In Memorium: William "Bill" Ireland, WWII radar veteran

William “Bill” Ireland, August 2014. Credit: Maya Hirschman for Secrets of Radar Museum

It is with sadness we report the passing of Bill Ireland, one of the Secrets of Radar Museum’s veterans. Bill recorded an oral history in August 2013 with then curator, Maya Hirschman. Bill, born in Saskatchewan, graduated from the University of Manitoba with a degree in Chemistry. He joined the RCAF in 1940, serving as a Radar Mechanic and was, like many of the first 6,000, loaned to the Royal Air Force. Bill began his radar training on Chain Home early detection radar, but in June 1943 he was sent to RAF No. 8 Radio School in Cranwell, Lincolnshire, UK, for a course on Mk.8 Air Interception radar equipment. Eventually, this skill sent him to India to support the theatre in Burma. When asked what kind of specialised training he received for that posting, he said, “jungle training”, which was all the usual stuff, plus a machete and anti-malaria pills. The humidity and temperature caused no end of trouble for the airborne radar equipment, and thanks to his small stature, he often found himself lying down in the aircraft as it flew, adjusting the sensitive instruments—literally, on the fly. He was honourably discharged in 1945. We fondly remember Bill as a humble man with a wry sense of humour. He passed away at the age of 101 on October 9, 2019.

Read his obituary in the Ottawa Citizen.

Happy New Year from the Secrets of Radar Museum!

Pictured is CFS Falconbridge, c.1971. Opened in 1952 as RCAF Station Falconbridge, just north of Sudbury, ON, it closed in 1985 after the Pinetree Line—the line of NORAD radar stations that spanned the breadth of southern Canada—was declared redundant. Photographer unknown. Did you take this photo or know who did? Please let us know! Collection of the Secrets of Radar Museum

For us at “Radar”, this new year—2020—is a special one. It marks the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

When the war began in September 1939, no one foresaw just how long it would last. As the years crept by, enlistment faltered, enthusiasm waned, and casualties mounted. When it finally ended, thousands of exhausted Canadians returned to their friends and families. Our radar story begins in late 1940 with a few hundred men with radio and electronics skills, culminating at war’s end with about 15,000 total Canadian men and women working in the RCAF radar program. Sworn to the Official Secrets Act, they toiled in often appalling, occasionally extremely dangerous conditions, overseas and in Canada, in every theatre of war, working beside Britons, Australians, and a host of other Commonwealth citizens, as well as Americans, to thwart, baffle, and defend against enemy operations.

We were, of course, founded by those very same WWII radar veterans in order to preserve and share their unique history whose secrecy was mirrored by those involved in experimental scientific and intelligence activities. Like the veterans themselves, many of whom continued to work in radar-related fields in their post-war careers, returned to school, built companies and families, we too have branched out. We’ve come a long way, with multiple exhibits, a unique collection of artefacts and archives, virtual exhibits, and education and outreach programming. Although the past year saw many challenges and changes, standing here looking at our displays, with all of you supporting us in so many invaluable ways, we feel pretty good about the future.

With that said, we offer you gratitude and the sincerest wish for a healthy and happy 2020, and hope that you will continue to engage with us in the weeks and months ahead as we commemorate this momentous anniversary year. To you and yours, Happy New Year!