My name is Harold (Hal) Aage Skaarup, CD2, BFA, MA in War Studies.
Once upon a time, or "back in the day" as my generation likes to say, I served as a Military Intelligence Officer in the Canadian Army. I have been fortunate in having a career that gave me a chance to see some interesting parts of the world while on duty with NATO in Germany, with the UN in Cyprus, with SFOR in Bosnia-Herzegovina, with NORAD in Colorado, with ISAF in Afghanistan and of course here at home and across Canada.
During those 40 years with the Canadian Forces, I had the privilege of taking part in history making events and having interesting experiences with incredibly talented people from many different countries. As a result, I believe that I have a bit of insight into some of the military history that Canadian soldiers, sailors, airmen and women have made in the past, are making in the present and will make in the future, both here at home and overseas. I have written and researched some of our military stories and experiences, and if you have similar interests, you will find a good deal of it here, shared from my perspective.
When I retired from the Army in August 2011 at 5 Canadian Division Support Base (5 CDSB) Gagetown, New Brunswick, I took an interest in the New Brunswick Military History Museum (NBMHM) on base. Now settled down at our home in Fredericton, I became a volunteer researcher and tour guide at the museum. I also currently serve on the Board of Directors at the Fredericton Region Museum (FRM). In the process, I have met some wonderful people and heard many of their stories, fielded questions from a myriad of visitors and continue to learn something new about our history every day. I would like to share some of these stories with you here. I have collected a fair amount of data that will be of interest to military historians and like-minded enthusiasts, but I am not the expert on all things military. What I do have is a wonderful collection of colleagues who do have some expertise in specific military subjects, and if I can't find an answer to your question, I may know someone I can refer you to, who can help.
The subject material is generally divided into Army, Navy and Air Force sections, and if those are your interest, jump to the Search section of this page. I have a wide variety of general interests as well, and hope you find something that will catch your attention. Good hunting.
For those of you with an interest in Canadian military aviation, I highly recommend the well-researched data base provided by the staff and volunteers at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (CWHM) who have compiled detailed loss reports of RCAF and Canadian casualties in the RAF during the Second World War. These records can be found by examining the specific aircraft of interest in the Canadian Aircraft Serials Personnel Information Resource (CASPIR) files here.
As a volunteer with several museums in the province of New Brunswick, I would like to recommend that you visit these websites for a wider view of the military history of our province.
The military sites in New Brunswick include the following:
The New Brunswick Naval Memorial webpage can be found here:
https://nbnavalmemorial.ca/
The New Brunswick Aviation Museum (NBAM) webpage can be viewed here: https://nbaviationmuseum.com/
The New Brunswick Military History Museum (NBMHM) webpage is available here: https://tourismnewbrunswick.ca/listing/new-brunswick-military-history-museum
...and its Facebook page can be viewed here:
https://www.facebook.com/NBMHM.MHMNB/
The Canadian Engineers Military Museum webpage can be found here:
http://www.cmemuseum.ca/index_e/index_e.htm
The 8th Hussars Museum and Camp Sussex webpage can be viewed here:
http://www.8chassociation.com/blogs/the-8th-hussars-museum-and-camp-sussex
The 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise's) (VIII CH) is an armoured regiment in the Canadian Army. It was formed on the 4 April 1848 in New Brunswick where it has served continually ever since. Today it is a reserve armoured reconnaissance regiment with two squadrons. Its Regimental Headquarters (RHQ) and A Squadron are located in Moncton with B Squadron located in Sussex, New Brunswick.In 1957 its name was chosen for the formation of a new Regular Force regiment to serve in addition to the reserve regiment. The Regular regiment served in Gagetown, New Brunswick, Petawawa, Ontario, the Sinai, Cyprus, Iserlohn (Fort Beausejour), Soest, and Lahr, West Germany. The Regular Force regiment was disbanded in 1998.
