FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Join Us for Remembrance Day at the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum Brandon, MB — Following morning Remembrance Day ceremonies across the community, the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum (CATPM) and RCAF WWII Memorial invite the public to a free Open House on Tuesday, November 11, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. This annual event offers a meaningful way to continue the day’s reflection in a place that honours those who served and trained through the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Visitors are welcome to explore the museum’s exhibits, view historic aircraft, and spend a quiet moment at the RCAF WWII Memorial.

Jeff Bell is responsible for flying eight wartime aircraft in Brandon. The chief pilot at the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum, Bell leads a team of volunteer pilots who take oldies like the…

Press Release: Brandon, MB – October 2, 2025  The Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum (CATPM) is excited to announce the acquisition of a Boeing Stearman Kaydet, a legendary training aircra…

Press Release: Brandon, MB - October 2, 2025  The Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum (CATPM) is excited to announce the acquisition of a Boeing Stearman Kaydet, a legendary training aircraft that played a key role in preparing Allied pilots during the Second World War. This classic biplane adds a new dimension to the Museum’s collection and helps bring to life the stories of courage, innovation, and service that shaped the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP). First flown in Wichita, Kansas in 1934, the Stearman quickly became one of the most important training aircraft of the war.

A Brandon University student has uncovered so many unseen photos and untold stories about women who served in the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War that an exhibit is being…

The Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum (CATPM) and Brandon University’s Public History Program are proud to announce a new collaboration that will shine a spotlight on the overlooked contributions ...

This post was written by Rory M., one of our summer students before he left to return to BU. Rory is a Music major at Brandon University. While they didn’t fly, have capes, gadgets, or coloured ink, for Canadian kids of the 1940s, Canadian-made superheroes lived even larger than the Avengers. Drawn by Canadian artists, printed in Canada, and patriotically fighting battles for Canada against wartime enemies, the “Golden Age of Canadian Comics” was a brief but extraordinary period where Canadian comics filled the newsstands for Canadian children from coast to coast.

Climb aboard four vintage aircraft used to train air and ground crews during WWII under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan

This post was written by Rory M., one of our summer students. Rory is a Music major at Brandon University. Upon the declaration of war by the British and subsequently, Canada, the beginning of the Second World War saw one of the most magnificent construction projects in Canadian history, the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP). An ambitious and timely project, it included four commonwealth countries (Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand). More than 130,000 aircrew were trained from across the world. Implementing the plan required the rapid construction of airfields, hangars, and living facilities in almost every Canadian province (note: Newfoundland was not yet a part of Canada).

This post was written by Rory M., one of our summer students. Rory is a Music major at Brandon University. While WWII changed the experiences of Canadian life in almost all ways, in Canada and other Allied nations sports remained as an escape from the tragedy of war and became an important morale booster. During this period many athletes enlisted in the war effort, professional leagues adapted to the changing times, and Armed Forces organized sports became an important part of everyday life away from the war, and for increased physical fitness and morale alike.

This post was written by Rory M., one of our summer students. Rory is a Music major at Brandon University. When we consider what life was like in the Second World War, we often imagine the battles, uniforms, and equipment. However, behind every mission, training, and day overseas was something very important: a meal. As Napoleon said, “An army marches on their stomach.” Whether feeding airmen at home, civilian families, or armed forces overseas, food was fuel, and feeding many thousands with limited materials was no small task. A task, accomplished by a lot of potatoes and perseverance.

By CATPM archivist, Judith G. What was once called ‘porridge’ is now called ‘hot cereal’. Developed in 1929 in Alberta, Sunny Boy cereal was a combination of wheat, rye and flax. There is also a suggestion that it was developed in Winnipeg by the Red River Cereal company in 1924 and yet another website suggests Calgary 1943 (though that location and year may have to do with the promotion of the game) Radio was becoming very popular entertainment and advertisers recognizing its potential started promoting their products. It was not unusual for promotional items to be included in the product packaging.

Editor's Note: This is a special guest post by Don Stanton. Don is a retired U.S. Navy pilot who flew long-range P-3C (Aurora) patrol planes and serves on the Maryland Aviation Commission. He published Looking Back at the Cold War; 30 Veterans and a Patrol Plane Commander Remember. In this piece, Don writes about a young American who joined the RCAF and did his training in Virden and in Brandon to earn his wings. We have a small section in the museum dedicated to those US citizens who came to Canada to join and fight in the RCAF.

This is the second post written by one of our summer student workers, Seraphina G., Seraphina is a music student at Brandon University. “We were asked if we carried weapons. I said that I had my clarinet. But you can’t kill a guy with a clarinet.” — Pat Riccio When thinking about the 1940s, the first thing that may come to your mind would be the Second World War, but unbeknownst to many, this era had a rich music history with much emphasis placed on the jazz genre. The events of WWII overlapped with the height of the swing era, the period of jazz that highlighted big bands and upbeat, swung rhythms.

Brandon, MB — The Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum (CATPM), Canada’s only museum solely dedicated to the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and a designated National Historic Site, is proud to announce the appointment of Zoe McQuinn as its new Director General. Zoe brings over two decades of experience in museum leadership, education, and international cultural work. Most recently the Director of Development at the Manitoba Museum, she led major accessibility initiatives, secured funding for transformative capital projects, and championed community-rooted storytelling. She now takes the helm at CATPM to guide the museum through an ambitious, multi-phase redevelopment that includes structural restoration, exhibit renewal, and national partnership-building.

This post was written by one of our summer student workers, Seraphina G., Seraphina wrote a few post for us last summer, and continues with this one, she is a music student at Brandon University. I…

This post was written by one of our summer student workers, Seraphina G. Seraphina wrote a few post for us last summer, and continues with this one, she is a music student at Brandon University. It’s all the small things that keep this museum running. While a museum is a large project that requires extensive fundraising and public outreach to keep standing, at the heart there are little details that need to be attended to; little details that mustn’t be forgotten. All museums are the same in this way, and the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum is no different.

The Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum mourns the passing of Bob Mazer, a visionary builder, community leader, and unwavering champion of Brandon’s heritage. His legacy has left a profound mark not only on Manitoba’s agricultural and business landscape, but also within the historic walls and future vision of our museum. As Capital Campaign Chair, Bob brought the same steadfast commitment and big-picture thinking that made Mazergroup a cornerstone of industry. Under his leadership, the campaign began building the foundation for the museum’s long-term redevelopment—ensuring future generations can connect to the legacy of service, sacrifice, and innovation that defined the BCATP and Canada.

This post, his second for us, was written by Rory M., one of our summer students. Rory is a Music major at Brandon University. Musical instruments across the world carry memories of their players, and the history that they have endured. As a musician myself for most of my life I have always been amazed especially by the story of the instruments in my family; including my 1926 Markneukirchen church violin that was used through the war in a German church near the Czechia border, the 1955 King 3B trombone that was produced and later refurbished by the H.N.