Located At the Seaforth Armoury. 135 Squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets was formed on the 20th of June 1942. It was originally stationed in South Burnaby with the name Royal Oak Squadron and was open to boys 14 ½ to 17 ½ years of age for the purpose of training them for service with the RCAF when of age. Following the war, the Air Cadet Program’s aims and training were changed to meet more practical needs of Canadian youth.
In the 1950’s, the squadron moved to Vancouver at RCAF Station Kitsilano, and given the name Vancouver Squadron. Following the closing of RCAF Station Kitsilano in 1965, the squadron moved to its permanent home in the Seaforth Armoury. In 1978, the squadron name was changed to Challenger.
In 2010, 135 Squadron changed its name to Bell-Irving to honour Air Commodore Alan Duncan Bell-Irving, one of the founders of the Air Cadet program. This was also done to show the connection between the Squadron and the Seaforth Highlanders of Canada as A.D. Bell-Irving’s Father was one of the founders of the Highland Regiment.
