CFS Debert facts for kids

Canadian Forces Station Debert (also known as CFS Debert) was a military base located in Debert, Nova Scotia. It was very important during the Cold War as a special communications center. It was also home to a "Regional Emergency Government Headquarters" (REGH), which people often called a "Diefenbunker."

This facility first started with an airfield (an airport for military planes) and a training center for the army. In the 1970s, some parts of it were closed down. The airfield and some land were given to the Government of Nova Scotia. This area became the Debert Air Industrial Park. After the Diefenbunker closed and the last military people left in 1996, the rest of the base was also given to the Government of Nova Scotia. It is now managed by the Colchester Regional Development Authority as Colchester Park.

Camp Debert: A WWII Training Hub

When the Second World War began in 1939, Canadian soldiers started to leave from the port of Halifax. By 1940, Canada needed to send many more soldiers to Europe. Halifax needed bigger places to prepare and gather these soldiers before they boarded troopships (ships that carry troops).

To help with this, the government decided to improve existing military camps. They also started buying land in Debert in 1940. This land was next to an area the Royal Canadian Air Force had bought in 1938 for an airport. The flat land around Debert Station was perfect for both an army training area and an airport. It was also only about 100 kilometers north of Halifax, which was very convenient.

Building the Camp Quickly

On August 9, 1940, the 6th Field Company Canadian Engineers arrived at Debert. They immediately started clearing forests and planning the layout for what would become Debert Military Camp (also called Camp Debert). About 6,000 civilians and thousands of military members worked there. They cleared trees, burned the land, and built streets, water and sewer systems, electricity, and many buildings. The camp covered a huge area of 80 square kilometers.

The camp had many quonset huts (a type of lightweight building), mess halls (dining areas), warehouses, and canteens. At one point, more soldiers lived in the camp than the entire population of nearby Truro! The town of Debert also grew quickly with new movie theaters, restaurants, and bars. This brought a lot of economic activity to the area, including Truro.

Preparing Troops for Overseas

Camp Debert was the final stop for soldiers before they left from Halifax. This is where most troops received and trained with their personal weapons. A large ammunition depot and many firing ranges were built for this purpose. Different military units arrived at Camp Debert from all over Canada. They were organized into larger groups before taking trains to troopships in Halifax, usually at night under blackout conditions.

All five divisions of the First Canadian Army stayed at Camp Debert before heading to Europe during the Second World War. Also, the 7th Canadian Infantry Division was formed there. Its volunteer soldiers later went overseas as reinforcements.

After the war, Camp Debert helped bring troops back from Europe. Most of its training areas were then closed. However, in 1948, Camp Debert was reactivated and hosted several army units during the 1950s.

RCAF Station Debert: Air Training in WWII

In 1938, the Royal Air Force (RAF) bought land near Debert to build an aerodrome (an airport). Construction of this aerodrome began in late 1940 and finished in April 1941. This was at the same time the army's Camp Debert was being built nearby. The airfield had three long runways, each 5,000 feet long, arranged in a triangle shape.

This aerodrome became the RAF's No. 31 Operational Training Unit (O.T.U.). It was one of several such facilities in the Maritime provinces. These units helped train aircrew for the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and RAF Ferry Command. Aircrew learned to fly newly built aircraft from the United States and Canada across the Atlantic Ocean. They trained on planes like the Lockheed Hudson and de Havilland Mosquito.

In 1944, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) took over No. 31 OTU and renamed it No. 7 O.T.U. After the war in Europe ended, RCAF Debert briefly hosted 420 and 425 Squadrons. These squadrons were part of "Tiger Force," a group of long-range bombers formed to attack Japan. They used Avro Lancaster bombers for training. Tiger Force was disbanded after Japan surrendered in September 1945. RCAF Station Debert closed soon after, but the RCAF still owned and maintained it.

Postwar Airfield Use

After closing, the Debert aerodrome was downsized but still supported flights until 1954. It was used for training, refueling, and maintenance, even though no active squadrons were based there.

In 1960, the RCAF gave the aerodrome to the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN). The RCN used it for aircraft carrier landing practice. This helped naval aircraft based at nearby Royal Canadian Naval Air Station (RCNAS) Shearwater. Also in the 1960s, some empty hangars (airplane storage buildings) at the aerodrome were used to store medical equipment for all three branches of the armed forces.

