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This N.B. industrial park was once a Second World War airfield
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What is now an industrial park outside Moncton once played an important part in Canada's Second World War efforts.
Scoudouc was an air base during the war, providing repair and housing to dozens of military aircraft. At the time, the base 17 kilometres northeast of downtown Moncton was one of the biggest airfields in Eastern Canada.
Roadside History explorer James Upham says that in the 1940s, it would've been a "really dumb idea" to stand around what is now a remote industrial park.
Scoudouc acted as a relief air base, taking the overflow — especially repair work — from RCAF Station Moncton, now the Greater Moncton airport.
Aircraft would be flown to the base for maintenance before returning to service. Upham said some would arrive from Europe for repairs before they going back to duty.
Among the planes that would've been found at the base was the Avro Lancaster. Upham calls the four-engine bomber plane one of the best aircraft of its day.
During the war, Moncton was training thousands of pilots to fly, which could tie up runways if there were accidents.
"If you have an aircraft that's pancaked on the runway in Moncton, all the firefighting crews are busy looking after that airplane," he said. "And if you try to land another airplane and it has a problem, that could be a massive issue. So you need a relief field."
Scoudouc had large hangars used for repair work.
"There were flights that were … going out over the ocean, you know, looking after convoys and those aircraft, too, needed to be fixed," Upham said.
When the war in Europe came to an end, the Scoudouc airfield began adapting planes for the Pacific theatre, he said.
But all the work was for nothing, he said. The planes that were likely being adapted for a warmer climate never left Scoudouc for combat with Japan.
'Bomber graveyard'
The airfield that was once lively with military activity closed shortly a year or two after the Second World War ended in 1945.
Upham said some local people believe the planes were steamrolled, although he has no proof of that.
"Lots of people have heard here, allegedly, this is a bomber graveyard. If that's the case, I would be very interested to know."
The Scoudouc Industrial Park that eventually was built on the site now hosts activity ranging from window manufacturing to an N.B. Power substation.
There are still markings of the old air base, however, and though overgrown, the runway paths are still visible.
One of the businesses in the industrial park is even using a building that was once an airplane hangar.
