Ajax Veterans Street Dedication: Bayly Street
Description
- Media Type
- Image
- Description
- Street Name: Bayly Street
Origin of Name: Benjamin de Forest ‘Pat’ Bayly, OBE
First Mayor of Ajax
June 20, 1903-Mar. 1994
Benjamin de Forest ‘Pat’ Bayly was born on June 20, 1903 in London, Ontario to parents Dr. Benjamin Moore Bayly and Alice de Foret (Seaborn) Bayly. By 1906 the family had moved to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and it was there that Pat developed his interest in radio. He was a member of the Moose Jaw Amateur Radio Association and by 1922 operated his own station. This love of radio followed him to his career with the Canadian Army during World War Two.
In 1923, at the age of 20, Pat graduated from the University of Saskatchewan, Faculty of Law. He soon decided that a career in law was not for him, and he enrolled in Electrical Engineering at the University of Toronto. In order to support himself during school he played piano in movie theatres. He graduated in 1930 and immediately became a Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University. He married Margaret Grant on May 19, 1932 and continued to teach at the University of Toronto. Pat worked there until 1940 when he left to serve the Canadian military during World War Two.
During World War Two, Bayly had been recruited by William Stephenson’s British Security Coordination to help with transatlantic communications. The centre for communications in Canada was at Camp X in Whitby, where Bayly was assistant director, with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. While there he invented a faster encryption device known as Rockex or Telekrypton, a one-time tape cipher machine.
For his work during the War, the British government awarded Benjamin de Forest Bayly with the OBE. The Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is the second highest ranking Order of the British Empire award.
Upon completion of his work with the British Security Coordination, Bayly continued his career with the University of Toronto Engineering Department. He also opened Bayly Engineering in Oshawa and employed several men from Camp X. In 1948, he moved the company to Hunt Street, in what would become the town of Ajax, to make use of the many vacant Defence Industries Limited buildings and other amenities. Always active in the improvement of the new district and budding town, he was eventually elected as the first Mayor on December 11, 1954.
Pat Bayly is remembered for his strength of character, his leadership and his vision. He played an integral role in the building of the Town of Ajax as a major founder and successful business man. Retiring in 1969, he and his wife moved to Solona Beach, San Diego, California.
To honour Pat Bayly and his contribution to the Town of Ajax, the first major east/west Street was named Bayly Street. In 2003 the Town designated his home at 58 Kings Crescent as a Heritage Site under the Ontario Heritage Act, to recognize Pat as the first Mayor.
Benjamin de Forest ‘Pat’ Bayly died in March 1994 at the age of 90 in California.
Sources: Parish, William A., The Unknown Canadian, Ajax, 2010 and Irish, William, Canadians: A Narration of Events, 2014
- Geographic Coverage
-
-
Ontario, Canada
Latitude: 43.8408192226319 Longitude: -79.0325795925903
-
- Copyright Statement
- Copyright status unknown. Responsibility for determining the copyright status and any use rests exclusively with the user.
- Location of Original
- Original document and image located in the Ajax Archives.
- Contact
- Ajax Public LibraryEmail:libraryinfo@ajaxlibrary.ca
Website:
Agency street/mail address:55 Harwood Avenue S.
Ajax, Ontario
L1S 2H8