The York Sunbury Historical Society (YSHS), Fredericton Region Museum (FRM) webpage is here:
https://www.frederictonregionmuseum.com/
...and their Facebook page can be viewed here:
https://www.facebook.com/FrederictonRegionMuseum/
The New Brunswick Museum (NBM), Saint John webpage can be viewed here:
https://www.nbm-mnb.ca/
The New Brunswick Museum Archives and Research Library webpage can be found here:
https://www.nbm-mnb.ca/archives-and-research-library/
The Carleton Martello Tower in Saint John, New Brunswick, is one of the nine surviving Martello Towers in Canada. The tower dates from the War of 1812 and played a significant role in conflicts until the Second World War. The site now features a restored powder magazine, a restored barracks room, and exhibits in the tower and in the visitor centre. The tower's roof offers a view of the city of Saint John and its harbour. Carleton Martello Tower is one of the oldest buildings in the city and has been designated as a National Historic Site of Canada since 1930. More here:
The Kings Landing Historical Settlement webpage can be viewed here:
https://kingslanding.nb.ca/
The Bathurst War Museum webpage can be found here:
http://rmne.ca/en/content/memorial-war-museum
The Fort Beauséjour – Fort Cumberland National Historic Site, Aulac, webpage is located here:
https://parks.canada.ca/lhn-nhs/nb/beausejour
There are more than 120 museums, studios and galleriescovering a wide variety of subjects in New Brunswick, including these:
Fredericton: The Fredericton Region Museum, Old Government House, the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, the Science East Museum, the Lighthouse, Gallery78, the Guard House and Soldiers Barracks, the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame, Gallery on Queen Street, School Days Museum, Centre Communautaire Sainte-Anne, University of New Brunswick Art Centre, Ingrid Mueller Art and Concepts, The Gallery at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, Crown Ashton Porcelain Studio, and the Birch Cres Gallery.
Saint John: New Brunswick Museum, Saint John Firefighters'Museum, Saint John Jewish Historical Museum, Saint John Police Museum, HandworksGallery, Old Number 2 Engine House Museum, Trinity Galleries, Cobalt ArtGallery, Tim Issac Art Gallery, , Glass Roots Inc. Canada, The New ArtisanStudio, Jones Gallery, Spicer Merrifield Gallery, Barbour's General Store, and the Carleton Martello Tower.
Moncton: Magnetic Hill Park, Resurgo Place, Musee Acadien, theMR21 digital cathedral interpretation center, the Lutz Mountain Heritage Museum, Thomas Williams House, Apple Art Gallery, Free Meeting House, Galerie d'art Louise-et-Reuben-Cohen, Moncton Gallery, Galerie Sans Nom, The Acorn Studio, Elwood's Wood Lab, and the Aberdeen Cultural Centre.
Saint Andrews: Saint Andrews Blockhouse National Historic Site, Sheriff Andrews House, Ross Memorial Museum, Trinity Galleries, Bertha Day Art and Craft Gallery, and the Jarea Art Studio.
Edmundston: Fortin du Petit Sault Blockhouse, Du Réel Au Miniature: Centre d'Interpretation des Voies Ferrées, Musee historique du Madawaska.
Caraquet: MuséeAcadien in Caraquet, , Éco-musée De L'huître.
St. Stephen: Chocolate Museum, and the Charlotte County Museum.
Sackville: Owens Art Gallery, Boulten House Heritage Centre, Struts Gallery and Faucet Media Arts Centre, Colville House, and the Campbell Carriage Factory Museum.
Miramichi : W.S. Loggie Cultural Centre, HistoricBeaverbrook House, St. Michaels Museum, Miramichi Natural History Museum, andthe Middle Island Irish Historical Park.
