Join Maya Hirschman, PhD Candidate at the University of Toronto, as she introduces us to the importance of radar to the success of D-Day and its role in the Liberation of France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Her talk uses objects, images, and oral histories from the Secrets of Radar Museum to illustrate how June 6, 1944, momentous as it was, was only the first day in a months-long, exhausting, at times heart-breaking, operation that required hundreds of radar personnel to make it succeed. Maya will highlight the experiences of Canadian and British radar personnel and display a selection of rarely exhibited artifacts from the collection.

The $10 cost of tickets supports Secrets of Radar Museum operations and collections care. This event is part of our 20th Anniversary programming and is being hosted by the 427 Air Force Wing. Click here to purchase tickets online through Eventbrite. If you'd like to make a day of it, why not reserve a seat for the Wing's hot lunch starting at 11:30A.M.? Separate reservations for lunch required. Call Flo 519-455-0430.

It’s that time again, that time when we eat cheese and mingle before sitting down and discussing the museum’s business over the preceding 2021-2022 fiscal year. Remember, active members are entitled to vote on proceedings so please make sure your membership is up-to-date. If you’re unsure, send us a message. If you’d like to vote but are unsure if you can attend, you can access the Proxy Form here, available in two formats so you can fill it in at home.

Dear Friends and Members of the Secrets of Radar Museum,

On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to extend a warm invitation to attend our Annual General Meeting (AGM) set for Friday Sept 11, 2020 from 6:00-7:30 at the Secrets of Radar Museum (2155b Crumlin Sideroad). Light refreshments will be provided.  

There will be a brief meeting to discuss the museum’s year and we will be electing new Board members. In particular, we are seeking a board member who has fund raising and/or event organization skills. If you are interested in putting your name forward, please contact a member of the Board.

While we will be hosting a physically distanced AGM on site, in person, we also understand that many of our members may not be able to do so. For that reason, we will also enable virtual attendance (details are still being worked out). If you are an active member who is unable to attend (or just in case), please fill in and return the Proxy. Without your support the future of the museum is in jeopardy.

A lot of progress has been made this year and we are excited to carry forward this momentum!

The AGM provides an opportunity for members and community to come and see the museum, as well as interact with Board members at this historic institution. Please join us for the evening and have your voice heard. Face masks are required for those not exempt. If you do not have a mask, one will be provided.

Sincerely,

Steve Bourdeau, President

Join us and many others at the London Heritage Council’s 8th annual Heritage Fair on Saturday, February 15, 2020, from 9 am – 3 pm. In commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, Heritage Fair 2020 will focus on “Remembering Their Sacrifice – 75 Years Later.” The event will feature prominent guest speakers, interactive activities, as well as an informative “Exploration Zone” featuring 20+ local organizations, all showcasing Canada’s contribution in the Second World War.

On May 11, at 10AM, the 427 (London) Wing celebrates the legacy of LAC Kenneth Gerald Spooner with a ceremony celebrating his memory.  The Museum will be open to welcome visitors and guests of the ceremony.

The Spooner Story:
Leading Aircraftsman (LAC) Kenneth Gerald Spooner, age 20, was a student navigator at No. 4 Air Observer School, RCAF, Station Crumlin (now the London International Airport).  In mid-May, 1943, Spooner, with three other students and the pilot, took off in an Avro Anson on a training exercise. Shortly after take-off, the pilot fainted and could not be revived.  Spooner, who had no pilot training, took control of the falling aircraft and struggled to keep it level long enough for the other three students to bail out.

The Anson eventually crashed into Lake Erie, killing Spooner and the unconscious pilot.  The testimony of the surviving students brought Spooner his posthumous award of the George Cross, considered the equivalent of the Victoria Cross for comparable heroism in non-combat situations.  He was the second RCAF serviceman to receive this medal.

Notice of AGM: April 27, 2018

Join us for light refreshments as we discuss the year ending March 31, 2018.  Hear about projects currently under way.  Get to know your Board, staff, volunteers, and fellow members.  Members in good standing are able to vote in person at the meeting or by filling out the proxy form available by clicking the link below and sending it back to us.

Click here for Proxy Form.

Join Curator Maya Hirschman for the entertaining and informative talk Top Secret: London's Hidden Radar History in the Met Hall at the Metropolitan United Church. 

YOU MUST BE PRE-REGISTERED THROUGH TIME OUT.  For information, please call 519-432-7189 to register and the session may be sold out.

If you're not familiar with the Time Out outreach programs offered by the Metropolitan United Church, this is a great time to get acquainted.  Now in its 45th year, Time Out is a way to learn, share, and socialise in an atmosphere of fellowship and intellectual curiosity.  Wheelchair accessible.

Join us at the Central Branch of the Public Library to celebrate the impact women have had on London's history.  We'll be sharing stories and displaying artefacts that relate to the operational role women played in Second World War and Cold War radar.

We'll be ringing in Canada's 150th in Harris Park !  Join us and our friends from other local and regional museums and military and heritage organisations as we pay tribute to the country we call home, its amazing, diverse peoples, and the impact they've had upon its history!  There will be First Nations dancing, a citizenship ceremony, live demonstrations, military vehicles, music, and lots to eat and drink.

