September 2018 I’ve been involved in the hobby of urban exploration (UE), specifically abandoned structures, for over three decades. The hobby is multifaceted, with some urban explorers (UEers) favouring things like storm drains, subway tunnels, utility tunnels, abandoned ships or areas of occupied buildings not open to the public. One aspect of UE is going …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/urban-exploration-documenting-the-decay-of-man-made-structures/
September 2018 “At The Secrets of Radar Museum we ask you to imagine keeping a secret for 50 years. Could you do it?”* During WWII, Canada was involved in numerous “behind-the-scenes” projects that aided greatly in the Allied victories in Europe and the Pacific. One of them was the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/a-secret-no-more-small-london-museum-tells-the-story-of-the-top-secret-wwii-radar-project-in-canada/
August 2018 In the northern Ontario town of Latchford, the steel arch bridge that allows Provincial Highway 11 to cross over the Montreal River is dedicated to the memory of a long-lost local hero: Sergeant Aubrey Cosens, V.C. Cosens is one of only 16 Canadians to be awarded the Victoria Cross during World War II, …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/world-war-ii-hero-honoured-in-his-hometown/
July 2018 On an elevated piece of land in Saskatchewan, just east of the Alberta border, sits a lonely and neglected radar tower. This is the sole remaining radar tower of what was once Royal Canadian Air Force Station Alsask, an Air Defence radar station on the Pinetree Line. The Pinetree Line stretched across the …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/a-neglected-prairie-sentinel-to-be-restored/
July 2018 The Great Lakes have been a major shipping route across the northern United States and southern Canada since the first fir traders came to North America. The biggest of the lakes is Lake Superior, a lake that can turn violent when the weather turns bad. On 10 November 1975, the American Great Lakes …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/long-lost-great-lakes-freighter-remembered/
July 2018 In Barry’s Bay, there is a small park dedicated to decorated WWII flying hero and post-war test pilot Janusz (Jan) Zurakowski, appropriately called Zurakowski Park. Many will remember Zurakowski as the first pilot to fly Canada’s legendary jet-fighter, the CF-105 Avro Arrow. Zurakowski received many honours in his lifetime, but the dedication of …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/legendary-polish-canadian-pilot-honoured-in-his-adopted-hometown/
July 2018 In the years surrounding the U.S. Civil War, Simcoe County in southern Ontario was at the end of the Underground Railroad, a network of secret routes and safe houses used by escaped slaves to freedom in in the British Colonies of Upper Canada, Lower Canada, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Some estimates indicate …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/cemetery-honours-the-early-multi-racial-pioneers-of-sunnidale-township/
June 2018 The historic Victorian Newsboy Shelter on Detroit’s Belle Isle is in danger of collapse and desperately needs restoration. Built in 1911, the wooden structure is rotting after years of neglect. The historic and architecturally significant shelter for picnickers on Belle Isle has unique conical turrets around the perimeter with archways supported by handcrafted …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/restoration-of-historic-belle-isle-newsboy-shelter-desperately-needed/
June 2018 Across Canada, there are hundreds of monuments and statues dedicated to the men and women who have served and died in Canada’s Armed Forces in wartime and on peacekeeping missions. Every major city and numerous small towns have a cenotaph dedicated to the memory of our war dead. Even some businesses and institutions …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/monument-dedicated-to-canadian-veterans-of-the-american-civil-war/
May 2018 Of all the roadside attractions, The Big Apple restaurant and bakery is one of the more unique ones you can find. Found beside Highway 401 in Colborne, Ontario, The Big Apple opened in 1984 and has evolved into a mini amusement park. It’s easily spotted due to the large 35 foot high, 38 …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/the-big-apple-a-unique-roadside-attraction/
