Jack Bates might not live in Esquimalt anymore, but his roots are there and so is his heart.
As a military historian, the View Royal resident has always had an affinity for the past, but now his mission is to ensure those stories make it into the future. Part of that goal includes hosting the fifth annual .
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 a bit of a local project of mine,B次元官网网址� Bates says of his role leading guided tours through the seaside park.
B次元官网网址淢y grandfather and great uncle were involved in building the fort when they were military engineers,B次元官网网址� he explains. B次元官网网址淸They] helped to administer and build Fort Mac and Fort Rodd Hill.B次元官网网址�
Upwards of 200 people are expected to join Bates on half-hour tours through the site, including the point that housed the original gun battery.
Local re-enactors will also be in attendance, dressed in clothing of the period to share their own themes of military history, and local museums will set up displays using various military artifacts and items preserved over the years.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 such a jewel there,B次元官网网址� Bates says, describing the 180-degree view the fort has, stretching from Victoria Harbour to Esquimalt Harbour, around to Fort Rodd Hill and Esquimalt Lagoon.
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Fort Macaulay was the longest occupied fort in the area, from 1878 through to 1956. Originally built to protect Esquimalt and Victoria harbours with a gun battery, itB次元官网网址檚 been run by both British and Canadian forces.
The fort survived active use during two world wars and in the mid-1980s it was used for training purposes, as well as housing members of military as part of Work Point Barracks.
Since 1985, the property has been managed as a municipal park; Bates says it takes a lot of community volunteers along with the Township and the Department of National Defence to maintain its presence.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e fortunate the fort was protected by DND involvement,B次元官网网址� he says of the current buildings. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 quite intact from when it was first built in 1895.B次元官网网址�
Bates thinks the fact DND owned the property may have preserved it, but it also kept visitors away.
B次元官网网址淣ow that itB次元官网网址檚 open, you can go and people are coming from Victoria, from Vancouver, all over the place.B次元官网网址�
In November, the Township installed new interpretive signage for Fort Macaulay, to provide a better understanding and appreciation for the military history of the site. Bates says interest in the site has grown as a result.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a story on each one of them,B次元官网网址� he says. B次元官网网址淢y purpose is to preserve this history.B次元官网网址�
