Pictures and info on CF tunnel systems

[Shrek1985]

Hi there. I am hoping someone can direct me to any pictures, personal recollections and general info on Military tunnel systems in Canada.

It seems this was quite a fad back in the day.

I know some of this stuff is probably still classified, but hey maybe I get lucky.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

does this include the Diefenbaker Bunkers?

 

[Blackadder1916]

Hi there. I am hoping someone can direct me to any pictures, personal recollections and general info on Military tunnel systems in Canada.

It seems this was quite a fad back in the day.

I know some of this stuff is probably still classified, but hey maybe I get lucky.

What do you mean by "tunnel systems"?  Are you interested in tunnels similar to the 'underground passages' (definition of tunnel) at Vimy or likewise digging at Gibraltor or Dover by Canadian tunnelling companies in WW2, or perhaps you want information about steam and utility tunnels providing services to Canadian military installations or buildings.  Or are you interested (as I suspect) in the Cold War "bunkers"?  The construction of these structures to house Emergency Government Headquarters wasn't a 'peculiar notion or craze' (definition of "fad") despite the labeling of "Diefenbunker".  The one at the former CFS Carp is now a museum.  There is info readily available on the internet about them.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

there was a good show on TV (Discovery or History channel?) about Canadian tunneling companies in WWI and how evidence of Canadians can still be found on the walls of those tunnels. But judging by his OPSEC comments I suspect he is looking for Cold War stuff.

 

[Haletown]

Start point.

http://www.militarybruce.com/history/base-history_21.html

 

[Shrek1985]

What do you mean by "tunnel systems"?  Are you interested in tunnels similar to the 'underground passages' (definition of tunnel) at Vimy or likewise digging at Gibraltor or Dover by Canadian tunnelling companies in WW2, or perhaps you want information about steam and utility tunnels providing services to Canadian military installations or buildings.  Or are you interested (as I suspect) in the Cold War "bunkers"?  The construction of these structures to house Emergency Government Headquarters wasn't a 'peculiar notion or craze' (definition of "fad") despite the labeling of "Diefenbunker".  The one at the former CFS Carp is now a museum.  There is info readily available on the internet about them.

More the permanent tunnels interconnecting different buildings on some bases. Ie/ I have heard many rumours about tunnels in Hamilton and ASU London has many cemented-in/over door-shapes in the basements.

 

[McG]

Those would be part of the central steam heating system.  You can also find them on many university campusses.  Primarily, they are there to allow quick, easy access to the steam pipes.  If designed for it, they can also be convenient winter pedestrian walks connecting buildings.

 

[Shrek1985]

These are very small for walkways and large for infrastructure access. They are in the basements of the Royal School building, Sergeant's Mess and Junior ranks, that I know of.

Several people have told me of the huge amount of earth trucked in to fill the tunnels where they built the parkinglot.

 

[Towards_the_gap]

These are very small for walkways and large for infrastructure access. They are in the basements of the Royal School building, Sergeant's Mess and Junior ranks, that I know of.

Several people have told me of the huge amount of earth trucked in to fill the tunnels where they built the parkinglot.

People see these access hatches for infrastructure (steam, hydro etc) and the rumour mill grinds into action, next thing you know you have a fleet of buried centurions that were 'written off' but actually buried 'just in case', or underground interrogation rooms for Trudeau's enemies in the 60's. :

Visit any german military base and no doubt you'll hear the same, buried panzers (interred with the drivers still at the tiller bars), Nazi gold, missing holocaust victims, secret bricked off passages, tunnels to belsen, the list goes on. Never seen any actual evidence of any of this.

In short, if you've ever heard anything interesting about an odd doorway in a basement of a military building, chances are the answer is far more mundane than you'd expect. Open it up and you'll likely find an old mop and a fossilised porno mag.

 

[McG]

These are very small for walkways and large for infrastructure access.

Given that utilities tunnels are large enough for work crews to walk though and maintain the utilities, how do you believe the tunnels can be too small for walkways and simultaneously too big for "infrastructure"?

 

[Pieman]

Visit any german military base and no doubt you'll hear the same, buried panzers (interred with the drivers still at the tiller bars), Nazi gold, missing holocaust victims, secret bricked off passages, tunnels to belsen, the list goes on. Never seen any actual evidence of any of this.

Don't forget aliens and crashed alien ships.

 

[chrisf]

Our local base is rather interesting... even if the history is a bit subtle to most who haven't looked into it.... can even provide credible written history...

Old defensive positions all around the town... most buildings have a "hidden" room now all but forever sealed off (I've seen a few of them, usually preceded by the words "want to see somthing cool?")... either old rifle ranges in the basement, old air filtration equipment in the event of a gas attack, bomb shelters, the standard sort of stuff.... they've even dug up the buried tanks (No nazis at the tiller bars though)... rumor even has it of "escape" tunnels (Though I'm quite certain most were just steam tunnels... even if it's possible they served a double purpose...)

 

[Shrek1985]

There are alleged to be tunnels going all the way to highbury from ASU london. My friend's mom's company had a contract to lay fibreoptic cable through them, but the army would not give them a map for security reasons. This was ages ago now. Out back of my old apartment was a huge concrete box with hatches on top welded shut, poorly buried under not enough earth.

I have talked to people who have been in these tunnels. When they built the superstore, they broke into the old ammo lockers, underground and found tons of stuff from SAA, to 155mm, some they removed, the small stuff they cemented in place. The old base housing neighborhoods south of oxford have huge access hatches seen no where else in the city to underground wiring.

what I was told was that this was originally established as bomb shelters, magazines and ammo service for AA guns.

 

[xo31@711ret]

My first posting was to London in 82 as an infanteer. Stories sitting in the snake pit at the JR's mess had talk of tunnel under skunk's hollow ( by the main gate in front of the officiers mess).  Never seen them, nor had anyone else I knew of my 6 years there. Now stories of 'The Beef Baron', 'Scabie Aby's', 'The T&C',  etc...  ;D