The Diefenbunker maintains a collection of Cold War artefacts, an archives and a library as part of its mandate to preserve and promote understanding of Cold War history. These holdings are made accessible to researchers upon request, and to the general public through our exhibitions.
Audio-Viusual downloadable tourguide for The Diefenbunker:
The Diefenbunker Cold War Museum is located in the township of Carp about 20 minutes west of Ottawa, Canada.
The Diefenbunker museum is completely different from any other museum I’ve covered in this military museum directory. The Diefenbunker Cold War Museum is a subterranean reinforced concrete labyrinth of bunkers designed to house the most critical members of the Canadian government in the event of a nuclear attack from the Soviet Union. While very comprehensive in facilities and space, there was no provision for the personnel to bring their wives or children with them to survive the aftermath of the expected nuclear holocaust. The bunker complex was built during the term of Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, and eventually was tagged with its current and very appropriate title. Our tour guide said that when Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau learned he could not bring his family with him in the event of a nuclear attack, he vowed never to set foot in the facility even if the worst were to happen. Continue reading Diefenbunker Museum
Armies dissolve as soon as they are formed. Thousands of the Canadian volunteers sent to Valcartier in 1914 came home, some because they lacked their wife’s permission to enlist. Two hundred thousand more—sick, wounded or otherwise unsuitable for service—followed during the war, leaving about 450,000 soldiers for the postwar demobilization. Continue reading Epilogue Dissolving Canada’s Great War Army