Niagara Military Heritage Centre

[Edwin Wand]

Article in the March 23rd St Catharines Standard.
http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2...r-step-forward

Local history

Planned military museum takes another step forward

By Grant LaFleche, The Standard

Monday, March 23, 2015 11:22:44 EDT PM

Decades in the making, and possibly with years of work left to go, a planned museum dedicated to the long and storied military history of Niagara took a small step toward reality Monday.

At Fort George in Niagara-on-the-Lake, the Lincoln and Welland Regiment Foundation and Parks Canada signed a memorandum of understanding to negotiate a lease that will eventually allow the museum to be created.

To be called the Niagara Military Heritage Centre, it will serve as the new home for the Lincoln and Welland Regiment Musuem and a place to honour any Niagara resident who wore the uniform, said Jeff Cairns, chair of the Lincoln and Welland Regiment Foundation.

“We will have a hall of honour and we will put out a call for materials,” he said. “If you have a family member who served and you want them honoured, we want to see the medals or documents, or copies of them or other materials.”

The five-acre museum site will be located at the Battle of Fort George property on the rifle range.

“It is an appropriate site,” Cairns said. “This is an historic site and a hallowed military site for Niagara. About 100 people died in that area during the Battle of Fort George, mostly British and First Nations soldiers, and they are still interred under the ground there.”

Once the lease has been settled, Cairns said, the next step will be the start of the architectural designs and eventually exhibit spaces.

If all goes well, the museum could open in late 2017.

St. Catharines MP Rick Dykstra said because of the rules that protect Parks Canada lands, it can be tricky to get permission to build on them. In this case, it took an order from the minister of the environment — the ministry Parks Canada falls under — to get the process moving.

- - -

grant.lafleche@sunmedia.ca

[Andrew]

"The five-acre museum site will be located at the Battle of Fort George property on the rifle range."

Soooooo whats going to happen to the rifle range?

[Rob Dekker]

There's a rifle range at Ft. George?

[peter simundson]

Yes and it was a good range to fire on. It is just North East of
Niagara-on-the-Lake and takes up about 1/2 a mile of
road including three training areas. In use until about twenty years ago
when some local idiots set fire to the barn that housed the
targets and maint. materiel. Right after that DND stopped use
and demolished the Firing sites and target areas.

Spent many happy summers training there.

Peter S

[Rob Dekker]

You're thinking of the one on the Lakeshore Road, no? I don't recall any range at Fort George itself during my time.

[peter simundson]

That's the one. There was also an underground .22 range across the
road from Fort George on Army (DND) property.

It was dug out about 35 years ago.

On the Fort George site there was no range although there
was some range work there in 1812.

PS

[Rob Dekker]

Ah, maybe it's the former underground range to which the article is referring.

Anyhow....how the hell are you, Peter? Haven't seen you in a donkey's age...

[rob love]

Originally Posted by peter simundson

On the Fort George site there was no range although there
was some range work there in 1812.

PS

Wow Peter, how do you remember back that far?

[peter simundson]

Rob Everybody knows I'm a dinosaur! I just proved it.

Bob I'm lousy actually. Last year my truck, with nobody driving
smashed me into my carrier and moved the carrier 7 inches.
I thought...hmmm....Lots of blood and large gashes but it
will go away. Oh sure....

Came back in exactly one year. Classic case of Sciatica and I can't walk.
Oh my right leg can. But.... My Doctor laughs and says it will
last minimum 6 months.

[Rob Dekker]

Good gravy, man....you're falling apart!!!! So, you're telling me not to expect your carrier at my show in May?

[Bruce Parker (RIP)]

The Niagara-on-the-Lake museum might have competition. At work today I was asked if I knew of any land survey firm willing to donate their services for a new military museum. At first I thought it had to be this one but no, it's one they are planning adjacent to the Canada Warplane Heritage museum in Hamilton (the one the Minarski Lancaster flies out of). If true there will be two new military museums within 50 miles of each other.

[Michael R.]

The project at the Mount Hope location will be much more than a basic Regimental based artifact display. Extensive vehicle restoration shops for example. Think of the UK experience for vision.

[Bob Carriere]

It's about time......

Amen

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by peter simundson

Yes and it was a good range to fire on. It is just North East of
Niagara-on-the-Lake and takes up about 1/2 a mile of
road including three training areas. In use until about twenty years ago
when some local idiots set fire to the barn that housed the
targets and maint. materiel. Right after that DND stopped use
and demolished the Firing sites and target areas.

Spent many happy summers training there.

Peter S

Well, not exactly gone. The range is immediately recognizable on Goofle Earth. The butts and 6 firing points are still there. DND tends to keep land it owns, especially when there is known contamination.

