Ontario Regiment Museum

The Ontario Regiment RCAC Museum
Established	1980
Location	South Field of the Oshawa Municipal Airport, 1000 Stevenson Rd N, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Type	Canadian Forces Museum
Website	www.ontrmuseum.ca

The Ontario Regiment (RCAC) Museum is a military museum located in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. The museum is located on the South Field of the Oshawa Municipal Airport, 1000 Stevenson Rd N, Oshawa, Ontario (50 km east of Toronto, Ontario).

The museum is composed of a static section tracing the history of the Ontario Regiment, and a "Vehicle Section" with more than 100 operational military vehicles, including jeeps, trucks and tanks, making it the largest collection in North America.^{[citation needed]}

Mission

The museum restores, preserves, displays, and commemorates the service of the Canadian Armed Forces (with an emphasis on the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps and its vehicles) and its role in the history of Canada. It does this through using artifacts to tell the story of the Ontario Regiment from 1850 to the present day and its collection of historical military vehicles to "bring history to life." The museum seeks to honour those who came before and those who are currently serving and to make the history accessible to the public in an engaging, relevant, and exciting way.

Volunteers and supporters

The museum is a non-profit organization with two full-time staff and more than 140 volunteer members. These members act as guides, drivers, and maintainers of the vehicle collection, as well as the first line of restorers to bring historic vehicles back to life.

The museum is a proud member of the Durham Region Community and is often supported by members of the Ontario Regiment, the Ontario Regiment Cadet Corps, Royal Canadian Legion Branches 43 and 637, and 420 Wing (Oshawa)–Royal Canadian Air force Association.

The museum is also supported^{[citation needed]} by the Royal Canadian Armoured Corp Association (Cavalry),^[1] the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps, and the Canadian Forces Directorate of History and Heritage.^[2]

The Museum

The grounds and buildings

The museum is housed on the South Field of the Historic Oshawa Executive Airport. The airport opened in June 1941 under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan as No. 20 Elementary Flying Training School RCAF Station Oshawa. Only three of the original buildings are still standing. Potential military pilots from Commonwealth and Occupied countries were trained in this field. There is one primary museum building composed of the Static or Museum Section, three workshops (not open to the public), a vehicle bay, and the Military Vehicle Conservation Centre. The Museum has the use of two other building but these are not open to the public.

The Museum Section

The Museum Section documents the story of the Ontario Regiment RCAC from its beginnings in 1866 as the 34th Ontario Battalion of Infantry, through WW1 as the 34th and 116th Battalions, 11th Armoured Regiment (The Ontario Regiment (Tank)) in WW2 and the Ontario Regiment (RCAC) today. Members of this regiment have served Canada in every military operation since the Fenian Raids.

The museum recounts the history through the display of artefacts grouped by type and period - Pre-Confederation, South African War, WW1, WW2, Afghanistan. These artefacts include uniforms, personal items, weapons (deactivated), medals, pictures, and trophies. The Museum Section can be enjoyed by the visitor alone, but the use of a guide is recommended to get some of the backstories behind the artefacts.

The Military Vehicle Conservation Centre

The Military Vehicle Conservation Centre was added on in 2018 and provided an additional 15,300 square feet for the vehicle collection. While in this section of the museum, visitors will experience the largest operational, historical military vehicle fleet in North America^{[citation needed]} and teams of volunteers maintaining and restoring them.

The vehicle collection

The vehicle collection started in 1976 when the then Honorary Colonel of the Ontario Regiment, Norman Wilton, purchased nine Ferret Scout Cars for use as a ceremonial troop. The original nine cars soon grew with the addition of BART - M4A2(76) W HVSS. Bart was acquired after WW2 from the US and was used as a training vehicle by the Ontario Regiment until the mid-1970s. Since then, the vehicle collection has continued to grow.^{[citation needed]} Some (but not all) of the current inventory are:

