Yesterday    Tomorrow

February 25th, 1940 (SUNDAY)

UNITED KINGDOM: Liverpool: The first battle squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force arrived in Britain today to join the RAF in the Allied cause against Hitler. They follow their fellow-countrymen from the army, who are already in Britain.
"The men come from coast to coast, from Nova Scotia to Vancouver. No fewer than 146 cities, town and villages in every province of the Dominion are represented," said Squadron-Leader W D van Vliet, a first class rugby player and ice-hockey champion." About 20% of them are French-Canadian, and they are all especially anxious to get to France."
They were welcomed at the dockside by the Earl of Derby, who said to them: " It is not for me to wish you a good time. What I shall do, if I may be pardoned the language, is to wish you as good a time as you can have, and I will wish the Boche what I know he will get - and that is a hell of a time."
The Canadians lined up on the quayside - pilots, crewmen, gunners, fitters, riggers and cooks - were urged by their officers to cheer the Earl, though few appeared to have any idea who the elderly gentleman was.
(Jack McKillop adds): This was Number 110 (Army Co-operation) Squadron. The squadron was a former Auxiliary Active Air Force (AAAF) (US = Air Force Reserve) unit based at De Lesseps Aerodrome in Weston, Ontario outside of Toronto. When mobilized on 10 September 1939, the squadron was equipped with biplane training aircraft, e.g., de Havilland DH-82 Tiger Moths and Fleet Fawn Mk Is. In December 1939, the squadron moved to Rockcliffe, Ontario and reequipped with Westland Lysander Mk IIs in preparation for overseas shipment; these aircraft were left in Canada when the unit departed for England.

The squadron departed Rockcliffe on 13 February 1940 and established a base at Old Sarum, Wiltshire, England on 26 February where they were again equipped with Lysander Mk IIs. The squadron began training with the intention of going to France with the Canadian 1st Division but the fall of France and the cessation of land operations in western Europe relegated the unit to a year and a half of waiting and training. On 1 March 1941, all squadrons under control of the RAF that had been formed under Article XV of the Commonwealth Air Training scheme were renumbered in a block between 400 and 499. This applied to Australian, Canadian and New Zealand units; RAAF units were renumbered 450 to 484; RCAF units were renumbered 400 to 449; and RNZAF units were renumbered 485 to 499. The RCAF's No. 110 (Army Co-operation) Squadron was renumbered No. 400 (Army Co-operation) Squadron.

In March 1941, the squadron moved to Odiham, Hampshire and in April, they traded in their Lysanders for Curtiss Tomahawk Mk Is. On 6 November 1941, the squadron flew their first operational mission when two Tomahawks were dispatched from Odiham to fly a reconnaissance mission from Le Treport to Courtrai, France; unfortunately, there was insufficient cloud cover and the mission was aborted.

U.S.S.R.: Soviet submarine M-31 launched.

ITALY: Rome: The American envoy Sumner Welles arrives at the start of his European peace mission. 

GIBRALTAR: The unarmed U.S. freighter SS Exochorda is detained for several hours by British authorities, but is allowed to proceed.

U.S.A.: The first National Hockey League game, between the New York Rangers and the Montreal Canadiens, is televised on station W2XBS, Channel 1, from Madison Square Garden in New York City. W2XBS is the National Broadcasting Company's flagship station in New York City; it is now WNBC-TV, Channel 4. The Rangers won 6-2. The total TV audience is 300. (Jack McKillop and Dave Hornford)

CARIBBEAN SEA: Off Venezuela, the unarmed U.S. freighter SS West Camargo is stopped by an unidentified French cruiser off north coast of Venezuela; the French make to attempt to board but only request information "where from, where bound, and what cargo" before allowing the merchantman to proceed after a 20 minute delay.

ATLANTIC OCEAN: Norway/UK convoy HN14 is attacked. U-63 is sighted by escorting submarine HMS Narwhal and sent to the bottom by destroyers HMS Escort, HMS Imogen and HMS Inglefield.
 

Top of Page

Yesterday            Tomorrow

Home