Fighter-Interceptor

 A reminder to members of City Daily Photo that the theme for April 1st is Entertainment. 

This is an emergency van, used as a mobile canteen in Britain, both for civilians affected by air raids and for Allied servicemen during World War Two.

The Voodoo fighter-interceptor jet is mounted above Lebreton Gallery. A standard for the Canadian military during the Cold War, it dominates the space.

Kurt is the name of a weather station that was installed in northern Labrador during World War Two, dropped off by Germans from a u-boat. It functioned for a short time before going offline, and was forgotten for decades until a German researcher going through naval records found mention of it. It was recovered and now resides here.

These memorial plaques are from the flagship location of the old Eaton's retail store chain. They commemorate staff members who died in both World Wars.

Two dioramas of the same general location are found close by. Passchendaele was the name of a ferocious battle of the First World War, won by Canadians at great cost. This depicts a German bunker cutaway; at right, a Canadian soldier is about to throw a grenade at the doorway. Sergeant Tommy Holmes is the man who won the Victoria Cross on the 26th of October, 1917, for what he did at Passchendaele.

The other diorama shows a much larger section of the battlefield, and thus the soldiers are much smaller. But they are seen on either side of the river flowing down off the ridge through the ruined landscape. Arthur Currie, the commanding general, set forth a methodical plan to take the ridge section by section. Against all odds, Canadian soldiers did it.

The Voodoo looms overhead. It is an impressive jet.

Heavy Weapons

 Continuing on with more of what we've been looking at in the Lebreton Gallery, with military vehicles.

The Lynx was a standard reconnaissance vehicle for Canadians during the Second World War.

Motorbikes were also in use during that period.

The Mobile Tactical Vehicle Engineer is more recent, specialized for engineers but based on the standard M113 armoured personnel carrier.

Across the way, a contemporary tank with an addition. The Leopard saw service during the Afghan War. This one is fitted at the front with a mine clearing roller system.

This is the ADATS- the Air Defense Anti-Tank System, which started being used during the Cold War.

We leave off here today.

In The Gallery

 I begin where I left off yesterday, with one more look at Walter Allward's extraordinary plaster cast versions for his work on the Vimy Memorial.

The next space is the Lebreton Gallery, home to a multitude of military vehicles and equipment from around the world and multiple eras. We begin with the Nyala Armoured Personnel Carrier, used in the Afghan War

Here we have the F15A Wireless Truck, a mobile communication center of the Second World War.

Side by side, two Canadian vehicles. The AA7 Cargo Carrier was designed for winter conditions and Arctic travel. The Water Weasel at right originates from the Second World War.

This is the M113 Combat Engineering Vehicle.

A mobile office in a trailer- this particular one was used by Canadian Lieutenant-General Harry Crerar during the Second World War.

And here we have the staff car of Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexander during campaigns in North Africa and Italy. After the war, he would be the governor-general of Canada.

Regeneration

 Raymond Moriyama was the architect who designed the Canadian War Museum, when it came time for a new location and a large expansion from its previous location. He and his family were also tied to history- they were among 22 000 Japanese-Canadians interned during World War Two. That background informs the design of the building, which very much suits the subject. There are two focal points in the building's architecture that Moriyama put into the design, one of which I photographed on this visit.

The axis of the Museum is centered with this space- Regeneration Hall. The long tall window is positioned with a direct view of Parliament Hill, a deliberate choice by Moriyama. When the building was under construction, he noted the sound of wind blowing through this space, and had it recorded. It is a haunting sound, played back in this area. Listen to it right here.

Down below are half-scale plaster casts, done by Walter Allward. He designed and led the construction of the Vimy Memorial in France, where Canadian soldiers fought a bloody battle during the First World War, doing what other allied forces could not do and capturing Vimy Ridge. France set aside the land after the war for a memorial to the men who had done so much, and all Canadian dead of that war. Allward in his design went for allegorical figures, with a tone of grief and sorrow, which are incorporated into the Memorial.

This is a model of the Memorial.

They evoke power and sadness.

This painting is of the unveiling of the Memorial. Georges Bertin Scott painted the work, which features the official party, led by Edward VIII, moving off after the ceremony.

We'll pick up here tomorrow