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A Visit from Massachusetts By Tammy Donahue Buziak, Archivist City of North Battleford Historic Archives


Mr.Gordon Watson from Massachusetts May 2018

On May 24, 2018 the City of North Battleford Historic Archives had a researcher visit from Walpole, Massachusetts.
Mr. Gordon Watson had been inquiring about the British Commonwealth Air Training Program approximately one year ago and decided that he would make special trip to North Battleford to visit the area. 
The history of the Training program began when North Battleford City Council offered the use of our airport as an Air Training Centre on September 11, 1939, one day after Canada declared war on Germany. The program received 700 Royal Air Force Trainees on July 22, 1941 and Mr. Watson’s dad may have been one of them.  Mr. Watson knew that his dad, Andrew Watson, had been stationed here in North Battleford from 1941 to 1944.  He remembers hearing stories and seeing pictures of his dad at that time.  Mr. Watson has donated to the City Archives, 104 historical photographs of the Training Centre at North Battleford in 1941.  We are so very excited to have received these amazing images.
Special thank you to Darren Roberts, Gordon Parkinson and Jeff Olson who arranged to meet with and tour some amazing areas of our City with Mr. Gordon Watson from Massachusetts.

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