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 Bruce Forsyth served in the Royal Canadian Navy Reserve for 13 years (1987-2000). He served with units in Toronto, Hamilton & Windsor and worked or trained at CFB Esquimalt, CFB Halifax, CFB Petawawa, CFB Kingston, CFB Toronto, Camp Borden, The Burwash Training Area and LFCA Training Centre Meaford.
Author's note:
Thank you to all the people who visit my site and write to me. I really appreciate your stories of relatives who served, along with the additions and corrections that you provide me with to correct and update my base histories.
However, please keep in mind that my knowledge is primalarily confined to the bases to which our service membes served, along with a few specialty articles on certain notable people in Canadian military history. I do not have information on individuals, their service records or units that they served with during the war years or post-war years. You might want to contact the Naitonal Archives or if their unit, squadron or regiment still exists, you might want to contact them too.
Regarding bases/stations that are not featured, it is due to either I haven't had time to add them to the web site or, if it was a small military establishment, perhaps I have never heard of it. Please feel free to provide me with information.
Thank you very much to all my readers.
Additionally, I was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
in 2012 for various volunteer activities, including this web site. I
wish to thank those who nominated me for the medal, as well as everyone
who visits my web site, especially those who make corrections to my
material and otherwise provide valuable information to help maintain the
accuracy of this web site. The ultimate goal of this web site has
always been to provide a comprehensive resource for future researchers
and historians. The histories of the former Canadian military bases
featured on my web site are, for the most part, pretty basic and are
meant only to provide a starting point for anyone who wishes to write a
more detailed history of specific Canadian military bases.
Bruce Forsyth, CD, Leading Seaman (Ret'd)
Royal Canadian Naval Reserve
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A Short History of Abandoned and Downsized Canadian Military Bases |
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Prior to the passage of the The Canadian Forces Reorganization Act in Canada, the Navy, Army and Air Force operated as separate entities: the Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian Army. For those who don't know the story, between 1964 and 1968, the three service branches were merged into a single entity, "The Canadian Armed Forces", unified under a single Chief of Defence Staff and a single Defence Staff. Although there would still Army, Navy and Air Force elements, they were no longer individual entities. Navy and Army pilots became a thing of the past in Canada, as did the RCAF Marine (patrol boat) Squadrons.
On 16 August 2011, National Defence Minister Peter McKay announced that the former names of the service branches had been restored and once again the service branches would be known as the Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Canadian Air Force and Canadian Army, although this was "in name only", as they remained a part of the tri-service Canadian Forces and not separate emtities.
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Air Force Magazine
Spring 2011
Royal Canadian Air Force web site
November 8, 2011
Near the town of Centralia, Ontario, north of London, one will find the
Centralia Airport, a small general aviation airport. However, many long
time residents will remember that the airport once played an important
role in the history of Canadian aviation and the defence of North
America. From 1942 until 1966, thousands of Flight Cadets who undertook
their training at Royal Canadian Air Force Station Centralia,
originally under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan during World
War II, then under the NATO Air Training Plan during the Cold War. For
those men, there are multitude of memories, good and bad, that spring
up. The bad included marching, drill sergeants, conduct cards,
inspections and polishing aircraft and boots. Some of the good memories
include going to the beach at Grand Bend and drinking a "Sam Special"
in the Flight Cadets’ Mess, served by a man affectionatly known as
“Centralia Sam”.
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Toronto Sun
July 15, 2010
Congratulations to CTV news anchor Lloyd Robertson on his retirement.
It is well deserved. Any chance “Count Floyd” (aka SCTV’s Joe Flaherty)
will be available to host the retirement dinner?
Bruce Forsyth
Barrie
(Now that would be a hoot)
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Between a rock and a hard place |
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Toronto Sun
July 1, 2010
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