The
Canadian Air Force (
CAF) was a contingent of two Canadian air force
squadronA squadron is a small unit or formation of cavalry, armour, aircraft , or warships.-Army and Marines:A cavalry squadron , typically consists of four troops.-United States:...
s - one fighter and one bomber - authorized by the British Air Ministry in August 1918 during the close of the First World War. The unit was independent from the
Canadian Expeditionary ForceThe Canadian Expeditionary Force was the designation of the field force created by Canada for service overseas in the First World War. Units of the C.E.F. were further divided into field formation in France, where they were largely organized into divisions and eventually a Canadian Corps within...
and the British
Royal Flying CorpsThe Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery cooperation and photographic reconnaissance...
(RFC).
In addition to the two squadrons, a CAF Directorate of Air Services was formed, which was a branch of the
General Staff of the Overseas Military Forces of Canada.
The
Canadian Air Force (
CAF) was a contingent of two Canadian air force
squadronA squadron is a small unit or formation of cavalry, armour, aircraft , or warships.-Army and Marines:A cavalry squadron , typically consists of four troops.-United States:...
s - one fighter and one bomber - authorized by the British Air Ministry in August 1918 during the close of the First World War. The unit was independent from the
Canadian Expeditionary ForceThe Canadian Expeditionary Force was the designation of the field force created by Canada for service overseas in the First World War. Units of the C.E.F. were further divided into field formation in France, where they were largely organized into divisions and eventually a Canadian Corps within...
and the British
Royal Flying CorpsThe Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery cooperation and photographic reconnaissance...
(RFC).
In addition to the two squadrons, a CAF Directorate of Air Services was formed, which was a branch of the
General Staff of the Overseas Military Forces of Canada. The CAF's first commander,
Lt. Col. W. A BishopAir Marshal William Avery "Billy" Bishop VC, CB, DSO & Bar, MC, DFC, ED was a Canadian First World War flying ace, officially credited with 72 victories, making him the top Canadian ace, and according to some sources, the top ace of the British Empire.-Early life:Bishop was born in Owen...
began setting up the squadrons in August 1918. The squadrons were administered by No. 1 Wing CAF, which was formed in March 1919.
Both squadrons were stationed in
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
at
Upper HeyfordUpper Heyford may refer to:*Upper Heyford, Northamptonshire*Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire...
,
OxfordshireOxfordshire is a county in the South East England region, bordering on Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire....
and later,
Shoreham-By-SeaShoreham-by-Sea is a small town, port and seaside resort, also being the major settlement in the Adur District of West Sussex in South East England. Shoreham-by-Sea railway station is located less than a mile from the town centre and London Gatwick Airport is 23 miles away...
,
SussexSussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is a historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
. All aircraft, equipment and training facilities were provided by Britain. Recruiting, pay and clothing, however, was a Canadian responsibility.
The British government cut funding for the squadrons in June 1919. The Canadian government decided that a permanent peactime air force was not needed and so both squadrons ceased operations: No. 1 Squadron on January 28, 1920, and No. 2 Squadron on February 5, 1920. Aircraft and associated equipment were sent back to Canada. The Directorate of Air Services was dissolved on 5 August 1920. The two squadrons never fought during the war.
This Canadian Air Force was Canada's second attempt at creating a relatively independent air force, the first being the creation of the
Canadian Aviation CorpsCanadian Aviation Corps was an early attempt to create an air force for Canada at the beginning of the First World War. The unit was created in 1914 and was under the charge of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. The CAC had a maximum strength of three personnel and one aircraft which was delivered...
in 1914. Another Canadian Air Force would be established in 1920 as part of the
Air BoardThe Air Board was Canada's first governing body for aviation that existed from 1919 to 1923. The Canadian government established the Air Board by act of Parliament on June 6, 1919 with the purpose of controlling all flying within Canada...
in Canada and would exist until the
Royal Canadian Air ForceThe Royal Canadian Air Force was the air force of Canada from 1924 until 1968 when the three branches of the Canadian military were merged into the Canadian Forces...
was established in 1924.
Squadrons
The two Canadian squadrons were designated a
wingWing is a term used by different Military aviation forces for a unit of command. The terms wing and group are used for different-sized units from one country or service to another, and this may cause confusion. In some military aviation services, such as those of the United States, a wing is a...
, which was commanded by a
Wing CommanderWing Commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries. It ranks above Squadron Leader and immediately below Group Captain...
. The squadrons were:
- No. 1 (Fighter) Squadron
- No. 2 (Day Bomber) Squadron
Primary operational aircraft
The Royal Flying Corps provided three types of aircraft. No. 2 Squadron also had the use of at least three captured Fokker D-VIIs.
No. 1 Squadron
- Scout SE5a
The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 was a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. Although the first examples reached the Western Front before the Sopwith Camel, and it had a much better overall performance, problems with its Hispano-Suiza engine meant that there was a chronic...
bi-plane fighter
- Sopwith Dolphin bi-plane fighter
No. 2 Squadron
- De Havilland DH9a
The Airco DH.9 - also known after 1920 as the de Havilland DH.9 - was a British bomber used in the First World War...
bomber