CFB/ASU Wainwright

On the 8th of July 1940, a little less than one year after the closure of Buffalo National Park, Dr Middlemass, then the Mayor of Wainwright, travelled to Ottawa and persuaded the Department of National Defence to take over the vacant park as a military training area. In 1941, the first troops arrived to establish a permanent camp. Camp Wainwright was used extensively by 6 Infantry Division, including the Kiska Force (Aleutions) throughout 1943 - 44. Throughout this period, all troops were quartered under canvas. In 1944, it was decided to site a POW Camp here and on 29 January 1945 the first 523 German prisoners arrived. At its peak, the POW Camp accommodated almost 1,100 German POW's, consisting of Officers, enlisted men and a few civilians, and operated until 24 May 1946 when the last of the POW's were returned to England for demobilization. The Camp staff and Guard company were reduced to nil strength a few weeks later, marking the end of this chapter of CFB/ASU Wainwright's history. During the 16 months the POW Camp was in full operation, only two prisoners made a successful escape. These two bold individuals were recaptured just over a month later, but not until they had reached Gary, Indiana!

From 1946 to 1950, the training area was used for training on a regular basis by both the Regular Army and the Militia. With the outbreak of the Korean War, Camp Wainwright was used to train 25 Infantry Brigade - Canada's Army commitment to the UN's Commonwealth Contingent. It was at this time in 1952, that the first large scale building project for Camp was launched and the basic Camp lay-out established as it is today. There were two further phases of development planned, but these were cancelled in favour of building Camp Gagetown.

Since the Korean War, the Camp has remained the main training area in the West for the Canadian Army. Today, Camp Wainwright with its 609 square kms and 25 weapon ranges, from pistol to artillery, tank and fighter bombing, is used extensively all year round by formations and units of both the Regular Force and Militia. Indeed, it is the principle "training home" of 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group and the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (LFWA). The Army is not the only beneficiary of Camp Wainwright's training areas; Air Force squadrons of all types - high performance jets, transport aircraft, Search and Rescue units, and helicopters all use the airspace, ranges and airfields routinely. The local Cadet Corps are also regular users. 2005 was the end of twenty years of British Army training conducted in Wainwright. Fortunately, for the last two summers, the (UK) Sandhurst College has come here to conducted officer training.

The most recent and dramatic changes include the forming of three units in Wainwright, with the division of the base into CFB/ASU Wainwright and Land Force Western Area Training Centre (LFWA TC) and the creation of Canadian Manoeuvre Training Centre as the army collective training centre piece. Wainwright has been referred to as the home of the army. Whatever Canada’s Army training needs are in the future, Canadian Forces Base Wainwright will meet those demands in both peace and war as it has done since 1940.