Wednesday, 21 November 2012

Clinton - Radar School

Location:  Huron County  N 43° 36.976 W 081° 32.374  
Found in a triangular park at the convergence of Victoria Street, King Street and Ontario Street.

 This memorial, which incorporates a FPS-20 search radar antenna, was donated by Canadian Forces Base Clinton in 1967 for Canada's Centennial celebration.  Canada's first radar school was located in the nearby former CFB Clinton.  It opened in August 1941, consisting mostly of RAF and RCAF instructors.  The first course started in September 1941 and consisted of United States Army, Navy and Marine Corps students taught by Royal Air Force instructors. Even before the Americans had entered the war Britain was assisting them to develop radar and other technologies in a form of reverse "lend-lease". By war's end 2,345 Americans and 6,500 Canadians had graduated from Clinton.


Marker text:
FPS 20 RADAR ANTENNA
PRESENTED TO THE TOWN OF CLINTON
BY PERSONNEL OF
CANADIAN FORCES BASE CLINTON
ON OCCASION OF
CANADA'S CENTENNIAL
1867 - 1967
TO COMMEMORATE ESTABLISHMENT
AT CLINTON OF
THE FIRST RADAR TRAINING SCHOOL
IN NORTH AMERICA.

THIS LONG RANGE SURVEILLANCE
FPS 20 RADAR
WAS FORMERLY IN OPERATION
ACROSS CANADA AS PART OF THE
NORTH AMERICAN AIR DEFENCE SYSTEM






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