Our Past is your Present!

The No. 8 Squadron RCAF was formed as a General Purpose (GP) squadron in Winnipeg, Manitoba on February 14, 1936. The squadron moved to the Rockliffe Airport in Ottawa, Ontario in February 1937, where it was tasked as a photographic unit equipped with Fairchild 71, Bellanca Pacemaker and Canadian Vickers Vedette aircrafts.

It was mobilized as No. 8 (GR) Squadron in Sydney, Nova Scotia on September 10, 1939, where it was re-designated Bomber Reconnaissance (BR) at the end of October 1939. Equipped with Northrop Deltas and Bristol Bolingbrokes, the squadron was tasked with anti-submarine duty while serving the RCAF Eastern Air Command.

In December 1941, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the squadron was moved to RCAF Station Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, on the west coast of Canada as part of the RCAF Western Air Command.

In June 1942, in response to the Japanese attack on the Aleutians, it was moved to Alaska, flying the Britstol Bolingbroke V as part of RCAF X Wing, operating from Elmendorf Army Airfield in Anchorage.

The squadron returned to RCAF Station Sea Island in March 1943. Having converted to Lockheed Ventura GR.V in May 1943, the squadron continued with anti-submarine duty based from RCAF Station Port Hardy and RCAF Station Patricia Bay on Vancouver Island.

No 8 Squadron was disbanded at RCAF Station Patricia Bay, British Columbia on May 25, 1945.