Mount Hope in Hamilton, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

“They Slipped the Surly Bonds of Earth”

Photographed By Tim Boyd, May 7, 2024

1. “They Slipped the Surly Bonds of Earth” Marker

Inscription. The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (B.C.A.T.P.) was inaugurated in 1939 at the onset of the Second World War to provide air training for Commonwealth airmen, safely removed from active war zones. The Canadian Government sponsored this war-winning plan which produced approximately 140,000 airmen and 45,000 ground crew.

Six of the one hundred and seven Canadian B.C.A.T.P. airfields were located in this part of Ontario. No. 33 Air Navigation School at Mount Hope was established in 1941 in addition to No. 10 Elementary Flying School and No. 1 Air Wireless School. Between November 1941 and December 1943, sixteen R.A.F. servicemen in the Air Navigation School died while in training here and all but two were buried in St. Paul's Glanford Anglican Church Cemetery. A service of remembrance has been held annually for these men who lie far from home. In 2000, a Remembrance Garden was planted by the congregation and dedicated to the memory of these R.A.F. members. Hamilton Historical Board 2005.

Erected 2005 by City of Hamilton.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • War, World II. A significant historical year for this entry is 1941.

Location. 43° 9.94′ N, 79° 54.535′ W. Marker is in Hamilton, Ontario.

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It is in Mount Hope. Marker is on Upper James Street, 0.3 kilometers south of English Church Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2869 Upper James Street, Hamilton ON L0R 1W0, Canada. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Eileen Vollick (1908-1968) (approx. 1.5 kilometers away); Smith Family Cemetery (approx. 4.2 kilometers away); Young Cemetery (approx. 5.1 kilometers away); Private Jacob Hess (approx. 7.2 kilometers away); William Terryberry (1779-1847) (approx. 7.4 kilometers away); Rymal Family Heritage (approx. 7.5 kilometers away); “Bobby” Kerr 1882-1963 (approx. 8 kilometers away); Chedoke, More than a Sanatorium (approx. 8 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Hamilton.

Also see . . . The Canadian Encyclopedia - British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.

In 1939, Canada, Great Britain, New Zealand and Australia signed an agreement creating the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP). Located in Canada, the plan's mandate was to train Allied aircrews for the Second World War, including pilots, navigators, bomb aimers, wireless operators, air gunners, and flight engineers. More than 130,000 crewmen and women were trained between 1939 and 1945, making this one of Canada's great contributions to Allied victory in the war. It led
Photographed By Tim Boyd, May 7, 2024

2. “They Slipped the Surly Bonds of Earth” Marker
United States President Franklin Roosevelt to call Canada the "aerodrome of democracy."

(Submitted on May 7, 2024, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario.)

The R.A.F. Remembrance Garden image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Tim Boyd, May 7, 2024

3. The R.A.F. Remembrance Garden

Lancaster bomber at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, Hamilton image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Tim Boyd, August 22, 2024

4. Lancaster bomber at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum, Hamilton

Site of the B.C.A.T.P. Airfield at Mount Hope

Credits. This page was last revised on May 10, 2024. It was originally submitted on May 7, 2024, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 40 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 7, 2024, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.