Low Point

 

Port War Signal Station

 

Low Point, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

 


 

 

During the Second World War, the Port War Signal Station for Sydney, NS was located by the Low Point (also known as Flat Point) Lighthouse, New Victoria, Cape Breton, NS. The lighthouse marked the eastern entrance to Sydney Harbour.  PWSS Low Point worked in conjunction with Stubbert's Point Battery - a coastal gun battery overlooking the entrance to Sydney Harbour.

 

During the First World War, the PWSS was located in the Low Point Lighthouse.

 


 

Port War Signal Stations and War Watching Stations during the Second World War

 

The identification and control of naval and merchant ships entering a defended port were effected through a port war signal station and an examination service. The port war signal station, established at all important defended ports likely to be used by warships, was situated on shore some distance from the inner harbour and where it commanded a full view of the approaches. It was a signal station, and was responsible for identifying and controlling all major warships requesting entrance. War watching stations were sometimes placed farther along the coast to give added vision to the port war signal station. Whenever possible defended ports were notified. of the intended arrival of warships by one or more of the following means:. by signal from the port of departure, by wireless message from the ship itself in circumstances where it was safe to transmit, or by visual signal. from the ship to a coastal war watching station and then by land-line to, the port. When a warship arrived within sight of a harbour the port war signal station challenged it by visual signal, and upon receiving the proper identification signal in return, notified the responsible port defence officers that the ship was friendly. Upon hearing from them that the minefield had been put to safe, that all batteries had been informed, and that the boom gate was in readiness to open, the port war signal station gave permission for the ship to enter.

 


 

JW02

JW03

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JW05

(JW02) Port War Signal Station, Low Point, Sydney, NS

(JW03)  Sig James Wilson - Port War Signal Station, Low Point, Sydney, NS Jan-Feb Jan 1940

(JW04) Sig James Wilson in his Sunday best - Port War Signal Station Low Point, Sydney, NS

(JW05) Sig James Wilson (Wolf of the Atlantic) - Port War Signal Station, Low Point, Sydney, NS

From the collection of James Alexander Wilson, Chief Yeoman of Signals, RCNVR

 


 

LPT01

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(LPT11) Sig James Wilson, 1st on right

(LPT13) A seal, which is wearing a sailor's cap, resting at the foot of the flag pole at Low Point - back of photo

 

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Fred

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(LPT17) George Sibley, Ed Wells, Doug Deruchie, Fred

(LPT18) Fred

 

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Garnet Register

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(LPT24) Garnet Register

(LPT25) Fred (left)

 

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(LPT26-LPT29) believed to be accommodations at PWSS Low Point

(LPT28) unknown sailor - triple exposed photo

(LPT29) Unknown sailors - double exposed photo

 

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(LPT30-LPT33) A few deer along the shoreline area of Low Point

 

 

LPT34

 

(LPT34) Believed to be in the Low Point area

 

Courtesy of the Naval Museum of Manitoba at HMCS CHIPPAWA

 


 

 

 

Ukn01

 

 

(Unk01) Unknown sailor at an unknown location

 

This unknown sailor is in the Low Point photos - his cap tally in the other photo says RCNVR WINNIPEG

 

Courtesy of the Naval Museum of Manitoba at HMCS CHIPPAWA

 


 

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