Bart on the move at the Ontario Regiment Museum

Panzer III J at the Ontario Regiment Museum

World War Two

M4A2(76) W HVSS - BART and BILLY
M3A1 Stuart
M24 Chaffee - one of 24 acquired from the US after WW2
M8 Greyhound
Several CMP Trucks including a Radio Van with serial number 1 built in Oshawa
Universal Carrier
Fox armoured car - built at the GM plant in Oshawa
Daimler Dingo armoured car
Panzer III - Our Panzer II is a reproduction using authentic German Parts and/or parts cast from original
Hetzer - The Museum's Hetzer is a G-13 retrofitted to German Army Specifications
Sd.Kfz. 251 - There is a C and D variant. These are Czech OT-810s retrofitted to German Army Specification.
T-34/85 - Iconic Soviet Tank of WW2. This vehicle fought in Eastern Europe as a 75 mm variant, and the Soviet invasion of Manchuria in its current 85 mm configuration.
FLAK 88 - One of three in Canada, undergoing Restoration
Willys MB - The Museum has several Jeeps including one used by the Ontario Regiment in Sicily and

Cold War

T54A - Our T54 is in Iraqi colours
BMP-1 - Along with the T54A, this was the bulk of Soviet Cold War Armour
M60 - The Museum operates a US Army and US Marine Corps M60A3
Leopard 1 - Five Leopards including C1 and C2 variants.
M113 - Both US and Canadian versions along with engineering, TOW, and Communications variants.
Centurion - Running again after 40 years.
Chieftain - Mark 10 and Mark 11
FV432 - British Armoured Personnel Carrier
M151 MUTT - Canadian and US Jeep
M551 Sheridan - Air droppable and amphibious tank

Gulf War Era

CVR-T - British family of Combat Vehicles Reconnaissance - Tracked, Examples of all members of the family are at the Museum
AVGP - Canadian family of Armoured Vehicles - Cougar (Fire Support), Grizzly (Personnel Carrier), Husky (Recovery)
HUMMWV - USMC version with .50 cal mount

Modern Era

LAV III - Iconic vehicle used by Canadian Forces in Afghanistan
M113 TLAV - M113 A3 upgraded for Canadian Service
Sandcat Armoured Patrol Vehicle
Land Rover Wolf

Since December 2022, a new exhibit features a rare WW2 Howitzer Motor Carriage M7B1, often referred to as the M7 Priest. More than 4,000 of the U.S.-made M7 Priests were built during the war. The tank was used by the Americans, the British, the Canadians and the Free French. Many of the Canadian soldiers who stormed Juno Beach on D-Day advanced in M7 Priests.^[3]

Events

The museum holds special events where the public can watch vehicles of the collection in motion. These include Tank Saturdays and the internationally recognized Aquino Weekend.

Tank Saturdays

Tank Saturdays are single-day events, normally on the second Saturday of each summer month (May to October). These are themed events with a one-hour display show based on that theme. Often, re-enactors will be a part of the show. Armoured vehicle rides are usually available. Tank Saturdays conclude with a "Battle Royale" where two tanks and their crews go head-to-head in the museum's tank arena.

Aquino Weekend

Aquino Weekend is a two-day world-class event held during the second weekend in June, and, from 2024, in July. There are two themed one-hour battle demonstrations on both Saturday and Sunday. Common themes are "WW2 - Western Front", "WW2 - Eastern Front", "Gulf War", and "Viet Nam". Each simulated battle consists of vehicles, reenactors, firepower and pyrotechnics. Additionally, there are vendors and static reenactor displays. Each day concludes with a "Battle Royale" where two tanks and their crews go head-to-head in the Museum's tank arena.

Tank Rides and Experiences

The Museum offers experiences in their historic vehicles. These experiences are more than rides; they can be a full experience working with the crews preparing the vehicle and a complete tour of all the crew positions.

Tours

Group or specialized tours are also available. Interested parties should contact the museum to enquire about availability.

World of Tanks

The computer game World of Tanks is a partner of the Ontario Regiment RCAC Museum. There is a World of Tanks gaming station at the museum where visitors can play the game on fast optimized personal computers, with standard WOT vehicles or customized vehicles from the museum.

Other tank museums

Musée des Blindés – France
The Tank Museum – United Kingdom
Yad La-Shiryon – Latrun, Israel
Parola Tank Museum – Finland
Military museum Lešany – Czech Republic
German Tank Museum – Germany
Military Museum, Belgrade – Serbia
Canadian War Museum – Ottawa, Ontario
Base Borden Military Museum - Canada
cavaleriemuseum - Amersfoort, The Netherlands
Nationaal Militair Museum – Soesterberg, The Netherlands
Royal Tank Museum – Jordan
American Heritage Museum – United States
Royal Australian Armoured Corps Memorial and Army Tank Museum - Puckapunyal, Australia
Australian Armour and Artillery Museum - Cairns, Australia

References

^ Royal Canadian Armoured Corp Association (Cavalry).
^ Canadian Forces Directorate of History and Heritage.
^ "Rare Second World War tank arrives in Canada on its way to Oshawa museum". Insauga. 23 November 2022. Retrieved 2022-11-29.

