Historical significance
Armoury named in honour of inventor during ceremony Friday
Armoury in Glace Bay named after Dr. Guglielmo Marconi.
The Glace Bay Armoury not only has a name now, but one with deep historical significance.
A special ceremony was held at the 36 signal regiment detachment in Glace Bay on Friday to name it the Dr. Guglielmo Marconi Armoury. “Dr. Marconi’s work in wireless communications forms the baseline for military command and control communications systems today,” said Lt.-Col. Dale Warner, Commanding Officer, 36 Signal Regiment.
Warner said the armoury has a deep historical significance to Marconi.
“Naming the Glace Bay Armoury becomes a way of tying the armoury in with Glace Bay, Table Head and Dr. Marconi.”
He said the contribution of Dr. Marconi to communication systems around the world is invaluable.
“It is the basis of our trade as signallers, which includes high frequency, very high frequency and satellite communications, not to mention of course the line systems and telephone systems we offer to the military.
“It also ties the soldier to hers or his history and to remember the people who came before them,” he added.
“To recall your history is to learn from it and learning from our history is very important.”
Warner said the naming of the armoury was actually a local initiative by the soldiers of 5 squadron of the regiment. Work to see this accomplished began two and a half to three years ago.
He said Marconi’s work will continue to inspire them.
“When we train in the Dr. Guglielmo Marconi Armoury, we will be reminded of the technological excellence which we strive to achieve as modern-day signallers in the service of Canada.”
Capt. Yves Laplante of the 5 squadron 36 regiment, Glace Bay, said when the unit was built in 1955, the main unit was the Nova Scotia Highlander, now known as CBH. In about 1987, a communication troop was established at the unit.
“Over time, the communication squadron grew bigger and bigger and the Highlanders moved into Victoria Park,” he said.
“We’ve been the main stakeholder in at the unit for a long time.”
“Since our roots are with Marconi and the museum is only about 400 me- tres up the road, it was felt by everyone, we should rename our unit and show more about Marconi.”
Laplante said Marconi’s achievements were huge.
“He was the pioneer in modern communication technology,” he said.
“That’s a huge accomplishment for us as a signaller.”
A number of dignitaries attended the ceremony including Cape Breton Regional Municipality Mayor Cecil Clarke, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal and Glace Bay MLA Geoff MacLellan and Cape Breton-Canso MP Rodger Cuzner.
The event also celebrated the unveiling of the plaque to dedicate the armoured personal vehicle M577A2 ‘Queen Mary’ Command Post.