Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
General material designation
- Textual record
Parallel title
Other title information
Title statements of responsibility
Title notes
Level of description
Reference code
Edition area
Edition statement
Edition statement of responsibility
Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
Statement of projection (cartographic)
Statement of coordinates (cartographic)
Statement of scale (architectural)
Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
-
2000-2013 (Creation)
- Creator
- 408 Goose Squadron Association
Physical description area
Physical description
20 cm of textual records
Publisher's series area
Title proper of publisher's series
Parallel titles of publisher's series
Other title information of publisher's series
Statement of responsibility relating to publisher's series
Numbering within publisher's series
Note on publisher's series
Archival description area
Name of creator
Administrative history
The 408 “Goose” Squadron is an Association of retired and serving members of 408 Squadron of the Canadian Forces. The Squadron has a long history and celebrated its 67th anniversary of active service in 2008. The objectives of the Association are laid out in the Constitution and are:
• To sustain and reinforce the maintenance and friendship of former and present squadron members through reunions and other activities,
• To perpetuate the memory of 408 Squadron Members and their exploits, and
• To assist the Commanding Officer of 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron in the execution of his/her duties
Custodial history
Major Matt Joost received the fonds in 2016 from W.A. McKenzie of Cobourg, ON.
Scope and content
Fonds consists of supporting documents for Parts 3 and 4 of the published work “408 (Goose) Squadron The Rockcliffe Years 1949-1964”. The work was compiled by Morris Gates, Clifton Kinney, Ron Cleminson, Alex Saunders, Noel Funge, Paul Nyznik, Wally Kaspar, Grant Pennington and Morris Konick. Includes e-mail correspondence, personal memoirs, maps, data, articles, reports, photos, and flight logs. Also includes 1 file “The Photo Survey Years 1945 to 1955 Memories of the Photographic Survey Camera Operators Royal Canadian Air Force.” Fonds is organized in ten files based on references within the Rockcliffe Years book
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
Fonds received 1 June 2016 from Major Matt Joost of the Directorate of History and Heritage.
Arrangement
Language of material
- English
Script of material
Location of originals
Availability of other formats
Restrictions on access
Unclassified
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
None
Finding aids
Copies of the finding aid are located in the Reading Room of the Directorate of History and Heritage (DHH). Electronic copies are also available.
Associated materials
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
General note
• A copy of the book “408 Squadron RCAF: the Rockliffe years, 1949-1964” is available in the DHH Library. The reference number is UG 635.C2 F63 2014.
General note
• The Royal Canadian Airforce 408 Squadron was established on 24 June 1941 as part of the No. 5 RAF Group. The squadron was based out of Lindholme, Yorkshire, making it the second Canadian bomber squadron formed overseas. It was initially disbanded on 30 September 1945 due to the end of the Second World War. The squadron was reformed on 10 January 1949 as the 408 (Photographic) Squadron based out of Rockcliffe, Ontario under the command of Wing Commander C. L. Olsson. The squadron’s task was to use SHORAN technology to take aerial photographs of Northern Canada. These were to be used to map Canada at a 1:250,000 scale, which was a goal the federal government hoped to achieve by 1967. The 408 Squadron worked on this project from their reformation in 1949 to 28 May 1957. The squadron was redesigned on 18 July 1957 as the 408 (Reconnaissance) Squadron with a redefined goal of Arctic air reconnaissance. On 1 April 1970 the squadron was disbanded and reformed to their current position as the 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron as part of 1 Wing Kingston. They are currently based out of Edmonton, Alberta.
General note
• SHORAN (Short Range Navigation) originated during the Second World War as a method for accurate targeting for allied bombers in Germany by way of longitude and latitude coordinates. It was used by the 408 Squadron to determine the exact locations of the aerial photographs so that they could be accurately transferred to developing maps. It functioned by using two radars at different ground station points and one radar in the plane. Geographic location could be measured by the time it took for the radar pulses to travel from each ground radar to the plane’s radar.