On February 1, 1968, the three military branches merged to form the unified Canadian Forces. This ended flight operations at the Debert aerodrome. In 1971, the Department of National Defence declared 4,800 acres of land, including the aerodrome and most of the former Camp Debert training area, as extra. The provincial government bought this land to create the "Debert Air Industrial Park." The aerodrome is still used today as a local airport, known as Debert Airport.

The Maritime "Diefenbunker"

In 1958, during the height of the Cold War and the early days of the ICBM (long-range missile) threat, Debert was chosen for one of six special communication centers in Canada. These centers were also "Regional Emergency Government Headquarters" (REGH). The Debert facility was the only one built in the Maritime provinces.

A small part of Camp Debert was used for this complex. Construction began in 1960 on an underground, two-story bunker. It was about half the size of the main Diefenbunker in Carp, Ontario. This bunker was designed to survive a near-hit from a nuclear explosion. It had strong blast doors and special air filters to protect against biological, chemical, and radioactive dangers. It also had underground storage for food, fuel, and water, enough to support 350 people for 90 days. These blast shelters were nicknamed "Diefenbunkers" after the Prime Minister at the time. They were managed by the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals.

Life and Legacy of the Diefenbunker

When it opened in 1964, the Debert Diefenbunker was already somewhat outdated. This was because ICBMs had become so accurate that a direct hit on the bunker was possible. However, the site continued to serve as the Provincial Warning Centre for Nova Scotia. It was staffed by the 720 Communication Squadron and also provided space for the emergency government. Its antennas were spread out in nearby Masstown and the Cobequid Hills near Londonderry.

On February 1, 1968, when the Canadian Forces were formed, the Diefenbunker and its support facilities became Canadian Forces Station Debert (CFS Debert). This name fit the new way of naming smaller military facilities across Canada.

In the 1970s, CFS Debert, like most Diefenbunkers, was downsized, and fewer people worked there. Attempts were made in the 1980s to find other uses for the remaining military facilities, such as training for militia reserve units. In 1982, CFS Debert received new equipment called Telegraph Automated Relay Equipment (TARE). This was used to relay communications from the nearby Satellite Ground Terminal Folly Lake.

The end of the Cold War and the reduced threat of ICBMs, along with the Diefenbunker becoming obsolete, led to all remaining military personnel leaving CFS Debert by the mid-1990s. In 1998, the Department of National Defence finished its environmental checks and closed the facility. It was then transferred to "Colchester Park," a local development group.

Today, the only military presence left in Debert is a firing range used by militia reserve units from nearby counties.

New Uses for the Diefenbunker

In 1985, the Royal Canadian Air Cadets started using the airfield for glider training. In 2005, the Air Cadets used the Diefenbunker as the headquarters for their Regional Gliding School (Atlantic). Air cadets aged 15 to 18 from Atlantic Canada trained at the nearby Debert Airport for advanced aviation courses and glider pilot programs.

In December 2008, the 64,000 square foot Diefenbunker was sold to a private company called Bastionhost. This company planned to turn it into a high-tech data center. In November 2012, the Diefenbunker was sold again to Jonathan Baha'i for $31,300. The new owner said he planned to use it as a data centre with a focus on cloud storage. Other parts of the facility might be used for research. In 2013, part of the bunker was used to film an independent movie called Bunker 6. It was also used for a paintball game.

The old CBC Studio inside the bunker has been turned into a media recording studio called Top Secret Sounds. In June 2014, the official website for the Debert Diefenbunker announced plans to offer leased space within the bunker, including self-storage.

Debert Military Museum

The Debert Military Museum helps preserve Debert's military history. It is a nineteen-room museum located in "Colchester Park." The museum is a registered charity and is run by a volunteer board of directors. The museum has a wide variety of military items from both World Wars, as well as the Cold War and Korean War.

The Debert Military Museum is special because it is the only museum in Canada that has a display of Russian photographs given to it by the Russian Ambassador of Canada. The museum features items donated by members and families of the Canadian and British militaries. These include uniforms, medals, communications equipment, and important documents. The museum no longer offers tours of the Debert Bunker itself, but it still has information and artifacts about it.

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