Canadian Warplanes 4: Airspeed Oxford

Airspeed Oxford

(Bob Brown Photo)

Airspeed A.S. 10 Oxford Mk. II, RCAF (Serial No. AS277), 25, in flight over Saskatchewan, 1942.

The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford was a British designed twin-engine aircraft that was in widespread use for training aircrews in navigation, radio-operating, bombing and gunnery roles throughout the Second World War. First flown on 19 June 1937, it was rapidly put into production as part of a rapid expansion of the RAF in anticipation of a large-scale conflict. It was considered to be a capable trainer aircraft throughout the Second World War, as well as being used a general-purpose type.

Airspeed AS 10 Oxford Mk. I (27), (Serial Nos. 1501-1525, A89, A101), Mk. II (606), (Serial Nos. T1119, T1127, T1139, T1167, T1172, T1177, T1180, T1181, T1184, T1273, T1277, T1280, T1282, T1312-17, T1323, T1326, T1328, V-3247, V-3268, V-3289, V-3290, V-3291, V-3294, V-3310, V-3312, V-3313, V-3315, V-3316, V-3319, V-3332, V-3342, V-3348, V-3351, V-3353, V-3379, V-3883, X6520, X6521, X6529, X6534, X6536, X6538, X6539, X6541, X6543, X6544, X6549- X6552, X6555- X6557, X6559, X6563, X6564, X6589-91, X6593, X6596, X6610, X6665, X6675, X6679, X6683- X6686, X6688, X6689, X6692, X6733- X6735, X6880- X6884, X6952, X6954, X6957, X6961- X6964, X6967, X7038, X7042, X7057, X7116-22, X7124, X7137, X7140, X7141, X7143- X7149, X7156, AP413, AP415, AP418, AP424, AP452, AP486, AP487, AP491, AR756, AR757, AR761, AR762, AR765, AR766, AR768, AR770, AR774, AR775, AR778, AR780, AR784, 8 AR75, AR809, AR810, AR813, AR814, AR819, AR830, AR833, AR834, AR836, AR844, AR847, AR850, AR872, AR875, AR877, AR913, AR919, AR921, AR924, AR927, AR935, AR937, AR953, AR969, AR971- AR974, AR978, AR981, AS148- AS150, AS157, AS159, AS162, AS164- AS168, AS170, AS172, AS173, AS180, AS181, AS184- AS186, AS202, AS203, AS205- AS215, AS217- AS225, AS227- AS230, AS255, AS257- AS264, AS266, AS268, AS270, AS272, AS275- AS278, AS299-AS301, AS303- AS308, AS312, AS314, AS316, AS317, AS319- AS322, AS329, AS330, AS347, AS349, AS350, AS352, AS359- AS363, AS365- AS368, AS372, AS373, AS378, AS381, AS383, AS386, AS388, AS390, AS394- AS396, AS503, AS505, AS510, AS513, AS514, AS516, AS517, AS521, AS523, AS537, AS538, AS540, AS544, AS545, AS549, AS550, AS552, AS553, AS556, AS559, AS561, AS564, AS565, AS568, AS569, AS571, AS591, AS592- AS595, AS599, AS600, AS603, AS607, AS608, AS610- AS614, AS616, AS617, AS619- AS621, AS624- AS626, AS629, AS637, AS639, AS640, AS666- AS670, AS673- AS675, AS677- AS680, AS684- AS686, AS688- AS691, AS693, AS695-AS701, AS704, AS706, AS726, AS730, AS734, AS738, AS764, AS769- AS771, AS773, AS775, AS777, AS778, AS781- AS784, AS787, AS788, AS790- AS792, AS795, AS796, AS798, AS800- AS804, AS806, AS813, AS828, AS829, AS831, AS833- AS835, AS837, AS838, AS846, AS848, AS850, AS851, AS853, AS854, AS859- AS862, AS869, AS912, AS914- AS916, AS918- AS922, AS924- AS927, AS930, AS931, AS933, AS935, AS936, AS938, AS939, AS941, AS942, AS980, AT440, AT442- AT450, AT452, AT453, AT455- AT458, AT460, AT461, AT464- AT466, AT472, AT473, AT482, AT483, AT502, AT504, AT511, AT516, AT517, AT519, AT523- AT525, AT533, AT535, AT576, AT584, AT589- AT592, AT599-AT601, AT605, AT607, AT641, AT642, BF800, BF866, BF881, BF904, BF905, BF909, BF910, BF977- BF980, BG125, BG289, BG294, BG295, BG297, BG298, BG303, BG304, BG322, BG323, BG325, BG327- BG329, BG331, BG332, BG334, BG352, BG354, BG355, BG357, BG360, BG363, BG366, BG369, BG370, BG372, BM675- BM682, BM684, BM685, BM689- BM691, BM696, BM697, BM699-BM702, BM714- BM718, BM720, BM747- BM754, BM758- BM764, BM766- BM773, BM780, BM781, BM801, BM805-BM817), AS 46 Oxford Mk. V (188), (Serial Nos. EB425- EB461, EB463, EB484- EB489, EB491- EB4518, EB435- EB484, EB599-EB5640, EB554-EB577), for a total of 819 of all Marks of the Oxford operated by the RCAF in Canada.

(RCAF Photo via Chris Charland)

Airspeed AS 10 Oxford Mk. I, RCAF (Serial No. X6559), served with both No. 35 Service Flying Training School at North Battleford, Saskatchewan and No. 36 Service Flying Training School at Penhold, Alberta.

(Toronto Star Photograph Archive)

Fairey Battle and a twin-engine Airspeed Oxford Mk. I (Serial No. 1514), provide the background to an RCAF Wings parade at Camp Borden in 1944. These pilots received their flying training under the Commonwealth Air Training Plan. They were among 133,554 pilots, observers, bomb aimers, navigators and flight engineers from all parts of the Commonwealth produced by the plan.