Quote:
Originally Posted by Grant Bowker
I did some time at CFSME early 90s and did have the opportunity to spend time in the museum, mainly in preparation for the base's 60th anniversary. Yes, there was a lot of interesting stuff there, both inside and outside. The Google Maps satellite photos show a very different base from what I remember, no H huts, no gas hut (what training base is complete without one?), many of the admin and mess buildings also gone.
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Yes, it's a bare skeleton of what it once was...despicable end for the Home of the Engineers! Chilliwack was THE perfect place for the Engineer school what with the incredibly varied, remote terrain a short convoy from the base and B.C. was THE perfect place for the Engineers to be located in case of natural disaster. In my lifetime B.C. suffered typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, avalanches (remember the Hope slide!), forest fires, and blizzards. What the heck ever happens in New Brunswick? Beer shortages? I'm sure moving the school to Gagetown was a political pay-off for the New Brunswick government going along with the H.S.T., that and a couple of Billion dollars for the other Liberal lick-spittle maritime governments. See what happens when we leave important decisions to politicians?
I was last there in 2001. The mess hall and H blocks were gone as well as the buildings in the training area down near the river. The "Blue Whale" is still there and DND is keeping a very small ASU (Area Support Unit) based there, mainly to prevent any Indian Bands from claiming the land. Canada Customs also uses an area for impounded vehicles there. My unit, the 192nd Airfield Engineers were allowed to move 4 small buildings and 2 mobile units to our base located just off Taxiway Delta at Abbotsford International Airport.