Talk:Naval Radio Section Aldergrove

HMCS Aldergrove during American Prohibition

I used to have a book, maybe still do in some box somewhere but I think I gave it away, called Slow Boat on Rum Row by Fraser Miles of Mission, who had worked on a rum running operation off Port Renfrew during American Prohibition. The book is largely a reminisce but includes detailed explainations of the radio codes used by the smugglers, some of whome were navy men (naturally, given the maritime nature of the operation). HMCS Aldergrove was used as some kind of relay-point for signals from the ships and fog-hidden rowboats on "rum row", which was in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, either connecting to HMCS Matsqui (or CFB Chilliwack?), as Aldergrove is on the high-point of land and signals from farther inland needed to be relayed through it; this bit of terrain logistics should definitely be in the article. But the first part of the current history section begins only in 1942 so I didn't want to insert anything without having something about when the base/station was first founded; quite likely the land was laid aside for military use in the days of Trutch and Moberley (colonial-era) because of it being a high point overlooking Whatcom County (a potential artillery site...). Why exactly Matsqui (or Chilliwack) was involved I can't remember; for anyone interested in reading up on this, and maybe adding something on this curious aspect of Aldergrove's existence, there's a number of copies available on-line and some libraries in the Lower Mainland may have it. This is obviously not the kind of thing that DND would have much to say about, and Miles is rare among old smugglers in coming forward with the tale....Skookum1 (talk) 22:08, 10 January 2009 (UTC)