This is post No. 352 on My Forgotten Hobby II. It will be about how I got to know about the BCATP and a Mosquito pilot…
My research on Eugène Gagnon led me to learn more about the BCATP which I did not know in 2010 had ever existed. BCATP stands for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. The above photo was shared by Eugène Gagnon’s nephew in 2011 who knew all about his uncle before his uncle enlisted in the RCAF in February 1941and after his uncle came back to Bromptonville after the war.
Jacques Gagnon knew very little about his uncle during the war. Eugène Gagnon died in a plane crash on October 21, 1947 flying a Republic Seabee. His obituary never mentioned his service overseas. All it said was that he had stayed in Canada since he was too valuable…
Together Jacques and I pieced together his uncle’s service record with all the photos he had and a copy of his record of service I got from Archives Canada.
His uncle flew the Harvard at No. 6 SFTS Dunnville, Ontario. He got his wings there.
This is probably where that photo was taken.
Researching Eugène Gagnon with his record of service led me to create a blog about the BCATP hoping to get some relatives of trainees to add comments.
This is an example of a post I wrote…
As you can see there is a Sgt Gagnon mentioned on one of Lloyd William Brown’s log book pages. It could be him since Eugène Gagnon was posted at No. 7 B&G School in Paulson, Manitoba on May 9th, 1942.
Eugène Gagnon would stay there as a staff pilot flying all sorts of airplanes except a Harvard which he flew at Dunnville and earned his wings there.
To be continued later after I add more coats of acrylic yellow because I had a bright idea of using black as a primer coat…
My Forgotten Hobby II 