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There are many who served in the War of 1812 that made a name for themselves, some positive and on which history smiled upon, and those whom history was not as kind to. American lawyer, politician, and hero of the American Revolution William Hull is one such men. Born in 1753 in Derby Connecticut, Hull’s goal was to become a lawyer, studying law and graduating from Harvard in 1772 and then passed the bar in 1775. The start of the American Revolutionary war brought him to join the patriot militia, quickly rising to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel by 1785. His prowess in battle was notedRead More →

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The Iron Curtain, The Red Scare, Nuclear War, Ruskies, Commies, Berlin Wall, Spies…Sounding Familiar? Even Canada was affected, so much so that our Prime Minister at the time, John Diefenbaker, ordered the construction of a series of bunkers that would house the civilian government in the event of Nuclear War; they were collectively known as Diefenbunkers. Only one got completed, and in 1962 Canadian Forces Station Carp went online. The other 49 were either not finished or partially completed. When the cold war ended in 1994 with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the station was decommissioned; it reopened in 1998 as a Museum andRead More →

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Parliament Hill stands tall above the rush of the Ottawa River. While many a photographer would choose to shoot this building head-on from the front, it took me a bit to find a different vantage point from my favourite angle, the one that faces the Ottawa River primarily so that you can get a glimpse of the Library of Parliament, that round conical structure. My first choice was from across the River in the park surrounding the Museum of Canadian History (Museum of Civilization), but that wasn’t it, okay well, how about in the heights on Nepean Point…so I lugged the gear across the bridge,Read More →

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Back when I visited Ottawa for the first time in several years this past September, I lugged along my 4×5 camera. While I wasn’t too pleased with every shot, I made a point when I was there this past weekend to focus, slow down, and work with the 4×5 primarily and put the smaller formats away. The results were a much more robust set of images that I am incredibly proud of, and I do plan on getting these into the darkroom to print. Centre Block East Block Chateau Laurier Details of the National War Memorial The Connaught Building – National Headquarters The National GalleryRead More →

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Despite having lost Lake Erie to the Americans in 1813, Commodore James Lucas Yeo was not about to let Commodore Isaac Chauncy repeat this on Lake Ontario. As such both men engaged in one of largest arms race during the war, the constant construction of ships. Yeo at the King’s navy yards in Kingston and Chauncy at Sackets Harbor. A note on the name of the title as ‘Raid on Oswgeo’ often you will find this known as Raid on Fort Oswego, this is simply not true, the main fort in the town was Fort Ontario, and was the only manned fortification in the city.Read More →

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The Cold War was an exciting period of history and one of my favourites. Cloak and Dagger affairs, Nuclear Weapons, Spies, Jets, and the such. The CF-104 Starfighter is my second favourite jet of the era, the first being the doomed Avro CF-105 Arrow. But the Starfighter was unique, wildly different from jets of the day and had some rather unique nicknames, such as the Aluminium Death Tube, The Lawn Dart, and The Flying Phallus. But it certainly cuts a unique figure. Like the CF-86 Sabre before, the CF-104 was built by Canadair under licence using the Lockheed F-104G template. These would make up Canada’sRead More →

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The weather at the beginning of Week 37 wasn’t too bad, but as the week progressed, it slowly worsened. And I kept on putting off loading up a film holder to get a shot. One of the joys of having a proper press camera is the ability to shoot it handheld. So here is yet another rural farmhouse from the area surrounding Milton. Another one that has always caught my eye is simple and elegant. Pacemaker Crown Graphic – Fuji Fujinon-W 1:5.6/125 – Kodak Tri-X Pan (320TXP) Meter: Pentax Spotmeter V 1/125 – f/16 – ASA-400 Kodak TMax Developer (1+9) 10:30 @ 20CRead More →

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The Battle of Cooks Mill was the final battle in the sequence surrounding the last campaign on the Niagara Peninsula in 1814. By the 21st of September, General Gordon Drummond had lifted the siege against Fort Erie where the Americans had holed up, pulled back and established a fortified line at Chippawa to refit and restore his army and prevent the Americans from rolling up the peninsula. The Chippawa River today, the fortifications are long gone. General Izard arrived at Fort Erie on the 28th of September with fresh troops to reinforce General Brown’s army. Brown having access to a large force again wanted toRead More →

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Well, it’s not a castle, but this 1726 building in Old Fort Niagara has earned the moniker “The French Castle.” Constructed as part of the second fortifications at the mouth of the Niagara, the French first came to the region in 1678. However, the site was abandoned due to illness and a lack of supplies. The current fortifications on the site date to 1726 and have remained occupied. The British took the fort in a siege in 1759 during the French-Indian War (Seven Years War); it remained a British stronghold through the American Revolution but was turned over to the Americans in 1796. Captured againRead More →

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A dreary Saturday can only be spent one of two ways: locking yourself inside or going to your favourite museum. I chose the latter. The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum at the Hamilton International Airport in Mount Hope, Ontario has always been a favourite of mine from the first time going when they were housed in an old hanger. Sadly in 1993, the hanger was destroyed by fire, losing five of its aircraft…but many survived that still form the core of the museum’s collection today. The star of the show, an Avro Lancaster bomber, is a personal favourite of mine. What makes the Lancaster all theRead More →