No. 6 Repair Depot

(Source: 1)

Nil nobis irreparabile. It means "Nothing Beyond Repair For Us" and was the motto for No. 6 Repair Depot. A less formal motto used by The Sixardee newsletter was "You Bend 'Em, We Mend 'Em" and that's essentially what 6RD was all about.

Established on March 16, 1940, 6RD was built on 300 acres of swamp land on the northwest edge of RCAF Station Trenton, Ontario. It was established to provide a repair system to maintain the aircraft used in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.

Officially, its directive stated, "the function of Repair Depots was to overhaul and repair" and they were not authorized "to undertake complete overhauls or major repairs of aero engines or airframes; nor could the unit maintain or distribute stocks or spares except for its own use." (1). In reality, however, 6RD did all that and more.

6RD's humble beginnings as a tent city.  (1)

The tents didn't last long. Innovation, practicality and quick efficiency were evident from the very start. Many of the first buildings were built from packing crates from Fairey Battle single-engine bombers.

Fairey Battle fighters. In Canada, these were used for bombing training, and some were used to tow targets for air gunnery training. Others had a turret in place of the rear cockpit, for turret-gunnery training.  (2)

War is indeed a great motivator, and the Repair Depot was fully operational within two years. Lumber from the crates was used to build a canteen/mess hall, a post office, sleeping quarters, and more. Barrack blocks for the lower ranks were completed in late 1941.  (1)

RCAF Trenton, 1941

Early photo of No. 6 Repair Depot  (1)

No. 6RD was an obvious destination for Leading Aircraftman Murray Fraser after completing aircraft mechanic and advanced metal work training at St. Thomas. Trenton was "the acknowledged heart of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and more training in a greater variety of trades - and more off-duty activities - took place there than anywhere else in Canada." (3)

But not everyone was delighted to receive a posting to Trenton. As author Bill Sargent explained, "To potential aircrew the name Trenton brought disappointment and despondency" and they arrived "angry and dispirited" because Trenton meant they were medically unfit for aircrew. That included those who were colourblind, like Dad.

Hangar 4, 6RD, July 1, 1942. Dad is in the back row, at the tip of the left blade of the propeller.

6RD grew rapidly, and personnel numbers exceeded 1600 at one point. Eventually there were over 50 buildings on the site. 6RD handled nearly every type of aircraft that saw service in the RCAF during WWII.

A rather somber-looking L.A.C. Fraser, R101661, in October 1942.

Presumably, Dad had already learned that he was colourblind, and was not surprised to find himself at 6RD in November of 1941. Dad was assigned to No. 4 Hangar, where he spent virtually all of his time, until March of 1945.

The exception was half a year spent in 6RD's paint shop, following his promotion to Corporal in December 1943. Dad could never fathom why a colourblind airframe mechanic would be placed in charge of the paint shop. He could not distinguish light green from white, for instance, but once explained to me that it's the red traffic lights you have to notice, not the green (which looked like regular streetlights to him).

As servicemen learned, "If it moves, salute it! If it stands still, paint it!" Green, of course, figures prominently in wartime paint schemes. Dad and a second fellow were once tasked with matching a particular colour. They added a little of this, a little of that, and soon found they had five gallons of paint that still did not approximate the colour they needed. Their solution? They painted the swatch. Their superior was impressed by the perfect match!

In May of 1944 Dad was happy to be out of the paint shop and back to Hangar 4.

Life at Trenton was busy, and arriving personnel went immediately to work at assembling, repairs or training others. They had other chores, too, like guard duties, kitchen duties, security, and cleanup. Already a neat and tidy guy, Dad didn't see much point in the many kit, barracks, and workplace inspections, and appreciated that not all of his superiors were fanatical about drills and parades.

Murray Fraser heaves ho with the wheelbarrow, but the smiling officer at left suggests to me that this scene was staged.

Dad in his natural habitat.

Dad and chums at their 6RD barracks. He made many life-long friends during his years in Trenton.

Work at 6RD often proceeded at a furious pace. In 1941, "Armistice Day proceeded without the observation of the two-minute silence so as not to cut down on production." (1)

Technicians at 6RD handled a great number of different airplane types.

Aircraft arrived steadily, and technicians had to familiarize themselves with the many different types requiring repair, maintenance and modifications. Nil nobis irreparabile aside, not every plane could be repaired, and salvage was a big part of the job at 6RD. "With new or repaired aircraft to be tested, and being sited alongside a large training establishment, No. 6RD witnessed its share of 'prangs.' They went in everywhere and all over the countryside and created an inter-provincial operation of a large magnitude." (1)

No. 6RD handled a wide variety of airplanes, including Ansons, Fairey Battles, Bolingbrokes, Hurricanes, Mosquitoes, Lockheed Hudsons, Spitfires, Harvards, and Lancasters. Personnel ferried aircraft to and from Trenton, and flew aircraft to storage facilities after the war.

Activity log at 6RD, 1942  (1)

As a few entries above about dances, hockey and movies attest, life at No. 6RD wasn't all work, work, work. Like St. Thomas, the depot had its own newsletter, The Sixardee. Content included normal base news, various aspects of the war, sections and branch news, clubs, sports and recreational activities, social news (especially weddings on-base) and cartoons.

Sometimes Dad (at left) and his fellow L.A.C.s got away from overalls and oil.

