Our 'Hurri':
by Richard Mallory Allnutt
Since our Hawker Hurricane is about to enter a period of extensive maintenance, we thought it might be a good time to share some of the aircraft’s history, including its time with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) defending Canada’s east coast during WWII. There are many facets to this tale, too many for one article, so we shall cover them in several parts over the coming weeks. This first chapter will provide a little background on the company which manufactured our aircraft at the tail end of 1942.
The museum’s Hurricane Mk.XII, as its model designator implies, is one of the 1,451 examples (of several variants) built under license in Canada at the Canadian Car & Foundry factory in Fort William, Ontario - a city now known as Thunder Bay - on the northwestern shore of Lake Superior. Interestingly, Canada was not the only nation to manufacture the Hurricane outside of Britain; factories in both Belgium and the former Yugoslavia built examples of the type as well, albeit in far smaller numbers.
Canadian Car & Foundry:
Canadian Car & Foundry, often simply referred to as CanCar, first formed in 1909 through the amalgamation of several other companies. The corporation's factories were spread across eastern Canada and primarily known for their manufacture of buses, street cars and railway rolling stock, although their interests sometimes extended far further afield - such as the manufacture of a dozen mine sweepers for the French Navy in WWI. During the 1930s CanCar established an aeronautical division, adding a new facility at their Fort William plant for that purpose. The first complete aircraft design they began manufacturing at this factory was a license-built variant of Leroy Grumman's G-23 biplane fighter (dubbed the Goblin in Canadian service). The first handful of these aircraft were built up from fuselage frames provided by Grumman. Interestingly, the wings and tail surfaces came from the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation - itself a newly established subsidiary of an automotive company.
CanCar built 52 Goblins, with the majority of these ending up flying - under questionable circumstances - on the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War. Deeming the type too antiquated and slow, the RCAF initially rejected the type. However, they did end up operating 15 of the type in a coastal defense role during the first half of WWII. But with their remaining Goblin orders fulfilled by 1938, CanCar needed a new aircraft type to produce...
Circa 1936, Canadian Car & Foundry received an order for fifty Goblins, reportedly from the Turkish government. As it happened, they were destined for service with Republican forces during the Spanish Civil War. About three dozen examples arrived in Spain before the subterfuge was 'officially' discovered. Perhaps as a result, the remaining examples on order never left Canadian shores. The example shown here is one of those which survived the Spanish Civil War to see service with the winning Nationalist side under General Franco. (image via Wikimedia)
The RCAF regarded the Goblin as too slow and outdated to place any orders, however, with the arrival of WWII they operated 15 of them (the examples which never made it to Spain). This image shows a flight of Goblins from 118(F) Squadron RCAF on patrol near Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. For a good portion of 1941, these biplanes were the only fighter aircraft available for the defense of eastern Canada. (image via Wikimedia)
The sole surviving Goblin, masquerading as its sibling, the Grumman FF-1, at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. This is the sole example produced for the fledgeling Nicaraguan Air Force circa 1937. It survived on a scrap heap in that nation until the 1960s, when an American rescued it and restored it to flying condition. (image by Greg Goebel via wikimedia)
Canadian Hurricanes:
Designed in England, the first Hurricane flew in November 1935, with Britain's Royal Air Force (RAF) fielding its first operational squadrons roughly two years later. With the prospect of another pan-European war looming in early 1938, Hawker Siddeley Aircraft, the Hurricane’s manufacturer, recognized that its factories in England would be incredibly vulnerable to enemy attack. To ensure that fighter production could continue, even if its domestic factories were destroyed, Hawker reached an agreement with Canadian Car & Foundry to produce licensed copies of the Hurricane at their factory in Fort William. Soon afterwards, the British government placed an order for forty Canadian-built Hurricanes. CanCar received a sample British-built Hurricane Mk.I to use as a pattern, along with a complete set of drawings on microfilm. But translating these raw data into the mass-production of high-performance combat aircraft was not a simple task. CanCar had only built aircraft in small numbers up until then, and while the initial order from the RAF (for 40 Hurricanes) was relatively small, tooling up for this endeavor, not to mention hiring and training the necessary workforce, was a massive undertaking.Â
To lead this task, Canadian Car & Foundry chose 33-year old, Elsie Gregory MacGill to become their new Chief Aeronautical Engineer - hiring her away from Fairchild Canada in Montreal. Considering the stunted ideas regarding gender roles in that era, this signing must have seemed a radical act to many back then. But MacGill was a brilliant engineer whose talent, hard work and determination plowed through those prejudices. While there isn't room to do her many accomplishments credit here, we would be remiss not to mention at least some of them.
Elsie Gregory MacGill:
After earning her undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto in 1927 (the first Canadian woman to do so), Elsie MacGill went to work (as a mechanical engineer) for the Austin Automobile Company in Detroit, Michigan. When that company moved into aviation work, MacGill began studying Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Michigan, soon receiving sponsorship to pursue her master's degree full time. When she graduated in 1929, MacGill became the first accredited female aeronautical engineer in the world. What many don't realize, however, is that she completed her final exams from the hospital bed, paralyzed from the waist down with polio. Doctors thought it unlikely that she would ever walk again but, true to her nature, MacGill proved them wrong.
