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  #1  
Old 07-05-12, 15:59
Hanno Spoelstra's Avatar
Hanno Spoelstra Hanno Spoelstra is offline
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Default Staghound Range Target recovered in Canada

Tried to find an earlier thread about the (in)famous Staghound in a bog "somewhere in Canada".

Quote:
Originally Posted by Darrell Zinck View Post
Who here has offered to recover the Winchester Bog Stag for the RCD? I'm likely to be tapped by the DCO tomorrow to be involved in this recovery.
I am sure it was discsussed over the years on this forum, but now, 6 years later, Darrell's question was answered by Robin's thread on HMVF:

Quote:
Since about 1996 or there abouts, the location of a WW2 Staghound hull has been known of by a small number of people.

Even less have seen it.

During the Second World War there were many airfields set up across Canada to train allied pilots to fly. It was all done under the British Commonwealth Air Training Program or BCATP for short.

Since the end of the war the many of the airfields have been closed and the buildings torn down and the runways ripped up.

The hangars were all the same design and used massive British Columbia fir beams, I was involved in building a cottage that used some reclaimed beams. Beautiful timbers.

The location of this vehicle was in the impact area of the Winchester airfield and infact located in a bog. From the end of winter to freeze up the area has about two to three feet of water, a peat like bottom, and willow bushes taller than your head. In winter the bog does ice over in some areas but the ice cant be counted on. The Winchester bog is located south of Ottawa, in Eastern Ontario, Canada.

I was told of the vehicle around 1998 and went looking for myself. I decided that the best way to find it was to look from above. I enlisted the help of a friend of mine who has an Aeronca Champ and flies from an airfield close by. From the pictures of the hull I had been shown the turret was off. From the air it did not take many passes to see a totally man made perfect circle in the swamp vegetation.

Using a nearby track with a dog leg close to the hull I made mental notes as to where it was.

On the ground a while later using that mental image from the air I walked out from the dog leg the 400 yards or so through the willows, fighting each step all the way. By pure dead reckoning and luck I walked right to it the first time. Trust me, navigation in the bog is very difficult as it is featureless with no points of reference.

Since that time many skilled people have attempted to walk out to it using GPS coordinates taken from satellite images. Many of those attempts failed. One could walk within feet of it but never see it.

Over the following years I visited a number of times more to make my own recovery appreciation plan. The location was "top secret" locally as a few undesirables had designs on it. Early on the Canadian War Museum declined any interest in it as too much work would have to be done and they had other projects.

Eventually the Royal Canadian Dragoons showed an interest and worked up a plan to pull it out using heavy assets within the unit. Sadly operational deployments and cut backs and budget restrictions put paid to public assets being used. A local benefactor in the shape of a contractor with big excavation equipment was nurtured and sweet talked into coming on board by the Guild of the RCD. the Guild has some kind of plan for the vehicle.

Over this past winter the recovery was scheduled and two big excavators were deployed to go dig it out and drag it back to terra firma and load it onto a trailer. Sadly I had work commitments that stopped me attending. Those involved in the recovery failed to take pictures at least as far as I have been told.

Today the hull and turret recovered from beside it sit on a trailer in a storage yard pending plans and funds being readied for the next stage of the RCD Guild's plan to do something with it. It is not up for swap or trade I am being told.

I will, over the next few days, post all the pictures I have of it when seen a few weeks after the extraction, sadly taken with a cell phone so the quality is not great.

I have a total of 19 pictures and will post just a few to start.

Regards
Robin

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  #2  
Old 07-05-12, 19:52
rob love rob love is offline
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There is a shot up hull out on public land (old bombing range) here in Manitoba. Come and get 'er. We already recovered the turret a number of years back and it headed South as part of a restoration.
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  #3  
Old 08-05-12, 04:07
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Robin Craig Robin Craig is offline
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Well,

Hanno has saved me the effort of posting here hasnt he!


R
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  #4  
Old 08-05-12, 10:27
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Hanno Spoelstra Hanno Spoelstra is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Robin Craig View Post
Well, Hanno has saved me the effort of posting here hasnt he!
Hello Robin,

Apologies if I rained on your parade. I planned to search for the relevant thread, but could not find it, probably due to the secrecy around its location. Or it was so long ago it was discussed on the earlier version of this forum which is now locked on network54's servers somewhere.