But this was the typical uniform for Dad (standing, second from right).

Dad was best man at a fellow serviceman's wedding.

Dad (at right) with buddies at the Royal York Hotel, Toronto

And in Maid of the Mist rain gear at Niagara Falls

Tennis, anyone?

Women arrived at RCAF Trenton in 1942. Some had mixed feelings about their presence, but they soon proved their worth and earned the respect they deserved.

1944. Dad, in his Six Repair Depot sweater, would have impressed the women with his speedskating.
L-R: Mark Tully, Jean Attridge, Joyce Reid, Nancy (from Barbados), Murray Fraser, Elsie Playfair.

L-R: Roly Nelson, Jean Attridge, Nancy, Mark Tully, Murray Fraser, Elsie Playfair

Dad brought these photos to the 50th Reunion of 6RD, where he caught up with several old chums.

6RD was "a community in itself, and eventually included chapels, a swimming pool, firing range, library, gardens, and a hospital - a very necessary addition, given the industrial and workplace hazards. Clubs abounded, including a rifle club, photography club and its own band." (1) In 1945 it welcomed its own branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.

While hundreds of 6RD men served overseas, many in Trenton were labeled Air Force zombies, a derogatory term leveled at servicemen who had turned down service abroad. This criticism of ground crews "engendered some understandable bitterness among those who were prepared to go at any time." (1) Their valuable contribution to the big picture was not always recognized.

This poem, the kind that the Sixardee newsletter featured, summed up the sentiment:

For the Boys Who Keep 'Em Flying

 All honor to our fliers who police the wartime skies, 

Who seek offensive combat, our enemies to chastise,

They scan far horizons, as they ride their planes above, 

For those who with force, would change the life we love.  

For them no praise can be too high, no honor too great, 

But let us not forget the while, the men who serve and wait, 

The men who labor all unseen, their hands in grime and grease, 

Keeping all our planes in trim, in this our fight for peace. 

Every day, every night, these unknown heroes toil

At the lowliest of humble tasks, they gas and oil 

The planes, then with skillful hands make various repairs, 

To keep our fighting ships and fighting men upstairs. 

They may never get a medal or yet ever see a show, 

But they'll follow the pilots cheerfully wherever they may go; 

So when our hearts swell up with pride, let there be no denying, 

A little of the love and praise for the boys who keep 'em flying. 

-- LAC Dutton (Central Flying School)

In March 1945 Corporal Murray Fraser did go overseas, as a member of RCAF Squadron 426, the Thunderbirds, as part of Bomber Command. He had earned high praise in references from his superiors at Trenton as "an excellent, trustworthy airframe mechanic" responsible for work of the "highest importance."

Dad in his 6RD jacket, on embarkation leave 1945.

Work team at Linton-on-Ouse, England, 1945.
L-R (back row): Fraser, Swan, Staziuk, Hampshire, Gouley, Stevens, Leblanc
(front row): Belliveau, Wyn, Norris, White

Corporal Fraser's team of riggers, Linton-on-Ouse. "Riggers" were ground crew responsible for airframes.

According to Dad's 1945 notebook, work at Linton-on-Ouse included modifications to Lancaster and Liberator bombers, often converted to peacetime transports. After peace was declared, Dad had time to explore Britain and visit relatives. He also studied Business Law, and Building Construction, two of many courses offered to servicemen.

War is hell. Bournemouth, 1945 

Peacetime meant the closing of Stations of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan in Canada, and a great surplus of aircraft of all sorts. Many were sold, but a good number were simply destroyed, including hundreds of MK5 Ansons. Engines, hydraulics, undercarriage and instruments were removed, and the fuselage and wings were bulldozed into an enormous pile. The burning "was an inglorious end for hundreds of aircraft worth millions of dollars." (1)

From Dad's 1945 photo album.

After the war, the RCAF was reduced in size, and roles were reorganized, reassessed, and sections were amalgamated or closed down. 6RD evolved post-war, advancing repair work capacities, technologies, and methods. Salvage and repair operations for the RCAF continued on a national scale.

Many sections modified their duties in peacetime. Among these was a section devoted to safety equipment. Another worked on radar and communications projects. The Engine Repair Section assisted with accident investigations where engine failure was suspected.

One unique unit provided instrument repairs of projectors, cameras and even watch repairs for the RCAF. This included inspection and reconditioning of cameras used by Lancaster bombers that were converted to aerial survey work.

In the 1970s, 6RD was renamed the Aircraft Maintenance Development Unit, responsible for disposal of surplus aircraft and ancillary equipment, and as a storage facility for aircraft and equipment. AMDU became responsible for the maintenance development for all aircraft in the Canadian Armed Forces.

REFERENCES

(1)    Karkut, E.T. (Ed.). (1990). The History of 6RD and the Aerospace Maintenance Development Unit. Trenton, ON: AMDU.

(2)    Photo of Fairey Battle fighter
Imperial War Museum/Wikimedia Commons. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairey_Battle#/media/File:Fairey_Battles_in_formation.jpg

(3)    Sargent, J. William. (1985). Sgt. Sargent's Trenton. Belleville, ON: The Hangar Bookshelf.

(4)    Johnson, E.A. (Ed.). (1981). Trenton / 50 Years of Air Force. Trenton, ON