RCAF Station Yarmouth, Nova Scotia (From the Air to Destroy the Beast) The base was known as RCAF Station Yarmouth during World War II. Land for the main runway, from Starr’s Road south west past Forest Street, through to Argyle Street had been purchased as early as 1939. Clearing of land began shortly after purchase and the construction of the airport continued up to 1942 when the last two hangars were completed. West Camp was located nearest to the town on the west side of the airport and was a Royal Canadian Air Force airbase established for anti-Submarine Bomber Reconnaissance squadrons. East Camp was a training base for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP). East Camp Had two air units during its operation. Royal Air Force #34 Operational Training Unit (OTU) trained air crews for Bomber Command operations in Europe. Later the Royal Navy at its #1 Naval Air Gunners School, with cooperation of the Royal Canadian Air Force trained Telegraphist Air Gunners for duties with the Fleet Air Arm in every theatre of war, world wide, in WWII. In the summer of 1945, with the end of the war in Europe, two squadrons of the RCAF #6 Bomber Group arrived at RCAF Yarmouth, one to West Camp and one to East Camp, flying Avro Lancaster bomber aircraft. They were to train for the Far East Pacific Campaign; however, the war ended when the “A’ bomb was dropped and the squadrons were disbanded. The RCAF Station Yarmouth Airbase RCAF Station Yarmouth was manned and operated by Air Force personnel not attached to the squadrons. The workforce ran the day- to-day operations of the station from both East and West Camp Headquarters and kept personnel records for all Airmen and Airwomen on the base. RCAF Administration was also responsible for the weekly pay for the Army, Navy, and Air Force Camp personnel. RCAF personnel were in charge of messing at six different messes with meals for several thousands of people every day. The Motor Pool supplied numerous vehicles for the base and squadrons to operate. These included personnel cars, light trucks, jeeps, patrol trucks, ammunition carriers, fire trucks, snow ploughs, and all the necessary personnel to operate them. The Camps were complete with paved named roads, sewers, water, and streetlights. All the buildings in the base were heated by steam, supplied underground through a network of pipes. A large maintenance department kept all buildings, roads, and runways in repair. The Supply Departments of both camps were huge and supplies for the Base came in by rail, mostly unloaded in the Town of Yarmouth and taken by air force trucks to the Camps. The Station operated the Hospital and a full medical staff of doctors, surgeons, and nurses. The Dental Clinic, fully equipped, had three dental officers on staff. Two special units of Military Police, the RCAF and Royal Navy, were in charge of discipline and security. Weather information and the control tower, operating 24 hours a day. RCAF Station Yarmouth was made-up of two complete little cities, each working hard to keep hundreds of air crew, and many kinds of aircraft flying year round, at all times, and in all kinds of weather.