Saint John Municipal Airport, Millidgeville

The Saint John Municipal Airport, Millidgeville Provincial Heritage Place is commemorated by a monument and plaque on the grounds of M. Gerald Teed Memorial School in what is now the north end of the City of Saint John. It is located within the boundary of the former grounds of what was once Saint John’s municipal airfield. Sightlines provide a view down a residential street, Donaldson Street, once the main runway.

The Saint John Municipal Airport, Millidgeville, the prime landing field for the City of Saint John from 1928 to 1951, is designated a Provincial Heritage Place for its association with aviation history in New Brunswick.

Many notable pilots are associated with the former airport. It was a staging area for the aerial trans-Atlantic crossing by Amelia Earhart and others notables in the 1930’s. Three Millidgeville pilots, collectively known as the Millidgeville 3, were trained here and gave their lives while serving with the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain. Other well know pilots to utilize the airport include Captain Wendell Rodgers, a decorated WWI Ace and founding member of the Flying Club; Daphne Patterson, first Canadian female commercial pilot and member of the Ferry Command during WWII; Al Cheeseman, an early Arctic and Antarctic exploration pilot in the 1920-30’s and decorated WWII pilot; and Captain Jimmy Wade, K.C. Irving’s personal pilot, first New Brunswick-to-Grand Manan air service provider, and noted rescue pilot.

In the 1930’s, National Air Pageants took place at the site. After World War II, a Vocational Training School operated at the former airport. The airport enabled the development of a number of small airline companies and flying clubs. It was home to the corporate airline of K.C. Irving, a prominent 20th century industrialist. It was also the launching point for a number of search and rescue missions.

Source: New Brunswick Department of Wellness, Culture and Sport – Heritage Branch, Site File #133.

The character-defining elements of the Saint John Municipal Airport, Millidgeville Provincial Heritage Place include:

- the commemorative monument and plaque;

- the viewscape looking down Donaldson Street.