] Pearkes, District Officer Commanding Military District No.13, of the occurrence and proceeded to High River in company with Major Young of Military District No.13 and an Aero-Engine Mechanic from No.1(F) Detachment.

3.   On arrival there, it was learned that three of the Militia Guards, Cpl. Clyde and Troopers Clowes and McKenzie, had availed themselves of the hangar keys and entered a hangar, first advising another guard, temporarily off duty, to tell the sergeant in charge of the guard that a light had been observed in this hangar. This scheme was intended by the three men in the hangar to be a practical joke in order that they might ascertain "what the sergeant would do in the event that he had any trouble". The sergeant stated that, accompanied by another trooper, he proceeded to the hangar in question and pushed open the door with his rifle. Before he had a chance to challenge anyone, he was met with three shots of blank ammunition, and he immediately opened fire with two rounds of live ammunition. The trooper with him also fired one live round. The three within the hangar then surrendered, were placed under arrest, and incarcerated the following day, by the officer in charge of the guard, in the local gaol. On questioning the remaining guards by Major Young and Flying Officer Beach, it was learned that Trooper Debow was an accessory, and he too was placed under close arrest.

4.   The three above-mentioned aircraft were damaged by slugs, and the parts to be replaced are as follows: Siskin 309: Top Port main plane punctured by bullet entering underneath wing at aileron hinge fitting and puncturing spar beyond repair. This main plane can be replaced by a spare and will require 200 man-hours. Siskin 304: Starboard "V" interplane strut and pitot tube punctured. These parts can be replaced from stock. This job will require approximately 16 man-hours to complete. Siskin 306: Slight fracture to Port "V" struts and possible damage to rear of engine mechanism, the extent of which cannot be determined until the cowling has been removed and the engine inspected thoroughly. If no damage to the engine has occurred, work on the airframe will require approximately 16 man-hours. A bullet also deflected through one side of the fuselage of a Canadian Airways Fairchild 71 which has been temporarily stored in the hangar for some time.

Siskin at Lincoln Park in 1938 -Elmer Fullerton at centre.




RCAF Siskin Fighters at Calgary or High River.