The Shearwater Aviation Museum unveiled a full scale replica of the Hawker Hurricane aircraft on Wednesday.
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The Hawker Hurricane was used in the Second World War to defend Canada’s Atlantic sea approaches.
The replica will represent the role Hurricanes played in the base’s history, starting with the Second World War.
Museum curator Christine Hines says they are blessed to have a large collection aircrafts, but the First and Second World War are not well represented.
“We’re really interested in being able to represent Shearwater, our role in broader world conflicts. ‘What are our squadrons doing, and where are they doing it?’” Hines said. “So for us, in the Second World War, we had several Hurricane squadrons at work from here, and participated in a big event like the Battle of Britain.”
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This new exhibit was built by David Rowe, and a team of fellow volunteers.
Buying a model was out of price range for the museum, so Rowe and the others made one themselves.
“When the war started, of course, the Battle of Great Britain, the Hurricane never got the credit it deserved compared to the Spitfire,” Rowe said. “But No.1 Squadron was the first RCF squadron to get activated, to get trained up. They were the only Canadian squadron to fight in the Battle of Britain.”
The exhibit was paid for by an anonymous donor, and came to about $10,000.
The replica can be seen Monday to Friday from 10:00 A.M. to 5 P.M., and on Saturdays from noon to 4:00 at the Shearwater Aviation Museum.