Fates of former armouries

[Gorgo]

The Niagara Falls armouries on Victoria Ave. is now the Niagara Falls Mïlitary Museum.It at one time housed the 10thBtty of the 56thFR RCA.

And D Company of the Lincoln and Welland Regiment.  As soon as the armoury was declared surplus, D Company was stood down and C Company stood up in Welland.

 

[pbi]

In Pembroke?  I doubt the floor of that Armoury would take the weight of even a 40 mm Bofors.  It is a wooden floored armoury over a crawl space basement...I may have been in that Armoury- once or twice. 

I was wrong: the Regtl 2iC advises me that it was in the former armoury in Perth, which is now a church.

 

[cupper]

Not quite fitting into the thread theme but it looks like Halifax is getting a new armoury to be built in Willow Park.

The current Halifax Armouries on the Halifax Commons will continue to be used due to a lack of training space in Halifax.

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/111670/post-1248462/topicseen.html#new

 

[pbi]

Not quite fitting into the thread theme but it looks like Halifax is getting a new armoury to be built in Willow Park.

The current Halifax Armouries on the Halifax Commons will continue to be used due to a lack of training space in Halifax.

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/111670/post-1248462/topicseen.html#new

This is a problem which existed at least twenty years ago and is going to get much, much worse as armouries (especially multi-unit armouries) reach the end of their life spans, or simply no loner are physically capable of providing the needed space and facilities without hugely expensive renovations.

As an example, when I was in LFCA HQ in 98-2000, we estimated that at the then-current rate of recapitalization funding, it would take over 100 years to replace all our armouries. I'm pretty sure other LFA's faced very similar situations. Some of these old buildings simply won't be able to stay standing that long.

 

[Marauder]

I was married in the 'Gunnery Room' of the London Delta (the ball room located on the outside wall beside Waterloo St) and IIRC there was a display case showing some photos of the Armoury back in its heyday, so there are a few reminders. When you see the roof line in the big atrium they have outside the ballrooms, there's no mistaking the similarity to the interior roofline of the old Chatham armoury (IMO).

Speaking of which, being former E&K, I spent time in the old Chatham armoury before the new 'public school' looking one was built in the south side of the city next to the ethanol plant. The urban legend amongst the ranks was that only CF members were allowed in the old one at the time because the building was condemned and civilian pers were not allowed to set foot inside due to reasons of liability. Likely grossly false, but it was a *very* "well used" armoury, with an antique wood floor (and possessed of more character than I think it's replacement could accumulate in three centuries of service).

I missed feeling the history of the old Windsor armouries when coming in a Tuesday night after the move to Tilston, but having served in both as well, the set up at Tilston is much roomier and functional for a motorized present rather than a horse drawn past. The "issue" surrounding the ranges notwithstanding, I thought Tilston much more than just adequate  (from a CPL's POV).

I can't help but feel I am 'losing' another bit of personally connected geographical military history soon since it seems that everything except 'A' Block, the CBG HQ, Beaver Hall, the MIR, and the 'MSA' building on Wolseley is going to feel the wrecking ball in the near future for what I think to be short sighted motivations. We went from almost getting a whole floor in Glacis Building to being constrained to a classroom and single office in the MIR (though the computers there do actually work, so bonus for the new subbie). Oh well, perhaps it will help in some larger sense to build an updated cubicle farm on the Nortel Campus. Hmmm, now to find the sarcasm font...

 

[RHLIDRUMMER]

I don't have a picture but the YWCA in Peterborough sure looks like it could have been an Armoury at one time.

 

[Michael OLeary]

Listowel Armoury, now used by the Listowel Agricultural Society

Chatham Armoury, now occupied by RBC Dominion Securities and Four Diamond Catering

Watford Armoury (Drill Hall), now a fire hall.

 

[Petard]

A lot of these former armouries can be found in link below (the example in the search is for the former one in Niagara falls)
www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=9870&pid=0

 

[dapaterson]

Hillside Armoury in Westmount has been vacated by 34 CER, after ~45 years of being told that the unit's departure was imminent.  It's likely the building will be demolished, as there are leaks, mould and structural deficiencies.

There's an article about 1/3 of the way down this page discussing it: http://aroundwestmount.com/events-past-2-3/

Tombstone data from TBS is at: http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/dfrp-rbif/pn-nb/07064-eng.aspx

 

[Oldgateboatdriver]

Fond memories of mess dinners at that armoury. Sad to see it go instead of being fixed up.

 

[dapaterson]

Fond memories of mess dinners at that armoury. Sad to see it go instead of being fixed up.

The final dinner was held on the parade square on 12 April this year.  Given the state of the building and the inability to retrofit it to meet modern (or even 1970s) health and safety standards at anything close to a reasonable cost, it's not a surprise that it's closed.

I seem to recall reading that of the three options initially considered - renovate, rebuild, and relocate - that renovate was the most expensive and least functional.  Add to it the problem that there's no exterior space for vehicle storage at all, and it's even more understandable that it would close.

 

[Michael OLeary]

Wingham Armoury

 

[pbi]

Fond memories of mess dinners at that armoury. Sad to see it go instead of being fixed up.

I spent quite a while in Hillside Armoury in 1976 during the Olympics. I was a rifleman in the D&S Platoon of TF2, which had its HQ in the Armoury: I spent many shifts on sentry or local patrol there.  A very interesting old structure: I was told that it was originally the warehouse and stables of a delivery service.