External links

The Ontario Regiment (RCAC) Museum official website

43°55′02″N 78°53′37″W / 43.91722°N 78.89361°W / 43.91722; -78.89361

[1] Royal Canadian Armoured Corp Association (Cavalry).

[2] Canadian Forces Directorate of History and Heritage.

[3] "Rare Second World War tank arrives in Canada on its way to Oshawa museum". Insauga. 23 November 2022. Retrieved 2022-11-29.

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e Military history of North America
Sovereign states	Antigua and Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Canada Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago United States
Dependencies and other territories	Anguilla Aruba Bermuda Bonaire British Virgin Islands Cayman Islands Curaçao Greenland Guadeloupe Martinique Montserrat Puerto Rico Saint Barthélemy Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saba Sint Eustatius Sint Maarten Turks and Caicos Islands United States Virgin Islands

v t e History of World War II by region and country
Africa	Belgian Congo British Somaliland Egypt Ethiopia French Somaliland French West Africa The Gambia Gold Coast Kenya Liberia Madagascar North Africa Tunisia Morocco Nyasaland Sierra Leone South Africa Southern Rhodesia
North America	Canada Cuba El Salvador Greenland Mexico Newfoundland United States Arizona California Nevada New Mexico Puerto Rico Native Americans
South America	Argentina Brazil Colombia Latin America Suriname Uruguay Venezuela
Asia	Burma Ceylon China Manchuria Dutch East Indies New Guinea West Sumatra Hong Kong India Indochina Cambodia Iran Iraq Japan Malaya Mongolia Nepal Philippines Sarawak, Brunei, Labuan, and British North Borneo Singapore Thailand Tibet Turkey Tuva
Europe	Albania Austria Belgium Bulgaria Czechoslovakia Denmark Estonia Finland France Military history Basque Country Germany Greece Hungary (Carpathian Ruthenia) Iceland Ireland Italy Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia Soviet Union Azerbaijan Byelorussia Ukraine Spain Basque Country Catalonia Galicia Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom British Empire Wales Channel Islands Gibraltar Vatican City Yugoslavia (Slovenia)
Oceania and Antarctica	Antarctica Australia Gilbert Islands Nauru New Guinea New Zealand Solomon Islands Pacific Islands

v t e Canadian Armed Forces
Canadian Army Royal Canadian Air Force Royal Canadian Navy
Military history	Royal Canadian Navy Canadian Army Royal Canadian Air Force Peacekeeping
Leadership	Commander-in-Chief Chief of the Defence Staff Vice Chief of the Defence Staff Armed Forces Council Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy Commander of the Canadian Army Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force Canadian Forces chief warrant officer
Commands	Canadian Joint Operations Command Canadian Special Operations Forces Command Canadian Forces Intelligence Command Primary Reserve
Academies	Royal Military College of Canada Royal Military College Saint-Jean
Lists	Bibliography Operations
Others	Weapons of mass destruction
Category Canada portal

v t e History of Canada
Year list (Timeline)	18000 BCE–1500 CE 1534–1763 1763–1867 1867–1914 1914–1945 1945–1960 1960–1981 1982–present
Topics	Canadians - (Persons of significance) Constitutional Crown and Indigenous peoples Cultural Economic Etymology Events of significance Former colonies and territories Heritage Minutes Historic Sites Immigration Chinese immigration Military Operations Peacekeeping Monarchical Population history Sports Territorial evolution Women
Provinces and territories	Alberta British Columbia Manitoba Ontario New Brunswick Newfoundland and Labrador Northwest Territories Nova Scotia Nunavut Quebec Prince Edward Island Saskatchewan Yukon (Name etymologies)
Cities	Brampton Charlottetown Edmonton Fredericton Halifax Hamilton Lethbridge Markham Moncton Montreal Northwest Territories capital cities Ottawa Quebec City Saint John Regina Richmond Hill Saskatoon Toronto Vancouver Winnipeg (Name etymologies)
Research	Bibliography Historiography Historians Surveys
Category Canada portal