Naval Radio Section Aldergrove - History

History

In December 1942, the Royal Canadian Navy established a wireless telegraph broadcast station in Matsqui, British Columbia. The following November, a wireless telegraph receiver station was established in Aldergrove, British Columbia. These stations served to meet the regional needs of the RCN during World War II. Staffing levels were reduced following the war.

In the 1950s, as the Korean War erupted in Asia, HMCS Aldergrove experienced growth common to many North American military bases during the early years of the Cold War. With the unification of the Canadian Forces in 1967, the station designation was changed to CFS Aldergrove. By now, the station was providing ship–shore and air–ground communications for Canadian and Allied military forces on the Pacific coast.

From 1975 to 1978, CFS Aldergrove once again underwent major building and upgrading programmes to meet the operational and support needs of the fleet. This included the addition of a microwave radio relay tower, providing over-the-horizon communications. The station was again upgraded in the mid 1990s replacing older, maintenance-intensive equipment with modern and more reliable electronics.

Extensive cutbacks to the defence budget during the post-Cold War era of the early 1990s resulted in CFS Aldergrove being placed under remote control and came under the command of CFB Esquimalt. The transmitter and receiver sites became operated by the Remote Control and Monitoring System (RCMS). This resulted in staff reductions from more than 130 personnel to about 20. Current staffing consists of a core of technicians who perform routine maintenance and repair equipment failures. For fault tolerance and backup, CFB Esquimalt can operate the receiver and transmitter sites at NRS Mill Cove and NRS Newport Corner (in Nova Scotia) respectively. CFB Halifax can also operate the receivers and transmitters at Aldergrove and Matsqui.

Between 1996 and 2006, several buildings on the station were dismantled, including the single quarters, the station's water tower, and the junior ranks mess. Since the downsizing, the site has been plagued by crime on its property, and has had several security breaches.