Page 28 - William B. Lake

Bombing Instructor Role at 2B&GS Mossbank

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Pilot Officer Bill Lake arrived at the 2B&GS Mossbank site on 8 March 1943 within a few days of
completing his training as an instructor at the Mountain View 6B&GS site in Ontario. Because
Mossbank was primarily intended to be a bombing and gunnery training site the airfield and its
infrastructure was deliberately located to minimise the impact on the region’s populated centres. In
other words, it was in as remote a place in South Saskatchewan as you could expect to find.

The 2B&GS site coordinates are 49°55′21″N 105°52′36″W which was around 6 km south-east of
the small village of Mossbank. The function and spirit of the Mossbank Site is best captured by the
following mural which is displayed on the wall at the Mossbank Museum. The mural depicts both
the ground buildings and the aerial activities including the turret gunnery practice using the trailing
drogue (aerial target).

The Mossbank Site was a typical BCATP bombing and gunnery school with runways built in a
triangle, allowing for changes in wind direction. They had as many of the main hangars facing the
aircraft taxi strip as practical with others at either end setback at an angle.

Mossbank Hangars H1-H5 Along the Taxi Strip (Hangar H6 at angle from Control Tower)