Located inside a military base in Kingston, the museum starts from the very beginning with flag signals and ends at modern electronic communications. There are recreations of Telegraph offices and radio rooms from the last century showing how the equipment was laid out at the time.
Despite being in existence since the 19th century and successes in WWI, the Canadian military didn’t make its signal corps permanent until 1920 when the Royal Canadian School of Signals was established in Ottawa and titles became permanent. An example of an army classroom from that Era is on display.
Up until 1960, the military provided most of the long-distance communications between northern territories and the rest of Canada. It was used as a civilian and military service to order food supplies for the year, communicate with loved ones, and report events. A lot of the exhibition is a detailed account of the signal corps’ contributions to WWII.
The rear of the museum exhibits how military mechanical and electrical engineers maintain complex equipment. The end of the tour brings visitors back to the main building and through a collection of UN peacekeeping items from several missions in the Middle East, the Americas, and Africa.
