Camp Rathbun Traditional Cache
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This is the site of Camp Rathbun, a World War One Royal Flying Corps training camp. Please take the time to read the plaque near GZ; that's the whole point of having selected this site for a cache!
During the declining years of World War One (or "The Great War", as it was called at the time), the use of airplanes became more and more common. A training camp, Camp Rathbun, was established at Deseronto to train pilots and crew. The camp closed on Armistice Day, November 11, 1918. However, one can still see remnants of Camp Rathbun if he/she looks hard enough. Just North of GZ at 356 Deseronto Rd. is a private residence with a rounded roof; this is part of one of the nine hangars at Camp Rathbun. Another hangar was dismantled, transported into the Town of Deseronto, and reassembled. It still serves today as the Town of Deseronto Streets Department Garage, and is located at 100 Prince St. Just South of GZ is a small, red brick structure, which is said to have been the "guard shack" at Camp Rathbun. Nearby, though not visible from the road (and located on private property) is an old concrete structure. Until recently, this structure had a large, heavy, iron door. The door was stolen by person(s) unknown, presumably to be sold for scrap. This building served as an ammunition storage facility for the camp.
Close to GZ is a plaque, erected by the Town of Deseronto and the Ontario Heritage Foundation. Please take the time to read the plaque, and learn more about Camp Rathbun, an important chapter in local history. Those who are interested should read the book "Dancing in the Sky: The Royal Flying Corps in Canada" by local (Belleville) Historian C.W. Hunt.
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