In 1941, the Canadian Government established here a shell-filling plant operated by Defence Industries Limited. At peak production, over 9,000 persons from across Canada lived and worked on this site. The community was named for H.M.S. Ajax, the British cruiser that, with H.M.S. Exeter and H.M.S. Achilles, defeated the German pocket battleship "Graf Spree" in December 1939 at the Battle of the River Plate. After the Second World War, Ajax became a temporary campus of the University of Toronto for thousands of returning veterans. Under the administration of Central Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the community grew and industries were attracted. It became an Improvement District in 1950, and an incorporated town in 1954.

Location

At the municipal building, 65 Harwood Avenue South, Ajax

Themes

• Communities
• War and conflict