Virtual Lecture: An RAF Canada Connection: The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan in Picton
06 November 2025
On Thursday 6 November 2025 at 6pm, Arjun Ram will consider the impact of Royal Canadian Air Force Station (RCAF) Picton. This lecture will be hosted virtually via Crowdcast.
Talk Outline
Royal Air Force (RAF) No. 31 Bombing & Gunnery School (B&GS), also known as Royal Canadian Air Force Station (RCAF) Picton, served as a prominent military base in southern Ontario. It was initially constructed for usage by the RAF in 1940 as a training school under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) and was transferred to the RCAF after the war. During the Cold War it was finally transferred to the Canadian Army before its decommissioning in 1969. In Ontario, the now former airbase stands as an iconic Second World War site that serves as a testament to the deep relationship between Canada and Great Britain. This paper examines what circumstances led the RAF to establish training bases in Canada and specifically why Picton was chosen to be a RAF B&GS during the Second World War. This paper also examines why and how this specific BCATP airbase was used by the military for so long and its social and economic impact on the local community. Previous research on the topic falls primarily within the realm of public history as many local historians have documented the events that took place at RCAF Station Picton. Many of the official national histories only mention the station in reference to the wider efforts of the BCATP and its contribution to the activities of the B&GS. This study brings both histories together and reveals that the BCATP selection process was key to determining the success of the airbase during the war. It also reveals how RCAF Station Picton’s location made the base optimal for military and civilian use after the Second World War.
About Arjun Ram
Arjun Ram completed his Master of the Arts in History at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario Canada under the super vision of retired Lt. Col Allan English. A current member of the Canadian Army Reserves with the Royal Regina Rifles in Regina, Saskatchewan Canada, his family has served the Crown for over a century in both the British and Canadian Army and the Royal Air Force. Both Arjun’s father and grandfather shared stories about their military service in the United Kingdom and Canada, which fostered his own interest in joining the Canadian Army and become a military historian. Whilst at Queen’s, Arjun studied the immediate and long-term impact of the BCATP on Canada; additionally, he has travelled to over 30 former BCATP sites in Canada, many of which were RAF Stations, and some former RAF Stations in the UK.
