Cold War Radar in Canada: We want to hear from you!

Did you, perhaps, serve on one of Canada's three radar defence lines?  We'd love to hear from you.  We want to build our oral history library and permanent collection to include your experiences and artefacts.  Get in touch!

Unissued / unused material. Radar Station in Northern Canada. Travelling shot across snowy countryside. Various shots of the radar station and surrounding building. Various shots radar aerial operating. CU radar screen in operation. MS operators at control panel. CU Radar screen. CU radar location chart, pan down to operations tables.

A silent glimpse into RCAF Station Foymount in 1955. 

The early Pine Tree Line stations were more or less modelled on British WWII radar stations.  A number of our membership served on these Cold War era stations and are more than happy to talk about their experiences when they're volunteering around the museum. 

In Memorium: Roy Taylor, 1920-2015

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RoyTaylor (2013) stands in front of his 1940 enlistment group photo.

It is with a deep sadness that I post about the passing of yet another beloved veteran from the SoRM family.  Roy Taylor, in his 96th year, passed away last week as a result of a brief, but serious infection.  We last had Roy out to the museum for the LARC club station opening on May 18th and he was in fine form, smiling, looking good, and delighted to enjoy the museum, amateur radio, sunshine and barbecue. 

Roy has been an integral part of SORM since its beginnings and his presence is felt throughout the museum.  Although he hasn't volunteered with us since November 2013, his contribution continues to be felt.  Many of the stories we share as part of our regular tours come from his memoir, and they will live on a while longer in the travelling exhibition I'm currently developing.  With his passing, we have come to the end of an era.  Roy was the last local WW2 radar veteran to be involved with us, and while it's sad, it's also not really surprising. 

It was a great privilege to get to know Roy, his story, his gentlemanly character, and his smile.

~ Maya

Per Ardua Ad Astra ("Through Adversity To The  Stars": RCAF motto)

From Peter Garland, SoRM Past President and NORAD radar veteran:

“Roy was a gentleman, who brought the beginnings of radar to life for so many children and adults. Our museum was a big part of his life, and he served it well, preserving the story. We are all so lucky to have known him and to have witnessed his fascinating living history, the story of SORM.

”Track faded”, as the radar operators parlance has it.

To the Stars, Roy.”

A celebration of Roy's life will be held on Wednesday, August 5, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. at Westview Baptist Church, 1000 Wonderland Road South, London.  As an expression of sympathy, the family has asked that donations may be made to The Secrets of Radar Museum, P.O. Box 24033, London, ON N6H 5C4 or Canadian Diabetes Association, 442 Adelaide Street N., London, ON N6B 3H8. 

Click here for Roy's official obituary.

Looking for something to do this Family Day?

Family Day Open House

Monday, February 17, 2014 from 10 am – 4 pm

London, ON - The Secrets of Radar Museum will be hosting a special Family Day Open House on Monday February 17, from 10:00 AM-4:00 PM.

Taking advantage of the trails around Westminster Ponds this Family Day? Drop by the Secrets of Radar Museum and warm up with us. Hot refreshments and “radar popcorn” will be available for purchase as well as free tours of the museum’s permanent exhibits.

Come see our new arrival: H2X !

On Sunday, we welcomed the newest member of our tech family, a complete H2X airborne, ground-scanning radar set.  Rob and Linda Adams brought the unit to us from the Ottawa Radar Group, which organised its transfer from the private collection of David Barlow to us.  We have put the unit on display in our Technology Room, and expect to have a plaque produced, early in the new year, thanking the donor and those who made its delivery possible.  Click here to learn more about the H2X.  Thank you very much to the donor, Mr. Barlow, and to radar veterans Julien Olsen and Ken Shoultz for organising the transport of this unique piece of WW2 history.

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Rob and Linda Adams with the H2X.  Linda is the daughter of Ken Shoultz, WW2 radar veteran with the Ottawa Radar Group.

... are we live?

Well, we're back after an extended absence from the web.  You probably notice that things look a little different around here.  We took the opportunity afforded us by our significant down-time to revamp our page a little.  Okay, a lot.

Our old page was rather static, so some of the things you can look forward to seeing on the new page include this blog, for a start, as well as a new multimedia page for audio and film clips, as well as a "From the Vault" section, which will showcase some of our artefacts.  We're considering a section for "Your Stories" because so many of you share your own family radar histories with us that we'd like to share them with the world!

What do you think?  Comments are always appreciated.