Mewata Armouries - Wikipedia

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Coordinates: 510247N 1140522W

Mewata Armouries
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mewata Armoury (also referred to as Mewata Armouries) is a

Canadian Forces reserve armoury in Calgary, Alberta.

Mewata Armoury

The building was built between 1915 and 1918 for an original cost
of $282,051 Canadian dollars. The building was designed by
Thomas W. Fuller (Department of Public Works Architect) and the
project was supervised locally by Calgary architect Leo Dowler.
The structure was actually built by A.G. Creelman Co. of
Vancouver.
The building is located at 801 11th Street S.W. and is still home to
local Militia units, chiefly The King's Own Calgary Regiment and
The Calgary Highlanders.

Armoury entrance
Location 801 11th Street S.W., Calgary,
Southern Alberta, Alberta,
Canada

Contents
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Construction materials
Architectural style
Original interior details
Plaque
Historical highlights
Lodger units
Monuments
See also
References

Built

191518

Architect Thomas Fuller, Dominion

Architect
Website Mewata Armouries
(http://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/beefpfhbro/FHB_RES_E.asp)
National Historic Site of Canada

Construction materials
The building has a cut stone foundation with a structure of red brick (common bond with steel reinforcement)
and sandstone. The drill hall is significant for the large uninterrupted span of its steel trusses. A second story
on the west side was added some time after original construction.

Architectural style
The building was designed in a Tudor/Gothic Revival style. A classic example of armoury design, Mewata has
features deliberately bringing to mind a medieval fortress or castle, including four square corner towers, four
smaller six sided towers, and buttresses with turrets and a crenellated roofline.

Original interior details

The original design featured a large central drill hall with 117 rooms (two storeys of soldiers quarters) arranged
around its perimeter. The basement included bowling alleys and 30 yard shooting ranges. The facility also
included officers' and sergeants' billiard rooms. Barracks have been altered in recent years to serve as offices
and storage space. A catwalk around the drill hall has been enclosed on the north and south sides, as well as
part of the east side, leaving a short "balcony" overlooking the parade square.

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Plaque
The Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaque at the Mewata Armouries states The seale and bold
design of the Mewata Armoury exemplify the wave of national pride that greeted Canadas strong performance
in the South African War. In western Canada this military enthusiasm led to a dramatic increase in militia
enrolment and resulted in the construction of new drill halls and armouries on an unprecedented scale. Mewata
Armoury, one of the largest and most fully equipped of its type, was built in 1917-1918. For many years it has
been home to the Kings Own Calgary Regiment and the Calgary Highlanders, both of which were established
in 1910.[1]

Historical highlights
Mewata is a Cree word meaning "O Be Joyful".
Construction began September 24, 1915 and according to some sources was held up by lack of bricks. Two
brick factories, one in Redcliff and one in Montgomery were built for the specific purpose of providing the
bricks to complete the project. The building was completed in 1917. During the Second World War, several
wooden huts were built to accommodate the large number of Calgary soldiers mobilized for the Canadian
Active Service Force.
In 1939, a large recreation hall was built adjacent to the armouries but the hall burnt down in 1941.[2]
The armoury for a time was home to a Permanent Force squadron of Lord Strathcona's Horse, but is most
commonly associated with the Militia units in Calgary. Over the years, several units have been based at
Mewata including South Alberta Light Horse, 19th Alberta Dragoons, King's Own Calgary Regiment, the
Calgary Highlanders, and 746 Communications Squadron.
During the First World War, Mewata was used as an induction and training centre and a demobilization depot
for returning soldiers.
In addition to military uses, other groups and organizations have always used the armoury including a military
ball for the Prince of Wales in 1919, the scene of a verbal confrontation between William Aberhart and Major
Douglas founder of Social Credit. The Calgary City Police and Calgary Fire Department have often used it for
training purposes. In 1975, prior to the Grey Cup parade, twenty marching bands were marshalled in the drill
hall.
The building was declared a Provincial Historic Resource on 11 November 1979, a Federal Heritage Building
in 1984, and a National Historic Site on 11 May 1991, only the fourth building in Calgary to receive a national
designation.[3][4]

Mewata Armoury

Mewata Armoury

Mewata Armoury

Mewata Armoury

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Mewata Armoury

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mewata_Armouries

Mewata Armoury

Lodger units
The armoury is currently home to:
The King's Own Calgary Regiment (RCAC);
The Calgary Highlanders
15 Medical Company
Regimental Pipes and Drums of The Calgary Highlanders
41 Canadian Brigade Group; 41 Brigade Battle School (South) [formerly Militia Training Detachment
Calgary]
Various cadet units, including 2137 (The Calgary Highlanders) Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps and
604 "Moose" Squadron, Royal Canadian Air Cadets

King's Own Calgary Regiment soldiers on parade at Mewata Armoury, 2005.

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Calgary Highlanders on parade at Mewata Armoury, 2005. The second level of the west side is visible; this entire wing
was not part of the additional building and was added later, as were the wooden stairs visible.

Monuments
The Calgary Highlanders erected and dedicated a Regimental Monument
in front of Mewata Armoury in 1998. The monument takes the form of a
Universal Carrier, of the type used by the regiment in the Second World
War, painted in the markings of the 1st Battalion. A plaque dedicates the
memorial to all soldiers of the regiment and its predecessors who have
"Served Canada in War and Peace." Regimental Markings included a gold
maple leaf on Royal Blue, indicating the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division,
and a green square indicating the 5th Brigade, upon which was placed the
Unit Sign "62" in white.
Calgary Highlanders Monument.

Lieutenant Brian S. King, CD, Curator of the Regimental Museum,

received permission from 41 Canadian Brigade Group to place a vehicle in
front of Mewata Armoury, after discussions in the Museum in 1997. This
form of homage is common in other armouries and military bases across
Canada. Lieutenant King sought out collectors in order to obtain an
appropriate vehicle, and negotiations with the Canadian War Museum
yielded this fully restored carrier, from the collection of Jack Guthrie, a
notable Calgary vehicle collector. The concrete pad for the carrier was
donated by BURNCO and the plaque purchased by the Regimental Funds
Foundation through a grant from the Royal Alberta United Services
Institute. The markings were researched and painted by Corporal Michael
Dorosh, at that time a clerk with battalion headquarters. The plaque was
unveiled by Second World War veterans Sergeant Clarence "Ken"
Crockett, DCM and Lance Corporal Floyd Rourke, DCM.

Plaque.

A second monument was later erected in celebration of 100 years of military engineering in Canada. An
M4A2E8 Sherman tank displaying the wartime markings of The King's Own Calgary Regiment including the

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formation sign of the 1st Canadian Armoured Brigade was placed atop a Bailey Bridge bearing a plaque
dedicated by 33rd Field Engineer Squadron. The KOCR mobilized a tank regiment which served with the
brigade at Dieppe and in Italy from 1941 to 1945.

See also
List of Armouries in Canada

References
1. http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/nic-inm/sm-rm/mdsrrdr-eng.asp?PID=5218 Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada
plaque
2. Farran, Roy. History of the Calgary Highlanders 1921-1954 (Bryant
Press, 1954)
3. Prairie Fire (Prairie Militia Area Training Bulletin) Oct. 1991 (Final Edition).
4. [1] (http://www.pc.gc.ca/apps/beefp-fhbro/FHB_RES_E.asp)

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Categories: National Historic Sites in Alberta Buildings and structures in Calgary Armouries in Canada
Tourist attractions in Calgary Buildings and structures on the National Historic Sites of Canada register
Historic Calgary Architecture
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