The Establishment of The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan

In times of conflict when the need for well-trained manpower places an unusual amount of stress on a nation’s operational and training facilities, it makes good sense to have dedicated training programs established in other countries, well away from the commotion of war. During WW I, the British RFC (Royal Flying Corps) saw an urgent requirement, primarily for pilots, and set up an extensive training system in Egypt. Initially, its’ trainees were from Britain, but as Britain’s home training facilities began keeping pace with demand, the Egyptian schools took in more local cadets, as well as some from South Africa. Although the output was mainly pilots, No.3 SoMa (School of Military Aeronautics), which had opened in November 1916 at Aboukir, initiated a School of Gunnery. Later, as Britain again started shipping more cadets to Aboukir, the school started turning out Observers.

Early in 1917, another extensive system of training units, drawing cadets from North America, was set up in Canada. There being an absence of a Canadian air force, the schools were operated by the British. Those Canadians and Americans who trained in Canada flew with the RFC/RNAS/RAF, and although it was established mainly to train pilots, the system graduated 137 Observers from various training units, that included a Cadet Wing at Long Branch, Ontario, No. 4 School of Aeronautics in Toronto, an Armament School in Hamilton, the School of Aerial Gunnery at Camp Borden, and the Schools of Aerial Fighting and Artillery Co-operation at Beamsville, Ontario.

As the clouds of war again built up on the horizon in 1939, the urgent need for training large numbers of aircrew again became an issue. As early as 1936, the revival of the idea of training RAF aircrew abroad had risen to the surface. Group Captain Robert Leckie, a Canadian in the RAF and a staff member to Air Commodore, A. Tedder, Director of Training, had presented a proposal outlining the logic of training pilots in Canada and in other countries. Leckie, like many other Canadians had flown with the RFC/RAF during WW I. He had returned to Canada after the war, but returned to England and rejoined the RAF.

Leckie’s proposal was kicked around for a time, but didn’t go anywhere until October 1939, a month after Britain had declared war on Germany. At that time, Lord Riverdale and other British officials met with Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand representatives in Ottawa, Canada, to discuss the logistics of a joint training system for Dominion and British aircrew. The bulk of the training would be done in Canada, with other countries playing a smaller role.

In 1939, the RCAF was still a relatively small air force, and the British delegates weren’t sure such a small organization was up to the task of setting up and operating such a large training scheme. So, the British were of the opinion that the RAF should run the show, and Canada, Australia, and New Zealand should foot the bill. Prime Minister, McKenzie King, with the support of Australia and New Zealand, pointed out that hundreds of Canadians, 21 of whom became aces, had flown with the RFC in WW I. This included the likes of Raymond Collishaw, Douglas McLaren, Billy Bishop, and Donald McKeever. So, if Canada was going to be involved in this scheme, then it was going to run it. Lord Riverdale’s group was persuaded, so on December 17, 1939 the Riverdale Agreement was signed.

Although most, but not all training operations would be in Canada, and controlled by the RCAF, the RAF would still have some input. To keep all sides happy, Canadian, Robert Leckie, who at the time was commanding RAF squadrons in Malta, was posted to Ottawa in 1940, and was appointed to the Canadian Air Council, from which position he could direct the running of the training program. Each participating Dominion would be responsible for training and manning their respective air forces, and would also train entire squadrons to serve under the RAF. In addition, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada would supply trained aircrew to the RAF, but they would still maintain their service identities i.e. RAAF, RNZAF, or RCAF.

Oddly enough, one of the stickier points encountered in the formation of this joint training scheme, was an official name. The Dominions were sensitive about a title that might hint of British “colonialism,” so for a time, the name morphed its’ way through the “Joint Air Training Plan,” the “Air Training Scheme Agreement,” the “Dominion Air Training Scheme,” the “Commonwealth Air Training Plan,” the “British Commonwealth Air Training Agreement,” the “British Commonwealth Joint Air Training Plan’” etc. etc. In the end the Brits seemed quite satisfied to call it the “Empire Air Training Scheme,” or “EATS,” while elsewhere, the “British Commonwealth Air Training Plan,” or “BCATP,” kept most happy.

It is important to bear in mind that although most of the training establishments in Canada were operated under the BCATP, either by the RCAF, or by aviation contractors, there was also an agreement in place that allowed the RAF to set up its’ own training units in Canada. These were either established RAF schools that were moved to Canada from Britain, or units formed by the RAF in Canada. Thus, these RAF schools, although run with the blessing of the Canadian authorities, were not truly operated under the BCATP. While most of the BCATP training units were in Canada, there were much smaller numbers in other countries, such as Rhodesia and South Africa, that were operated under separate agreements.

NOTE: Much of the information above has been drawn from “Observers and Navigators” written by Wing Commander C.G. “Jeff” Jefford MBE, BA, RAF Retd. ISBN 1 84037 275 3, Published by Airlife Publishing Ltd., 101 Longden Road, Shrewsbury, SY3 9EB, England. We highly recommend this book to anyone researching RFC/RNAS/RAF history, and in particular the development of non-pilot officers in the RFC/RNAS/RAF, as well as other Commonwealth air forces. This book, as well as others by Wing Commander Jefford, are available from any good book seller worthy of the name, or from Amazon.com, Amazon.uk or Amazon.ca