Pinetree Line

2416 Aircraft Control & Warning Unit (Reserve) was formed in Ottawa on 15 July 1950 and was directly accountable to Air Defence Group, later Air Defence Command, through the RCAF Reserve Group at Montreal. The Squadron was initially formed in termporary offices at Beaver Barracks on Metcalfe Street. In 1951, a more permanent home was found at 7 Deleware Avenue, a house expropriated by the DND from the Gleason family. The large stucco and red-tile brick house contained the unit's offices, mess halls and classrooms. 2416 also used facilities at RCAF Station Uplands. Like the other AC&W units within the Auxiliary Force, 2416 AC&WU was equipped with the AMES-11C radar and associated equipment. The radar and equipment were mounted on trucks so that they could be easily transported to various locations when and if they were needed. Most of its work dealt with training radar and fighter control operators either on its mobile AMES-11 or at week-end and summer exercises at RCAF Station Foymount.

The unit became Auxiliary on 1 November 1951 and on 1 December 1953, attained Squadron status. On 1 March 1957, the Squadron ceased reporting to Montreal and now were responsible to the Auxiliary Group in Toronto. As the majority of Auxiliary flying squadrons converted to the emergency and rescue role and were assigned to Air Transport Command, it was decided that the Auxiliary AC&W Squadrons would report directly to Air Defence Command starting 1 October 1958 as this was their raison d’etre. The unit was initially located in a building in downtown Ottawa but in the summer of 1958, the Squadron moved to RCAF Station Uplands.

Narrative reports on the Pinetree Line web site confirm that 2416 AC&W Squadron was active at RCAF Station Sydney in 1955 and at RCAF Station Foymount, ON during the years 1954 to 1958 inclusive.

2416 AC&W Squadron was disbanded on 31 December 1961 as their manual operations were no longer required to assist the Regular AC&W Squadrons as the SAGE system was coming on line. The old Gleason home was sold off and eventually became the Hungarian Embassy.