Postal History of Camp Borden 1916 - 2016

A. David Hanes
Released November 2017. Exhibit series # 96.
178 pages, 8.5x11, spiral bound.
Colour C$ 35.00 [ISBN 978-1-927119-84-6].

Almost two years after the start of World War I the Canadian government purchased 17,700 acres of tree stumps and blowing sand on the plains south of Georgian Bay and west of Barrie, Ontario, to be the site of Camp Borden, a military training base to support the war effort. In the first year of operations, the main shelter for the soldiers consisted of hundreds of tents. In 1917 an aerodrome operated by the Royal Flying Corps was built. After WWI, reduced training continued. In 1938, just before the outbreak of WWII, several permanent military schools were established at Camp Borden, and in 1940 it was the headquarters of the Canadian Armoured Corps. During WWII, 185,000 men passed through the camp, most of them prior to serving overseas. After WWII through the Cold War and into the 21st Century, Camp Borden continued to serve both the Army and the Air Force. In this Exhibit Series volume, covers, postcards, photos and documents are skillfully used to tell the story of Camp Borden’s first 100 years.

Dave Hanes joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1961 and retired in 1986 after 25 years of moving from coast to coast, plus two tours with NATO in Germany. Upon being posted to Camp Borden after returning from Germany in 1979, Dave moved up from general stamp collecting to the postal history of Camp Borden from its beginning in 1916 to modern days. The various postmarks, on cover, and post cards have kept his attention for neigh on 40 years, resulting in the collection in this volume. Many of the items are fairly common, while others are rare. There are a few postmarks missing, but he has never seen them in all the years of looking. Dave doesn't believe there will be another Camp Borden collection as extensive as his.