Air Bases in Mont-Joli [Editor's note. Most of the information on air bases in Mont-Joli was culled from François Dornier's Des bombardiers au-dessus du fleuve : Historique de la 9e école de bombardement et de tir de Mont-Joli (1941-1945).]   " There were floating targets along the river, heading out to sea. River pilots didn't come here to learn how to pilot; theoretically, they knew how. Now they were learning manoeuvres and marksmanship. We heard the gunshots all the way to Sainte-Luce, apparently firing toward the east." Extract from the recollections of Major (R) Gaétan Lavoie during an interview held at the Naval Museum of Quebec Aerial view of the 9th Bombing and Gunnery School in Mont-Joli National Archives, Canada (PA-64439) Even before the onset of hostilities, the British understood that the air force would play a more significant role in any future conflicts. Consequently, they set out to find someplace in the Commonwealth that could offer large expanses near industrial centres and yet remain far from the war zone. Canada thus became one of the major training centres for pilots, observers, gunners, wireless-operator-gunners, flight engineers, navigators and bombardiers. Initially military authorities set up detachments of the Eastern Air Command, which began operating in December of 1940. The site chosen was Mont-Joli, a small town near Rimouski. Its strategic location served as a relay station for east-west and west-east flights as well as a fuelling stop for the huge four-engine planes of the Ferry Command flying to England. Three-storey observation tower at the entrance to Sainte-Flavie, near Mont-Joli Naval Museum of Quebec Construction of these installations began in the summer of 1940 and was completed in the spring of 1941. The three landing strips became operational that same summer. The main tasks of the units temporarily assigned to this detachment were to patrol the river and ensure the protection of naval convoys. If required, they also came to the rescue of any aircraft or unit of the Eastern Air Command and aided in hunting for missing planes in the area. As early as 1941, the Mont-Joli Bombing and Gunnery School No.9 was added to the installations south of the Air Command detachment. Construction began in October, with 50 different buildings erected between October of 1941 and April of 1942. Included were airplane hangars, a gymnasium, classrooms, barracks, canteens, a chapel, a mess hall, a theatre and a hospital. The official opening took place on December 15th, 1941, but inauguration came later, on August 15th, 1942. The first airmen began arriving in December of 1941 despite installation and construction delays. Fairey Battle type aircraft were the main contingent in Mont-Joli at the start of 1942. Installations at Mont-Joli were part of a network of 11 bombing and gunnery schools offering the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP). The town of Mont-Joli was chosen for many reasons: its vast land area, its excellent river view and its ease of access. Four-storey observation tower at the entrance to Métis-sur-Mer, near Mont-Joli Naval Museum of Quebec At first it was planned to offer complete training of flight engineers, bombardiers, gunners and wireless-operator-gunners. Almost immediately courses concentrated on training gunners, since Bombing and Gunnery School No.9 was so well geographically located for gunnery practice. The six-week course was divided into two distinct phases: theory and practice. Theory courses were given on land in the school classrooms, while practical training took place in the air. Pilots in training fired at targets along the river while soldiers, high up on the lookouts along the Sainte-Flavie shores, carefully monitored the military exercise scene below. Mont-Joli's vast expanse of land allowed the school to expand in 1943 and to train even more pilots. Bombing and Gunnery School No.9 became the largest BCATP school in Canada. For example, on October 30th of 1943 the school housed 2844 military personnel and 154 aircraft. Throughout the war Mont-Joli pilots patrolled the St. Lawrence while in training. Toward the end of the war, on March 30th, 1945, Bombing and Gunnery School No.9 closed forever. The Mont-Joli airport took on other roles for about six months, becoming a military airfield. In 1946 all installations, including the school, were turned over from National Defence to the Department of Transport, which converted the airfield into the regional airport for the area.   Hangar at the Mont-Joli airport used in World War II, now maintenance garages Naval Museum of Quebec Today In1958 the Mont-Joli Airport became a regional airport. During World War II the buildings used by Eastern Air Command were on the present site of the Mont-Joli Airport. Little evidence remains of Bombing and Gunnery School No.9: perhaps only one or two buildings, now used as maintenance hangars. Near the former buildings of Bombing and Gunnery School No.9 you may still find the two watchtowers used to monitor military exercises in the air. Today they are privately-owned chalets.