After three grueling years in recovery at her family's home in Vancouver, British Columbia, MacGill learned to walk again, albeit often with the assistance of crutches. She supported herself financially during this time by writing scientific papers and working on various designs for clients. Once sufficiently healed, MacGill moved to Cambridge, Massachussetts to continue her post-graduate studies in aeronautics at MIT. However in 1934, two years into her doctorate, MacGill was lured away to Montreal, Quebec by Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada), where she worked as Assistant to the Chief Engineer on ground-breaking new projects - including the Fairchild Super 71, the first aircraft with an all-metal fuselage designed and built in Canada. As an additional testament to her courage, MacGill insisted on flying aboard new aircraft under evaluation to get a first hand read on the test data - a significantly hazardous task during that era. By the time Elsie MacGill moved to Fort Henry, she was already a highly respected engineer. In addition to getting the factory tooled up for Hurricane production, she was also the chief designer for CanCar's Maple Leaf Trainer Mk.II which first flew on October 31st, 1939 (with MacGill aboard). The type is believed to be the first female-designed aircraft to fly in the world.
The First CanCar Hurricane:
Gearing up for the mass-production of Hawker Hurricanes was a massive undertaking involving the fabrication of numerous jigs, patterns and specialized tooling, not to mention the establishment of an adequate material supply chain. Elsie MacGill also had to organize a rapid influx of factory personnel, most of whom needed significant training. More than half of those eventually employed on the Hurricane production line were women - there is a marvelous documentary on these dedicated "Rosies of the North" at the link HERE.
Even though CanCar was able to fabricate nearly everything for the Hurricane on site, there were several critical items which they initially had to procure from Britain, such as the engine (Rolls-Royce Merlin Mk.III), propeller (de Havilland) and radiator (Hawker). The supply of these key components became a major problem once the war began however, leading to significant design changes in the Canadian-built Hurricanes to accommodate US-built alternatives.
Bringing Hurricane production online took roughly a year to complete - an extraordinary feat when considering everything which needed to occur. CanCar had their first Hurricane (RAF serial P5170) ready for flight during the waning days of 1939, which provides real affirmation for Elsie MacGill's engineering and organizational prowess and those she chose to work alongside her. P5170 made its first flight on January 10th, 1940, with dozens more following in subsequent months. The first shipment of 20 airframes arrived in England during June, 1940 - just in time to take part in the Battle of Britain.
A rear, three-quarters view of Hawker Hurricane Mk.I P5170 nearing the end of its construction on November 21, 1939. (CanCar photo)
Another nice view of Hawker Hurricane Mk.I P5170 nearing the end of its construction on November 21, 1939. This was the first Hurricane constructed at Canadian Car & Foundry's facility in Fort William, Ontario. (CanCar photo)
A forward three quarters view of Hawker Hurricane Mk.I P5170 nearing the end of its construction on November 21, 1939 at CanCar's facility in Fort William, Ontario. (CanCar photo)
CanCar's factory was actually some distance away from the Bishop's Field, the aerodrome where flight testing took place. As a result, the company had to tow the aircraft, sans wings, the three or so miles to their hangars on site where they underwent final assembly. Here, P5170 can be seen on its journey to Bishop's Field (named after Canada's famed WWI ace, Billy Bishop). (image via TorontoAviationHeritage.ca)
Hawker Hurricane P5170 at Bishop's field following final assembly on January 9th, 1940. (CanCar archive)
Hawker Hurricane Mk.I P5170 warming up prior to its first flight at Fort William on January 10th, 1940. (CCF Archive)
Bishops Field circa 1945. Note the hangars along the taxiway; this is where the CanCar aircraft underwent final assembly and test.
A present day view of Thunder Bay. The red dot shows the location of the CanCar factory, now operated by Alstom. The airfield, now greatly expanded, is the present-day Thunder Bay International Airport. Note the significant distance which the aircraft produced at the factory had to travel (trucked wingless by road) to the airfield. (image via Google Maps)
The public unveiling of CanCar Hurricanes circa July 1941. (image via Canada Aviation & Space Museum)
"Elsie Gregory" christens a new Hurricane at Fort William, circa July 1941. (image via Archives Of Ontario)
The Hurricane preparing to fly at the CanCar public demonstration at Bishop's Field in Fort William. Note the imposing bulk of Mount McKay looming in the background. (image via Library & Archives Canada)
Further Reading:
For those wishing to learn more about Elsie MacGill, there is a marvelous book about her extraordinary life entitled, Queen of the Hurricanes, the Fearless Elsie MacGill by Canadian author, Crystal Sissons.
Furthermore, the Royal Canadian Mint recently memorialized her with the creation of a commemorative dollar coin in her honor.