Come out to Byron Branch of the London Public Library to hear Manager Maya talk about London's Second World War radar history.  She'll touch on training, research, and manufacturing in her talk, illustrated with images from the Museum's permanent collection.  As this research is ever on-going, Maya will be happy to hear new research leads from audience members following the talk.

Join us for light refreshments as we discuss the year ending March 31, 2016.  Hear about projects currently under way.  Get to know your Board, staff, volunteers, and fellow members.  Members in good standing are able to vote in person at the meeting or by filling out the proxy form, available here.  Not in good standing?  Renew your membership online through PayPal.

Join the amateur radio operators of the London Amateur Radio Club as they participate in the International Museums Weekend, June 18-19.  During our Saturday open hours, radio hams will be on the air trying to work stations participating in the contest at museums all over the world.

Click here to learn more about the event.

Join us at Jet Aircraft Museum for Jet Blast Day!  We'll be in the hangar, along with JAM's T-33s, with a table booth, displaying a selection of objects and items telling the Canadian radar story.  What is a 'Jet Blast'?  It's s a fly day where the museum and/or visiting jets are out flying. 

We'll also be open regular hours at our own site, if you happen to want a substantially quieter museum experience.

In celebration of Museum Month, we will be offering a hands-on day at the Museum.  Come visit us May 23, 11AM-3PM for an all-ages, family friendly event featuring magnets, radios, flight mechanics, scrapbooks, and more! 

See our ad in the London Free Press Classifieds for more information.

Check out museumsontario.ca to find out what other Museum Month events are taking place at museums near you!

Taking advantage of the trails around Westminster Ponds this Family Day? Drop by the Secrets of Radar Museum and warm up with us.

Hot refreshments and “radar popcorn” will be available for purchase and volunteers will be on hand to introduce the museum’s permanent exhibits. We'll have family-friendly activities, touchable artefacts, and the London Amateur Radio Club will be on the air!
 

Join us February 13, from 9AM-3PM, for a wonderful day of family-friendly London, Ontario history!  Aside from having our booth set up in the Hudson Bay Passageway, we'll be offering a drop-in scrapbooking workshop in the Tonda Room from 1:45-2:30PM.  See you there!

The Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines, featuring the Pipes, Drums and Highland Dancers of the Scots Guards, is coming to London's Budweiser Gardens on February 2nd!  The Secrets of Radar Museum will be on-site for the event, too, with artefacts and items from the Museum's collections. 

Make sure to take advantage of the $5 off coupon code if you're planning to purchase tickets.  Book online at www.budweisergardens.com/password. Make sure to quote promo code: GBRM!

Join us at Markham Village Library on Saturday, November 14th for a special Remembrance event honouring our veterans and their experiences. 

Yes, you heard correctly - we'll be in Markham, Ontario.  The story of Canada's radar involvement isn't limited to London, ON, after all, so neither are we!  If you're in the GTA and looking for something a little different, come out and join us at the Markham Library along with the Markham Museum. 

Book time with a member of the Markham District Veterans' Association and hear their personal story.

For more details, visit weremember.eventbrite.ca

We're doing something a little different for Doors Open this year.  We will be partnering with Jet Aircraft Museum on the 26th of September with our display in their airplane hangar.  We will be open at our own location, per usual, but we will not be open the 27th.  So, for Doors Open programming, on the Saturday, please join us at either location for family fun, history, heritage, and culture.

For information on other participating Doors Open and Culture Days sites and locations, from which there are many to choose, please visit the London Heritage Council.

The Western Fair celebrates the military all day long, and we'll be there!  Military personnel get free entry to the fair.  Music and events all day long.  More details to come soon.

Our Annual General Meeting is scheduled for September 18th, 2015 at 7P.M.  You are welcome to come in person beginning at 6P.M. to enjoy some refreshments and get to know SORM's Board of Directors and myself.  Current members of the museum are able to vote in the proceedings.  If you cannot attend in person, but still wish your voice to be heard, please fill in and return the Proxy form and either fill in, scan, and email it to president@secretsofradar.com, or mail it to us at the address indicated.

We're joining our friends at the Jet Aircraft Museum July 11th, 9AM-5PM for Jet Blast Day.  We'll be on-site at their hangar with our display.  We'll also be open our regular summer hours, 10-4, at our museum. 

A "Jet Blast" is a fly day where JAM takes museum or visiting jets out flying.  Jet Blasts days are the only place in Canada that you can go for a flight in a vintage RAF Jet Provost T4 or a RCAF T-33 jet.  Visit their website for details.  We're pretty excited for the visiting B-17, so let's hope for great weather.

Join us in Harris Park for Canada Day 2015!  We'll have our display in the Canada's Heroes area, along with veterans' grousp and military re-enactors.  Events kick off at noon and we'll be there through 5PM.  There will be a Citizenship Ceremony, entertainment, food, and more.

The celebration goes on all evening, closing with the fireworks finale at 10PM.