Darrel was the only one making mention of the location, so I decided to quote you on here as I know many MLU members are interested in your endeavours to locate and recover it.

Please pick up the thread here and show us the pictures you have.

Thanks,
Hanno
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  #5  
Old 19-01-14, 10:43
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Robin Craig Robin Craig is offline
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I am sorry I didnt see this going on as Im sure I would have chimed in, Darrell is a good bloke so I would have helped him.

I will find the pictures again and post them, but not today

R
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  #6  
Old 22-09-20, 11:33
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Hanno Spoelstra Hanno Spoelstra is offline
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Default Staghound from the old RCAF range south of Ottawa a.k.a. 'The Winchester Marsh'

A "before" picture by Robin:
Quote:
"I was there with Jason for one of the many visits I made over the years. Gord Pringle I believe found it during the Ice storm and it was top secret locally and many passed on getting it out over the years. I formulated my own plans to get it out but was pipped at the post by the Guild Of The RCD and a sizeable helping hand from a local contractor with heavy equipment. Here is a youthful Jason Ginn and I was the photographer."

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Update: as it sits today at Garrison Petawawa. Pics by Dan McLaren:

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  #7  
Old 25-12-20, 06:55
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daninnm daninnm is offline
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I have a set of axles...front & rear for this hull.
DaninNM
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  #8  
Old 25-12-20, 19:59
maple_leaf_eh maple_leaf_eh is offline
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Default Historic Vehicle Troop

On FB there are plenty of after pictures and comments on making the damn thing run properly!

https://www.facebook.com/RCDHVT/ and

http://www.petawawapostlive.ca/stori...eeuwarden.html
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RCD ferret and stag from FB.jpg  
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  #9  
Old 26-12-20, 22:27
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Hi Terry

Different Stag. The runner the RCD have was from Borden via CWM. And yes, they've had engine troubles since day one but I understand that

The bog one? No idea what its up to. Operational Tempo shut down my recovery plans and then I was posted out. I never did return to Petawawa. A recent conversation with the Colonel of the Regiment suggests a new impetus in the RCD Historical Vehicle Troop. Plans to acquire a couple of WW2 Scout Cars are well along. Someone in the Ottawa area is selling (one of?) theirs?

http://www.dragoons.ca/corbio.html

Nice to see the Ferret there. Happy to have had a small part, long ago, in the restoration. Glad she still gets care and runs.

regards
Darrell
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  #10  
Old 27-12-20, 00:37
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Darrel,

I have had a significant conversation with the same gentleman. I am in the background helping where I can. The Ferret is my connection, obviously.
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  #11  
Old 27-12-20, 02:09
maple_leaf_eh maple_leaf_eh is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Darrell Zinck View Post
Different Stag. The runner the RCD have was from Borden via CWM. And yes, they've had engine troubles since day one but I understand that
Thanks for the clarification, and its good to know there are TWO Staghounds with the Dragoons.
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  #12  
Old 27-12-20, 14:36
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Hi Robin

I know, your name came up. I had to clarify which Robin Craig we were talking about as I know two in the Armoured world!!

To be clear, I am well out of the RCD efforts here. I no longer have any connection to the Regiment or any of its efforts. Just answering some questions for those supporting the current team. Glad to see a new crop of young regimental soldiers putting time into the vehicles. Thanks for your help to them.

Terry, it would appear that they have 1 and bit.



regards
Darrell
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  #13  
Old 29-12-20, 22:27
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Don Dingwall Don Dingwall is offline
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Default RCD Stag

The Stag that went to the RCD from the old Borden graveyard did NOT go through the CWM or have anything to do with it. That's why it got restored....

It came through a private shop in Ottawa where I did a tiny bit of work on it.
Don
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  #14  
Old 30-12-20, 04:42
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Hi Don

Thanks for the clarification. I knew it was from Borden but thought CWM had theirs hooks in there somehow. Thanks for your help with it.

regards
Darrell
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  #15  
Old 30-12-20, 04:46
Bruce Parker (RIP) Bruce Parker (RIP) is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Don Dingwall View Post
did NOT go through the CWM or have anything to do with it. That's why it got restored....
....ouch...
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