Camp-X Tours
Camp-X Surplus is Amazingly Located on The Former Grounds of Camp-X!
Come to our store and discover authentic militaria from Camp-X operations, as well as joining one of our many tours of the Camp-X Grounds run by FRC or engage in our self guided tours using our comprehensive brochure.
It all begins at Camp-X Surplus!
Camp-X was a training school for covert agents and a radio communications centre that operated close to Whitby, Ontario, during the Second World War. It was the first such purpose-built facility constructed in North America. Known officially as STS (Special Training School) 103, Camp X was one of several dozen around the world that served the needs of the Special Operations.
The origins of Camp X lay in the British drive to maximize support for the war effort from the United States, which was neutral at the time. William “Wild Bill” Donovan, appointed in July 1941 as US President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Co-ordinator of Information, was keen to develop a cadre of secret agents.
Camp X was designed to help. William Stephenson (now widely known as Intrepid — although this was never in fact his code name, merely a telegraphic address he used after the war) was the principal facilitator of the project.
The code name ‘Hydra’ was given to the wireless installation because it was like the “mythical beast of the same name, a ‘many headed’, triple diversity creature” which would communicate continuously during the war years with England’s Aspidistra.
the building that would house Hydra was the most mysterious looking building at the Camp. A four-sided structure, with windows all around, but placed seven feet above the ground for obvious reasons of secrecy.
Many women who were recruited to work at Camp X worked in the communications room.
Evelyn Davis (nee Jamieson) worked as a communications officer at Camp X. She was born in 1923 on a farm just north of Cobourg. She was stationed at Camp X from 1944-1946. While working at Camp X, Evelyn met her husband, Lee Davis, who worked as a radio operator.
Located on the shore of Lake Ontario, the memorial to Camp X at Intrepid Park is dedicated to the men and women who were employed at the British Security Coordination spy training school and communications centre located here during the Second World War.
The memorial was erected in 1984. Over 500 special agents were trained here to go behind enemy lines.
Today, while no buildings remain, you can still visit and evoke this fascinating history.
Get To Know Your Guide
Rich Prince Peart, CEO of OOCAMPXFRC is a leading historian on Camp-X.
With a wealth of knowledge on the grounds and events that went on during WWII, Your tour will feel like you are reliving history as you follow in the footsteps of Canadian spies during WWII.
Start your tour at Camp-X Surplus!
Sign up for a fully guidied interactive tour or drop by the shop, pick up a brochure and head out on your own for a free self-guided adventure through the exiting history of Camp-x!
So much to see and even more to experience!
Call for more info on Camp-X and our exclusive tours of the area!
905-721-2500