Former airfield in Toronto
Barker Field
was one of several airfields in the
Yorkdale
area of
Toronto
,
Ontario
, Canada.
History
[
edit
]
Opened in 1927, it was a civilian and privately owned airfield for the early era of flying in
Canada
and was named after
William George Barker
in 1931, a
First World War
fighter ace
and
Victoria Cross
recipient. It remained in use until 1953. The area (northwest corner of
Lawrence Avenue
West and
Dufferin Street
bounded by Dufflaw and Orfus) has since been re-developed as a commercial site (auto dealership, gas station and other businesses).
The airfield used a rudimentary grass or dirt surface for aircraft to take off and land. Originally three runways in a triangular configuration and later two runways in a T shape.
In 1931
Canadian Colonial Airlines
flew from Barker Field to Buffalo.
[1]
From 1937 and through World War II Barkers Field was owned and operated by Cyril (Red) L Murray. He ran Murray Aeronautical Corp Limited from Barkers Field until he sold it in the late 1940s.
Leavens Bros Air Services
relocated to the aerodrome in 1937 building hangars and workshops for their use and remaining there until 1953.
[1]
From 1950 to 1954 it was home to
Aero Activities Limited
, a flying school operated by
Marion Alice Orr
.
[2]
After Orr sold Barker Field, the property eventually ceased to be an airfield (workshops and hangars removed) and developed into the current land use for commercial, warehouse and light industrial use in what is now
Yorkdale-Glen Park
.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"Barker Field"
. Canadian Military History
. Retrieved
30 September
2020
.
- ^
"Marion Orr"
. The Canadian 99s
. Retrieved
30 September
2020
.
43°42′54″N
079°27′22″W
/
43.71500°N 79.45611°W
/
43.71500; -79.45611
(
Baker Field
)