Prairie Echoes A History of Aspenshaw, Nolin (Hamlin), McMillan School Districts. has published a roll of honour memorializing all of the veterans who served in the military from the area north of North Battleford, Saskatchewan.
Hamlin is currently listed as an unincorporated area 11.42 kilometres (7.09 miles) north of North Battleford. Hamlin locates at section 18- township 45- range 16-West of the 3rd meridian or Latitude – Longitude : 52º 52′ N, 108º 19′ W just to the west of Saskatchewan Highway 4. North Battleford is located at south west section 8 township 44 range 16 west of the third meridian at Latitude – Longitude : 52º 45′ 27” N, 108º 17′ 10” W at the intersections of Saskatchewan Highways 4, 16 and 40.
From the local history book listing, those who gave the supreme sacrifice are listed here. Those taken in World War One were Richard D. Ellis, Charles Fletcher Hicks, and John A. McMillan. Killed in service during World War II was Harry Hoganson.
A write up is provided in the North Battleford “Remembrance Day” paper of 1974 about John Archibald McMillan (1838-1918) who served with the 5th Battalion Canadian-British Expeditionary Force. In the Saskatoon Star Phoenix Friday May 5, 1944 edition is a tribute to Corporal Harry L. Hoganson and family. The poem “Somewhere in France” was published by the Hamlin Community History Book Committee in the book, Prairie Echoes A HIstory of Aspenshaw, Nolin (Hamlin), McMillan School Districts.
Per ardua ad astra
Royal Air Force RAF Motto
“Through adversity to the stars”
“Through struggle to the stars”
Fred Walker contributed a report about the Hamlin Airport, a relief landing field for the North Battleford No. 35 British Commonwealth Air Training School. One or two relief airfields were located within 10–15 km of every principal airfield. The No. 1 Relief Airfield was denoted as “R1” in RCAF Station diaries. The school also utilized another auxiliary landing strip at Brada airport. The field at Hamlin on section 17 township 45 range 16 west of the third meridian was operational by the school between September 4, 1941 to February 25, 1944. Walker continued to recount the history of the “McIntosh Field” North Battleford (Cameron McIntosh) airport. The Commonwealth Training Program would be established here during World War II. Following the dissolution of No. 35 Service Flying Training School, the St. Hubert Quebec No. 13 SFTS made use of the fields and aerodrome until the spring of 1945.
On October 8, 1944 a Royal Air Force Memorial Window was dedicated by the Bishop of Saskatoon at St. Paul’s Anglican Church in North Battleford. The names of the RAF personnel who gave the supreme sacrifice during World War II at the Air Force Training Base are listed in the article by Bruce Forsyth, No. 35 SFTS & No. 13 SFTS, North Battleford
Alongside the write up about the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) in the book, Prairie Echoes A History of Aspenshaw, Nolin (Hamlin), McMillan School Districts., is a roll of honour dedicated to the known air crews who lost their lives while training. LAC T.D. Bower; Sgt. J.L. Clarke; LAC F.C. Cannings; LAC N. Cheethan; Sgt. F. Cunningham; Sgt. J.D. Douglas; LAC B.T. Evans; Sgt. L.G. Firmage; LAC. O. Firmin; CPl B.J. Ford-Smith; F.O. A.A. Gree; LAC P.J. Haley; Cpl. J. Hayes; P.O. R. Herries; P.O. D.H. Hodgkinson; Sgt. L.S. Hodgkins; Sgt. K. Holt; LAC J. Hutchinson, A C2 W.J. Keenan; F.O. A.J.R. Knights; Cpl. T.E.E. Leahy; LAC. G.E. Lyons; Cpl. F.A. Mitchell; Sgt. N.I. Mellor; Muriel Almyra North; Sgt. F.J.B. Rawlings; LA2 J.J. Riley; LAC T. Robinson; LAC E.J. Thomas; AC2 E.F. Thompson; F.O. J. Tomalin; LAC R. Wangh; LAC B.D. Wickham.
“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”
― Winston Churchill
Article by Julia Adamson
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Bill Barry, Geographic Names of Saskatchewan (Regina: People Places Publishing, 2005) ISBN 1-897020-19-2.
Brown. Howard Leyton. Royal Air Force Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Canadian Plains Research Center. University of Regina. 2006. Date accessed July 27, 2014.
Dunmore, Spencer. Wings for Victory. McClelland & Stewart. Trade pbk. ed edition. 1995.ISBN-10: 0771029187. ISBN-13: 978-0771029189.
List of British Commonwealth Air Training Plan Facilities in Canada. Wikipedia. May 9, 2014. Date accessed July 27, 2014.
Forsyth, Bruce. No. 35 Service Flying Training School & No. 13 Service Flying Training School (North Battleford) (www.militarybruce.com). Saskatchewan Virtual War Memorial. May 12, 2013. Date accessed July 27, 2014.
Forsyth, Bruce. Canadian Military History The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. 2014. Date accessed July 27, 2014.
O’Malley, Tim Johnston and Bruce Forsyth. Ghosts of Saskatchewan. Vintage Wings of Canada. 2013. Date accessed July 27, 2014.
Per Ardua Ad Astra Wikipedia. January1 19, 2014 Date accessed July 27, 2014.
Popular Searches of the Local History Collections Database. Graduating Class of Service Flying Training School No. 4 Group photo of S.F.T.S. Course graduates. Group photo of S.F.T.S. Course graduates. Saskatoon Public Library. Date accessed July 27, 2014
Prairie Echoes. A History of Aspenshaw, Nolin (Hamlin), McMillan School Districts plus a small rural area north and adjacent to North Battleford, Saskatchewan Compiled by the Hamlin Community History Book Committee. 2009. ISBN 978-0-9864768-0-8. Ultra Print Services. North Battleford, SK.
RCAF Station North Battleford 20 November 2013 Date accessed July 27, 2014.
Royal AirForce Commands Forum November 9, 2009. Date accessed July 27, 2014.
Sadlowski, Julian. North Battleford Historic Walking Tour. Tourism Saskatchewan. Date accessed July 27, 2014.
SAIN photographs Collection Saskatchewan Archival Information Network. Item Hillyard Photographs Collection A-23 Royal Air Force (RAF) Service Flying Training School (SFTS) at North Battleford. Date accessed July 27, 2014.
Search Place Names. Natural Resources Canada. Earth Sciences. Government of Canada. 2014. Date accessed July 27, 2014.