Comox Air Force Museum
Timeline
Heritage Stone Dedication CeremonyThe Comox Valley Air Force Museum Association Cordially invites you to the Heritage Stone Dedication Ceremony When: Sunday, 20 September 2015 Time: 2 P.M. Please be seated by 1:45 Where: Protestant Chapel across the road from Heritage Air Park Suggested Dress: Business Casual Guest of Honour: Colonel Tom Dunne, Commander 19 Wing Comox, or his delegate The 2015 ceremony will follow the Battle of Britain Parade. The Master of Ceremonies will read out the name on each stone. Reception to follow in the Comox Air Force Museum. RSVP: by 14 September 2015 Museum: (250) 339-8162 E-mail: cafm.lib@gmail.com Canada Post: CVAFMA Building 11, 19 Wing Comox PO Box 1000, Station Main Lazo, BC, V0R 2K0 Please let us know how many people will be with you. Participants are requested to bring an umbrella in case of inclement weather. If you are unable to attend, we will be pleased to send you a photograph of your Heritage Stone.
COMOX VALLEY AIR FORCE MUSEUM ASSOCIATION SEEKING A PROGRAM MANAGER AND VOLUNTEER COORDINATORThe Comox Valley Air Force Museum Association is seeking a qualified candidate to fill the role of Program Manager and Volunteer Coordinator at the Comox Valley Air Force Museum in Lazo, BC. Summary: Title: Program Manager and Volunteer Coordinator Part time: Based on 4 days/30 hrs per week Starting annual salary: $35,000 + GST Target Start Date: March 2019 Deadline for Application: January 28, 2019 How to apply: Interested candidates should email resume/CV to cafm.info@gmail.com. Attached documents will only be accepted in Microsoft Word or PDF formats. Only short listed candidates will be contacted for an interview. The Comox Valley Air Force Museum is dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting and promoting the rich history of military aviation on the BC West Coast. A small paid staff and a volunteer Board of Directors actively support the Museum’s vision to become a national model for demonstrating how history, story-telling, material collection and preservation promotes social well-being, service and citizen engagement within the local community. Primary Duties: The successful candidate will, under the direction of the Museum Director Provide oversight and assistance in the conceptualization and implementation of all Museum exhibits in all locations and ensures these exhibits align with Museumprogrammatic, marketing and development goals and objectives. Assist in the development, planning, and delivery of programs. Assist in the recruitment of volunteers. Supervise summer students and volunteers to ensure all proper physical and intellectual controls for the collections are maintained. Assist with the development of policies, plans and procedures to drive strategic direction Read more...
HERITAGE AIR PARK – PROJECT H-21The Heritage Team has started one of its biggest winter projects. The rotor blades of the two helicopters in the park have been stressed by winter snow falls over the past few years. One of the H-21 Piasecki blades actually broke, as the wood interior had rotted over many years of being subjected to weather. [caption id="attachment_12459" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] H 21 rotor blade interior.[/caption] This past summer the Labrador blades were cut down to approximately 6 feet and capped to alleviate some of that stress (thank-you 19 Wing workshops). This is a common practice for many museums that display aircraft outdoors. [caption id="attachment_12457" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Lab with shortened rotor blades.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_12456" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Lab rotor blade cap.[/caption] Under the guidance of our resident metal expert, new volunteer John, the team has begun the long process to manufacture prototype rotor blades for the Piasecki. With so much interior damage, the only alternative was to strip all the wood structure, leaving just the metal rod (torque tube). The team will create new aluminum ribs and then cover them with an aluminum skin. The goal is to get as close as possible to the "look" of the original blades. [caption id="attachment_12458" align="aligncenter" width="768"] Completing the cardboard templates for the ribs.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_12462" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] H 21 rotor blade - first aluminum rib template.[/caption] Lots of work ahead. We will post updates as the project progresses.
HERITAGE TEAM – PROJECT AMBULANCEMany people may not know that Building 268 at the Heritage Air Park is home to three vintage vehicles. One of them is the 1954 Dodge Ambulance. As with all old vehicles, finding people with the required skills to maintain them can be challenging. The Ambulance has been suffering from several mechanical issues and has not been on the road for the past couple of years. Luckily a new volunteer to the Heritage Team is a heavy vehicle mechanic. With this stroke of luck, the engine has been removed and is ready for overhaul. If everything works out, the Ambulance will join the 1945 Willy's Jeep in this summer's community parades. [caption id="attachment_12463" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Ambulance engine compartment.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_12464" align="aligncenter" width="768"] Tom working on the Ambulance engine block.[/caption]- NEW TO OUR SHELVES ~ THE ALEUTIAN CAMPAIGN BOOKS AS WELL AS A LOOK AT THE CANADIAN FLYERSIt's that time of year ~ the holiday season is behind us... winter surrounds us... what to do? Look for a good book and curl up and read! Love the Air Force? Love hockey? Then this is a must read! Against All Odds, The Untold Story of Canada’s Unlikely Hockey Heroeswas written by P.J. Naworynski. “Drawing on extensive interviews with surviving players and their families, Against All Odds is the untold story of the men who bravely fought in the Allied air war and then returned to Europe to battle for Canada again on the ice. Led by Dr. Sandy Watson and coached by Frank Boucher, son of the legendary NHL player and coach George “Buck” Boucher, the Flyers weren’t just any men. They were men who had jumped from burning bombers, fought with the Polish resistance, and were officially recognized for their bravery. Sadly, the story of these humble men was largely forgotten after the victory parades and their return to regular life. Some turned down NHL contracts, some stayed in the air force, others returned to Europe again to help locate the graves of their fallen comrades. As tough on the ice as they were in battle, the Flyers brought together their love of hockey and country to help reclaim Canada’s place as the best hockey nation in the world.” It’s not too late to visit our Museum to see first hand the Aleutians Campaign Exhibit. If you’ve seen it and are interested in learning more… Read more...