[Edwin Wand]

As advised earlier, I called the Toronto Dutch consulate offering vehicles for the May 2, 2015 Toronto Dutch Victory parade, provided arrangements for transportation could be made. The consulate's two responses follow.

First message:Thank you for your email and voice message yesterday! We would be very interested, what kind of WWII vehicles do you have that could ride in our parade?

Second message:Thank you very much for your offer to participate on May 2nd. Unfortunately, our budget doesn’t allow us to have the vehicles transported to Toronto. We are sorry for this inconvenience.

Does anyone have any further information on this event?

[Edwin Wand]

Originally Posted by Bruce Parker

The Niagara-on-the-Lake museum might have competition. At work today I was asked if I knew of any land survey firm willing to donate their services for a new military museum. At first I thought it had to be this one but no, it's one they are planning adjacent to the Canada Warplane Heritage museum in Hamilton (the one the Minarski Lancaster flies out of). If true there will be two new military museums within 50 miles of each other.

Don't forget there is also the
"Niagara Military Museum, Niagara's Tri-Service Museum"

It is housed in the former DND Niagara Falls Armoury which is now owned by the city of Niagara Falls.
https://www.facebook.com/Niagara.Mil...um.the.armoury

[maple_leaf_eh]

Originally Posted by Edwin Wand

Don't forget there is also the
"Niagara Military Museum, Niagara's Tri-Service Museum"

It is housed in the former DND Niagara Falls Armoury which is now owned by the city of Niagara Falls.
https://www.facebook.com/Niagara.Mil...um.the.armoury

What unit would have used that Armoury before it became city property? Something shut down in the spasms of closures and amalgamations in the 1960's?

[Edwin Wand]

D Company of the Lincoln and Welland Regt. was the last military unit located here. Today, it houses the Niagara Military Museum and on part of the second floor an army cadet corps.

Around the time this building was declared surplus, the L&W Regt. also closed detachments/Companies in Fort Erie, Port Colborne, Welland, Niagara on the Lake and Grimsby. Interestingly, the Regiment recently moved a company to Welland.

[Robert Bergeron]

Guys,

I am jealous of all the nice military Museums you guys have in Ontario. There seems to be serious and genuine interest for our military past and present there. I hope to visit again the Niagara soon. I was there two years ago on a War of 1812 battlefield tour with my Staff College collegues .We have an interesting military history.All that we need to do is to get people interested in it.

Very nice guys , very nice , well done.

Robert

[Marc Montgomery]

I remember there was a German artillery piece which had been captured in WWI which sat for years out front. I remember it had very interesting spoked wheels, a bit more complicated than typical in that they did not radiate directly out from the hub, but at a slight angle backwards, ie, not 90 degrees from the axle, but perhaps 80 or 110 degree depending how you looked at it..
someone several years ago swiped one of the wheels and I think it was eventually replaced with a "standard" type of spoke arrangement.. a shame really.. Why on earth would someone swipe a big wheel like that?????

HMM just checked Google street view..artillery piece still there.. but minus the wheel..so not replaced i guess.. what a stupid theft..

[Bob Carriere]

Interestink you vould reemember such an insignificant item or incident !!!!!!

Where were you the night the wheel was removed........? vould you have one for sale????

Chief Inspector A. Noneemous

[Edwin Wand]

Marc
I think the German gun you are talking about is the one in front of the former CF Armoury on Victoria St. in Niagara Falls. It is indeed a WW1 German Gun and has but one wheel. The other wheel which may well be a replacement has recently been removed for restoration. A fund raising campaign is underway to raise sufficient funds to restore the whole gun. The good news is that most of the money needed has been obtained.

But there is another German gun in the area. It started life in Canada as part of a memorial in Queenston which is just at the foot of Queenston Heights, a War of 1812 Battle Site. This gun was deemed to a traffic hazard and was relocated to a site in front of Butler's Barrack on the former military lands once know as Camp Niagara. It was recently placed into indoor storage so it could be restored once enough money was raised.

[Stefan Wieclawek]

Originally Posted by Edwin Wand

D Company of the Lincoln and Welland Regt. was the last military unit located here. Today, it houses the Niagara Military Museum and on part of the second floor an army cadet corps.

Around the time this building was declared surplus, the L&W Regt. also closed detachments/Companies in Fort Erie, Port Colborne, Welland, Niagara on the Lake and Grimsby. Interestingly, the Regiment recently moved a company to Welland.

FYI, The 10th Battery of the 56th Field Artillery Regiment was the last unit to vacate the Victoria Street Armoury, not the Lincoln & Welland Regiment.