With expansion, arrived also the need for some subdivision of duties. The Cadet Wing was too polyglot. It provided as much as humanly possible of everything, but not enough of anything. Came therefore the first demarcation between the Cadet Wing and the School of Military Aeronautics,—i.e. the junior and senior sections, though for official purposes of administration they were still unified. New instructional equipment arrived, and during May the strength of cadets rose to nearly 150.
Before passing on to later history, it is desired to give sincere and official recognition to the splendid work done at this early stage in spite of meagre facilities and an absurdly small staff. The difficulties encountered were many and serious. The wing was still in the throes of active service organization, but all eyes were turned to the output of cadets as the crux of the situation, and the means by which officers and men alike were to justify the programme then being worked out. The output has never failed, but at no period did it involve greater personal strain and effort than in these first two or three months of this unit’s existence.
On June the 11th, a staff of nine officers and thirty-eight men arrived from England to form officially the School of Aeronautics, and took over general instruction at the Cadet Wing prior to the final subdivision of the latter. This occurred on July 14th when the wing moved out to summer quarters at Long Branch which was then given up by “Y” Squadron as an aerodrome. Work continued with constantly increasing numbers, till the winter of 1917, when, on the departure of the 42nd and 43rd Wings for Texas, the unit divided itself between Borden and Mohawk for some six months. Here instruction continued without interruption till April 4th, 1918, on which date the two sections re-amalgamated at Long Branch, with a strength that now reached a staff of 200 officers and men and 900 cadets.
The formation of the Armament School in the early summer permitted the wing to cease elementary gunnery instruction and devote more time to drill, discipline and wireless, but it should be remembered that the Armament School was the logical expansion of work previously carried out at the Cadet Wing and School of Aeronautics.
In the summer of 1918, the wing was on the lines of an infantry battalion, with four squadrons and a headquarters company. Drill, physical training, wireless, topography and air force law were in the curriculum, but the essential and psychological duty of this unit was to impress on the new recruit those fundamental precepts of military discipline, honour and self respect on which his future career alone could be successfully based.
As to relaxation there was begun on July 18th an excellent monthly magazine, “The Cadet Wing Review,” which is second to none of similar publications. Local talent also conducted a theatre which was a veritable centre of attraction.
Through this summer, the average strength was 200 staff, and 1,100 cadets. To house them for the winter, large barracks had just been completed at the close of hostilities. The output of cadets of the unit will be noted by the graph on [page 161].
R.A.F. Can.—Output of Cadet Wing and Armament School
Grand Totals. Cadet Wing 6695
Armament School 1225