Defence Industries Limited Pickering Works

Defence Industries Limited (DIL) Pickering Works was a munitions plant owned by the Government of Canada and operated by DIL during 1941–1945, in the Pickering Township of Ontario. The unincorporated community that developed around the plant was named Ajax in honour of the British warship Ajax, and evolved into the town of Ajax, Ontario.

At its peak, the plant had 9000 workers (the majority of them women), and produced over 40 million rounds of shells. The plant premises and the surrounding area had several town-like facilities such as residences for DIL employees, a post office, a fire department, a hotel, recreation centres, a grocery store, a school, a church, and local transit.