Secrets of Radar Museum Celebrates its 20th Anniversary

On May 22, 2023, we celebrated our 20th year open to the public. The museum held a rare Holiday Monday opening to open its doors, free, to the public. Visitors were treated to tours that highlighted the new additions and sophisticated new display materials, lunch, and (brief) speeches. Theresa Armstrong, MPP for London-Fanshawe was on hand to deliver kind words and hansard, and cut the cake. She did both with enthusiasm and skill! Guests included former staff and Board Members, volunteers past and present, and family members of Jim Sands, one of the museum’s founders. There was even a well-behaved pupper who joined the fun. Thank you to Theresa Armstrong and the London Amateur Radio Club for joining us in our merry-making.

Welcome Back! We've Missed You!

Well hello there! It certainly feels like years since we last greeted you in person, but we’re excited to welcome you back to the museum on Saturdays, 10AM-4M, starting July 18. We’re following the advice of public health authorities and guidelines offered by the Ontario Museum Association in order to help ensure your visits are enjoyable, educational and, above all, safe. As we re-open SORM to the public, we ask you to work with us to keep the museum a safe place for yourself, for all visitors, and for our volunteers by carefully reading these guidelines.

Guidelines for Visiting SORM

1. If you feel unwell, or have recently travelled abroad, please stay home!

2. All staff, volunteers, and visitors must wear a mask or face shield and respect social/physical distancing. Some exceptions for masking apply:

• Children under two years of age.

• Persons with an underlying medical condition which inhibits the ability to wear a mask or face covering.

• Persons who are unable to place or remove a mask or face covering without assistance.

• Additional accommodations in accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code will also be considered.

3. The museum floor is marked with direction arrows. If not taking a guided tour, please follow them.

4. Hand-sanitizer is available for use at the museum, but remember that this is a museum and unless expressly permitted, for your safety and the care of our collection, please don’t touch the artefacts.

5. In order to preserve a 2m physical distance, we have a strict visitor capacity. You may be asked to wait outside. Please be patient.

The safety of our staff, volunteers, and visitors is our top priority. We thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to monitor the situation closely and adapt our precautions as required.

Distance Vectors image by Vecteezy.

Social Distancing due to COVID-19

We have been monitoring the ever changing situation with COVID-19.

Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, Theresa Tam, has called for social distancing and a ban on public gatherings to stop the development of new cases. Canada is hunkering down for 3 weeks. Many public institutions, arts and culture organisations, and businesses have drafted new policies aimed at protecting their employees and safeguarding their ability to function. After consulting with our partners on site, the 427 Wing and LARC, the Board has made the decision to temporarily close SORM to the public until further notice.

Click here for more information about social distancing and “flattening the curve”.

Thank you for your continued support. Stay healthy!

Steve Bourdeau,

President

February Photo Round-Up

We've been busy over the last month or so, writing grant applications, project proposals, and, of course, attending events.  While the applications and proposals are necessities of survival and not a lot of fun, the outreach and events are the reason why we write the grants and crunch numbers.  Interacting, or as we in the museum world call it, engaging with people and our communities is what breathes life into programming, exhibits, talks, displays, etc. 

Wiarton Willy may have predicted more winter, but while many were lamenting, we spent the evening on Groundhog Day with a display at Budweiser Gardens for the incredible presentation of The Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines.  The event featured the Pipes, Drums, and Highland Dancers of the Scots Guard.  We talked with audience members, Bud Gardens staff, and event performers until our throats were raw.

The 4th Annual Heritage Fair, presented by the London Heritage Council and the London Public Library, took place on February 13th.  The weather was terrible, but that didn't stop over 400 history buffs of all ages from coming through and spending time learning about London's heritage.  We offered a 45-minute scrapbooking and collage workshop focusing on presenting RCAF history.  We provided reproduced images drawn from our collection, as well as scrapbooking supplies and participants were encouraged to be as creative as they liked.

One of the first visitors to our display at Central Branch for the Heritage Fair.

Finally, our own 3rd Annual Open House took place on Family Day.  The London Amateur Radio Club station, VE3LS, was on the air, volunteers were on hand to answer questions and provide brief tours, and we reprised our scrapbooking craft in the lounge.  Much coffee and hot chocolate was drunk and many cups of "radar" popcorn were enjoyed.

Examples of scrapbooking/collage done by both children and adults at our events.

Manager & Curator Maya Hirschman talks up the Museum in this week's "Our London"

In case you missed the story in this week's Our London, reporter Whitney South spent some time visiting the Museum and interviewing Manager and Curator, Maya Hirschman.  You can read the full article online.

“ Imagine helping to save the world — and having to keep it a secret for 50 years.

But more than a story in an old spy novel, this was reality for thousands of men and women working behind the scenes during the Second World War. Groups of radar mechanics and operators, physicists and researchers, working to protect soldiers abroad, all in complete secrecy.

These days, their stories live on at the Secrets of Radar Museum, here in London.

For curator Maya Hirschman, nothing is more important than getting the chance to share those stories with a new generation.

“These were Canadian men and women, from all walks of life, who never expected to end up doing top secret work,” she explained. “Like spies and codebreakers, they promised their silence, and their reward was that the official history completely forgot about them.” ”

— http://www.ourlondon.ca/news-story/6227398-opening-the-doors-on-war-s-best-kept-secrets/

Spring Volunteer of Note: Bethany Hayward

Bethany helping out on Canada Day, 2014, in Harris Park, London, ON

Bethany has been with SORM for two years as our volunteer Collections Manager. With few exceptions, she devotes one day a week to the museum in which she puts order to chaos, inputs artefact and archival data into the collection database, and oversees the work of multiple young cataloguing assistants. You can often find her working the SORM booth at community events such as Canada Day in Harris Park, DoorsOpen London, and Remembrance Day.  Her background in archaeology and museum management make her a great asset to any museum and we felt strongly that her efforts should be rewarded with our inaugural Volunteer of Note award. 

Thank you, Bethany, for everything you do!