CHRISTMAS ~ 1914[caption id="attachment_12584" align="alignleft" width="300"] (credit: www.thesefootballtimes.co)[/caption] The First World War display has been of major interest to visitors of the Comox Air Force Museum during the last four years, and the recent armistice celebrations happening so close to Christmas brings to mind the celebrated soccer match of 25th December 1914. The pageantry of the solstice, whether Christian or pagan, has engendered much argument or debate over the millennia. But not that Christmas Day. The soccer match was not an isolated incident on one part of the “Front”, but part of a fairly widespread celebration by the opposing forces. Photographs and illustrations from the time show many different ranks sharing drinks and cigars or cigarettes along much of the trench line. [caption id="attachment_12583" align="aligncenter" width="350"] (credit: Illustrated London News)[/caption] Historically, there has been close connections between Britain and Germany. Technology was rampant and often cooperative between the two countries, and, of course, the relationship of the royal families was ever present. The causes of the war are a tangled mess but overreactions between heads of state and ghastly errors of judgement played their part. It should not have happened. What happened after the final whistle blew on that Christmas Day in 1914? The nascent camaraderie that was evident on that 25th was finished. The war became nastier and millions of people died. The peace that followed brought hardship and disorder to the Germans and led to the devastations of the Second World War. That soccer match is now part Read more...- THE ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWSTHE ILLUSTRATED LONDON NEWS Geoff, one of our volunteers, is an avid fan of the Illustrated London News, a popular exhibit in our Museum. In this post, he shares some background information with us: "The Comox Air Force Museum possesses a nearly complete collection of the Illustrated London News from early 1914 until the Armistice in 1918. Each weekly issue (from 100 years ago ) has been displayed for the museum visitors to catch up on the “latest news from the front”. The ILN, the brainchild of Herbert Ingram, was first published in 1842. It capitalized on revealing the news through illustrations and, later, through photographs that were commissioned from newsgatherers from around the world. Before the Great War, the social pages were dominated by the upper classes and nobility. This all changed abruptly at the beginning of August 1914 and the magazine became almost completely absorbed with the war. The wonderful eye-witness sketches, illustrations and photographs that were published each week are a testament to the foresight of Herbert Ingram. Illustrations aside, the dialogues that accompany them are generally uncritical of the conduct of the war, and the descriptions of conditions in the trenches are not overly abundant. This was an excellent organ for the government to keep the population calm and confident. Little is said, however, about the life and conditions of the rank and file on the Home Front. The ILN ceased publication in 2004 after 162 years. October 19, 1918 Read more...
FROM THE GALLERY- NEWS DISSEMINATIONThis month I want to talk about the way news was spread during the war time period. Having read several newspapers of the time I found that they were matter of fact with lots of space given over to the positive stories that happened in that printing period. However, there was a second type of paper that was published during the war. These were the papers published by the separate services themselves, such papers as the "Stars and Stripes". In the gallery we have an original copy of a paper published by the RCAF called "Wings Abroad"', the official newspaper of the Canadian Air Force. The copy we have is dated Aug 24th 1944, some 7 weeks after the D-Day landings; the main story on the front page is about F/O Moore, DSO. He flew a Sunderland flying boat, a huge and maybe one of the biggest aircraft of WWII. He was part of Coastal Command, RAF. We actually have a display in the gallery about F/O Moore and his crew of 10, 7 of which were Canadians. Both the newspaper and the display recount the same story, that is how Moore and his crew sank 2 U-Boats on a single sortie while protected the Supply routes in the English channel. This is an incredible feat if teamwork as almost every other crew were lucky to even spot a U-Boat never mind sink it!! Looking at how this story in the newspaper and in the museum differs is what I'm trying Read more...
HERITAGE AIR PARK UPGRADESIf you have driven by the Air Park recently, you will notice a lot of construction going on. This fall, funding was acquired to upgrade the walkways from gravel to concrete. This improvement to the pathways will greatly add to the accessibility of the Park. In addition, the Labrador and Piasecki helicopters will have permeant cement pads for their landing gear. The project also includes a set of pads for the eagerly awaited arrival of the Park's newest resident, a retired Aurora aircraft. [caption id="attachment_12466" align="aligncenter" width="768"] Heritage Air Park concrete pouring of the new paths and pads[/caption] [caption id="attachment_12465" align="aligncenter" width="768"] First new concrete pathway[/caption] Stay tuned for more improvements as spring approaches.
COMOX AIR FORCE MUSEUM 2018 “SPIRIT OF THE VOLUNTEER” AWARDThis past week, at the Comox Air Force Museum's Volunteer Appreciation Celebration, Jon Ambler, our Programme Manager and Volunteer Coordinator, presented the annual "Spirit of the Volunteer" award to a most deserving volunteer. This year's recipient has been a volunteer for just over 25 years. She is referred to as the Museum's Librarian; her knowledge and experiences continue to astound all of us! She means a lot to those of you who have emailed asking for help with your research; she spends a lot of time hunting down the answers to your questions. She wants you to have the most recent and best quality information she can access… She means a lot to those of you who have come in with a relative’s military memorabilia, asking for details about insignia, a journal, a military record… she takes time to inform you… She means a lot to those of you who have come in with a donation for the Museum; not only does she carefully list the items you’re donating, but spends time with you, learning about your loved one… thanking you for your contribution… But for those of us who work alongside her, she means so much more. Need a new pen? She’s got that (actually she has several)… Need labels for the work you’re doing? She’s got that (actually she’s got quite the variety)… Going to need a calendar for the coming year? (actually she has three, count them, three different styles from which to choose)… Forgot your snack or Read more...
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