Stuck in the Mud at the No. 31 General Reconnaissance School, c. 1941
Prince Edward Island Regiment Museum
One of the most important Canadian contributions to the war was the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (1939).
Canada and England constructed bases to train airmen from every part of the Commonwealth. These training centres were built across Canada and helped to train 131,533 pilots, observers, flight engineers and other air crew. The initial station was established at the Charlottetown Airport by the RAF (Royal Air Force), with two RCAF (Royal Canadian Air Force) stations later being built in Summerside and Mount Pleasant. Many of the new recruits made note of the extremely muddy conditions at the Charlottetown site. Although the buildings and roads were constructed, no pathways between them had been laid. One airman made note of the fact that he stepped off the roadway to go into his barracks and sank into 14 inches of soft, cold, red mud. Equipment also got stuck in the mud as you can see in the image above.
Charlottetown Stories 