The Albert County Museum at Hopewell Cape, the Quaco Museum and Library in St. Martins,the Grand Manan Museum, the New Brunswick Railway Museum at Hillsborough, the Steeves House Museum in Hillsborough, Oppenheimer-Prager Museum at Dayspring, the Keillor House Museum in Dorchester, Musee De Kent in Bouctouche, Connell House in Woodstock, Old Carleton County Courthouse in Woodstock, Brigitte Le Bouthillier Art Gallery in Shediac, the New Brunswick Internment Camp Heritage Museum in Minto, Minto Museum and Information Centre, Le Musee Historique De Tracadie, the Grand Manan Art Gallery, Creek Village and Cafe in Woodstock, Pascal-Poirier Historic House Art Gallery and Museum in Shediac, Bathurst Heritage Museum, O'Toole Gallery & Celtic Fox Studio in Grafton, Experience Restigouche in Campbellton, Galerie Acanthus Gallery in Grand Falls, Grand Falls Museum, Smokehouse Museum in Cap-Pelé, Tilley House Museum in Gagetown, Doak Provincial Heritage Site in Doaktown, Bay Breeze Art Gallery in Bathurst, Shogomoc Railway Museum, Florenceville-Bristol, Potato World, Florenceville-Bristol, Bathurst War Museum, Herman J. Good V.C Branch No. 18 Royal Canadian Legion War Museum at Bathurst, Central New Brunswick Woodsmen Museum, Boiestown, Restigouche Regional Museum at Dalhousie, Queens County Courthouse Museum at Gagetown, Gare Shediac Musee in Shediac, Pettes Cove Arts on Grand Manan, Atlantic Salmon Museum in Doaktown, Musée des Pionniers at Grand-Digue, Canadian Engineers Military Museum in Oromocto, St. James Textile Museum at Dorchester, The Monro Heritage Centre at Port Elgin, Kings County Museum in Hampton, Kedgewick Forestry Village and Museum in Kedgewick River, Maison Doiron House in Dieppe, Andrew and Laura McCain Art Gallery in Florenceville-Bristol, Maritime Motorsports Hall of Fame in Petitcodiac, Petitcodiac War Museum, Anthony Flower House Museum at Cambridge-Narrows, The Old Bank Museum at Riverside Albert, the Agricultural Museum of New Brunswick in Sussex, Joseph B. Michaud Blacksmith Museum at Saint Francois de Madawaska, Studio on the Marsh in Harvey Les Épaves de la Baie de St-Simon, Saint Simon, Musée Des Cultures Fondatrices in Grande-Anse, Saint-Isidore Church and Museum, Memramcook Valley Historical Society, Musee de Memramcook, Beaver Harbour Archives & Museum, Cedar Hill School House in Woodstock, John Fisher Memorial Museum in Kingston, Gallery Wenzl/Frozen Gecko Studio in Shediac, Sussex Art Gallery, Roy Heritage Home in Saint-Quentin, Southern Victoria Historic Museum in Perth-Andover, the New Denmark Memorial Museum, Tabusintac Centennial Library and Museum, Rejeanne Godin Morin Art Gallery in Bertrand, Hall of Fame in Paquetville, Acacia Gallery in Cambridge-Narrows, Cliff Valley Astronomy in Quispamsis, Smooth as Silk in Shemogue, Landrys Birdseye Bowls in Bathurst, Two Loose Screws Studio in Carlingford, The Glass Bakery in Mill Cove, the Shediac Craft Shop, Bell Tower Artisan Boutique in St. Martins, Beaubears Island Interpretive Centre in Northumberland, Bonar Law Provincial Historic Site in Rexton, Richibucto River Museum, Rexton, Campobello Public Library and Museum, Campobello Island, Cape Jourimain Nature Centre, Clair Historical Site, Currie House Museum at Fredericton Junction, Religious Hospitalers of Saint Joseph Museum, Sainte-Basile, Cyr Historical House in Sainte-Basile, Église historique de Barachois at Grand-Barachois, Fundy Trail Interpretive Centre at St. Martins, Gaskin Museum of Marine Life on Grand Manan Island, MacDonald Farm Historic Site at Oak Point-Bartibog Ridge, McAdam Railway Station, Metepenagiag Heritage Park at Red Bank, Monument Lefebvre National Historical Site at Memramcook, Musee de l'automobile at Saint-Jacques, Musée des papes (Pope Museum) at Grande-Anse, Nepisiquit Centennial Museum and Cultural Centre at Bathurst, New Brunswick Acquarium and Marine Centre at Shippagan, New Brunswick Mining and Mineral Interpretation Centre at Petit-Rocher, Saint-Isidore Museum, Tankville School Museum, and the Walls Historic Site at Blackville.
More information can be viewed here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_museums_in_New_Brunswick
