Canadian Forces Station Cobourg (also CFS Cobourg) was a military logistics base located in

Cobourg Cobourg ( ) is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Southern Ontario east of Toronto and east of Oshawa. It is the largest town in and seat of Northumberland County. Its nearest neighbour is Port Hope, to the west. It is ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

. The facility was created due to the expansion of Canadian military capability brought about by the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top: ...

and Cold War. Logistics and supply facilities for the Army were being expanded across Canada, and Cobourg was chosen as a site for a new supply depot. The choice of Cobourg for a location was partly due to its proximity to major rail lines. Land was purchased in 1951 and construction proceeded on several buildings over the next two years. In 1954, the headquarters of No. 26 Ordnance Depot of the

Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps The Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps (RCOC; french: Corps royal canadien des munitions, ''CRCM'') was an administrative corps of the Canadian Army. The Royal Canadian Ordnance Corps RCOC can trace its roots back to the Canadian Stores Department. ...

was relocated from

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

to Cobourg. The base existed mainly to provide supplies to other military facilities, but also included the Canadian Army's only respirator assembly plant and a detachment of No. 22 Works Company of the

Royal Canadian Engineers The Canadian Military Engineers (CME; french: links=no, Génie militaire canadien) is the military engineering personnel branch of the Canadian Armed Forces. The members of the branch that wear army uniform comprise the Corps of Royal Canadian Engi ...

. When the three arms of the Canadian military were integrated to create the

Canadian Forces } The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; french: Forces armées canadiennes, ''FAC'') are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air elements referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army, and Royal Canadian Ai ...

, No. 26 COD became No. 26 Canadian Forces Supply Depot and the base was renamed Canadian Forces Base Cobourg (CFB Cobourg) in 1966. However, as Cobourg didn't house two or more major units, it didn't qualify as a "base" under Canadian Forces' criteria and was renamed Canadian Forces Station Cobourg a short time later. In 1969, the Canadian Forces supply system was reorganized and CFS Cobourg was identified as surplus. The supply duties of the base were assumed by depots at

CFB Downsview Canadian Forces Base Toronto (also CFB Toronto) is a former Canadian Forces base in Toronto, Ontario. The airfield is currently operated as Toronto / Downsview Airport. RCAF Station Downsview The Downsview Lands were part of an extensive land ...

in the

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

area and at the Longue Point site of CFB Montreal; the station was closed and decommissioned on August 31, 1970. The depot was sold to the government of Ontario, which converted it to an industrial park, and later sold it to the Town of Cobourg.

Sources

Cobourg: Early Days and Modern Times. Cobourg, ON: Cobourg Book Committee, 1981. . Ozorak, Paul. ''Abandoned Military Installations of Canada: Volume I: Ontario''. 1991. . {{coord, 43.974, N, 78.164, W, display=title

Cobourg