 

[Remius]

The Aberdeen pavilion at lansdowne park in Ottawa housed the LSH before they departed for the boer war.  Also was used by the PPCLI in WW1 and was the CHofO and Princess Louise Dragoons in WW2. Unrelated is the fact that it hosted a Stanley cup once...

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberdeen_Pavilion

 

[171292]

The armoury in Kemptville, Ontario served as the local fire hall after the battery was disbanded in one of the force cuts in the sixties. With the construction of a new fire hall the building has been put to use by the local Sea Cadet Corps.

The building was used for a memorial service for Private Blake Williamson, 1 RCR, who was killed in Afghanistan in October 2006.

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but would you happen to know what regiment used the Kemptville armoury?  My neighbor, who served in the 30th Field Artillery in the early 60's, mentioned that the 30th Field Artillery had a battery stationed in the Kemptville armoury, just wondering if anyone can confirm this.  Tried searching the web and the forums, never found anything much about the history of the Kemptville armoury.  Thanks!

 

[Old Sweat]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but would you happen to know what regiment used the Kemptville armoury?  My neighbor, who served in the 30th Field Artillery in the early 60's, mentioned that the 30th Field Artillery had a battery stationed in the Kemptville armoury, just wondering if anyone can confirm this.  Tried searching the web and the forums, never found anything much about the history of the Kemptville armoury.  Thanks!

I was told it was the 30th Field, but will confirm this when I get home.

 

[FJAG]

Just did a quick scan of Part II of the RCA Standing Orders and found that the following batteries were founded at Kemptville:

2 Feb 1920 - 25 Field Battery RCA;

1 Apr 1946 - 181 Light Anti-Aircraft Battery RCA;

The lineage for 30th Fd Regt indicates that it started as 8th Bde FA CA in 1905 and redesignated as 1st Bde CFA on 2 Feb 1920 on which date 25 Fd Bty was formed and assigned to it. (There was an earlier 25th Battery CFA [formed in Lethbridge 1908] and a 25th Battery CFA which was part of 6th Bde CFA of the CEF during WW1 --- I note that the nominal rolls for 6th Bde indicate it was raised in the Montreal region of Quebec so I don't think that there is [nor have I seen any reference to] a perpetuation between the two 25 Bties CFA and 25 Fd Bty RCA)

I note that 25th Fd Bty RCA was part of 30th Fd Regt's establishment in 1966 but had been switched to the Supplementary Order of Battle by 2000. No idea when the switch actually happened.

The info on 181 LAA Bty is even more sketchy and the Library and Archives Canada entry for the Guide to Sources relating to the Canadian Milita (Artillery) for the two batteries looks like this:

25 Battery:

"25th Battery, CFA authorized but not organized (1st Brigade, CFA). Headquarters to be
at Ottawa (MD3), 2 February 1920.
Redesignated as 25th Field Battery but not organized, 1 July 1925.
Authorized to organize, 15 May 1928.
Placed on active service (18th Field Regiment), 10 May 1941.
Active unit converted and redesignated as 25th Medium Battery (2nd Medium
Regiment), 26 January 1942.
Active unit disbanded, 3 October 1945.
25th Medium Battery redesignated as 68th Medium Battery (active Force), 1 March
1946.
25th (Reserve) Field Battery amalgamated with the 51st (Reserve) Anti-Aircraft Battery,
type 4L, converted and redesignated as 25th Field Battery (30th Field Regiment), 1 April
1946.
Transferred from Ottawa to Kemptville, 31 March 1965."

and

181 Battery:

"Authorized (60th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment (Brockville Rifles)). Headquarters at
Kemptville, Ontario (MD3), 1 April 1946.
60th Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment, including 181st Light Anti-Aircraft Battery,
amalgamated with the 32nd Anti-Tank Battery (Self-Propelled) to form the 32nd
Locating Battery (Brockville Rifles), 1 September 1954."

Over to you OldSweat.

:cheers:

 

[Old Sweat]

Good work, FJAG.

I have a couple of buds who served in the militia in Kemptville. I might be able to get a battery designation out of them. They also were volunteer firemen, so I might get a lead there re when the armoury became the fire hall. As some of us remember all too well, the mid to late 60s was a time of almost continual force cuts for both the regular and reserve force.

 

[FJAG]

There was a particularly heavy reorganization in 1965 by Hellyer based on the Suttie Commission Report. I joined late that year just as three regiments in Toronto (29th Fd, 42nd Med and 1 Loc) were amalgamated under the banner of 7th Toronto Regt RCA. I think any changes subsequent to that within the Canadian Militia artillery were relatively minor fine tuning ones.

Still not sure when 25 battery went though because the standing orders have it on 30th Fd OB as late as '66. Would have thought however if the armoury was actually still active as late as '65 it would have gone as part of the Suttie reorg for sure. - just a guess though.

:cheers:

 

[Wolseleydog]

Just to respond to an older question way back in this thread (as I sit here sipping my morning coffee surfing):

I can personally confirm that both the Minto and McGregor armouries in Winnipeg are still in active use.

My son just joined the FGH, which parades at McGregor with, I believe, a Fd Engr unit, and the local Bde recruiting office (where he was sworn in one frigid Feb night earlier this year) was at Minto.

He is currently at BMQ, in of all places, Nanaimo BC.  Why the Garries had to send him all the way out there is unclear to me, but there we are...