Different Weather At The NAC Work Site

I have been regularly keeping track of the work going on at the National Arts Centre, where a glass enclosure is being built around much of the structure, scheduled to be complete in time for Canada Day in a few months. The NAC remains open in the meantime for performances. You can see the last post here.

I took this first shot a few days ago, coming across the Mackenzie King Bridge after visiting a site that I'll be showing you in a few days. Snow was falling over the city, casting a gloomy feel across the NAC, the Canal, and Parliament Hill. You can also see that the skate shelters have been lowered onto the Canal's side for the winter.

A couple of days later I went around the north side of the NAC, along the Canal and over Plaza Bridge for some shots of the structure. The framing for the enclosure appears to be finished, and the crews are starting to add glass to what will be a primary entrance.

This final shot from the Mackenzie King Bridge that day strikes quite a difference from the weather in the first shot.

Parting Ways With The War Museum

Leaving Lebreton Gallery, the pathway heads up towards the main lobby of the museum. The walls above are adorned with large paintings and fuselage art.

This is a different take of the museum, taken from the west side, along the river pathway. The sun was setting over the Ottawa River.

I stopped at the War Memorial to take in the multitude of wreaths and the poppies on the Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier. The next day I returned to photograph again. The wreath placed by the Children's Choir is side by side with one honouring a fallen soldier of the First World War, a private named Thomas Walker, who died on April 9th, 1917, a casualty of the the first day of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. He was seventeen years old.

Regeneration Hall And The Gallery

Walter Allward's half scale sculptures fill Regeneration Hall in a dramatic way. They were the prototypes for his finished work that adorn the Vimy Ridge Memorial in France, where many Canadians fell taking the ridge during World War One.

Moving beyond takes us into Lebreton Gallery, which is filled with military equipment down through time and from multiple nations, with a particular emphasis on the two World Wars.

Cold War And Peacekeeping

After leaving the Second World War behind, the War Museum moves into the Cold War to present day area, examining the Cold War, peacekeeping, and the Korean War along the way. There are a series of paintings here by the Canadian war artist Ted Zuber, depicting the Korean conflict. Here are three of them.

This area features equipment from both NATO and Warsaw Pact countries throughout, and peacekeeping gear and art as well.

Emerging from the main exhibit area takes us down to Regeneration Hall, the portion of the museum beneath the large protuding spike you can see from the outside. The Vimy Ridge Memorial sculptures used by Walter Allward during his time designing the memorial are placed down below, and the window from this angle provides a direct view towards Parliament Hill. Check out this video I took for the sound of the recorded wind you hear in this space. 

The Footsteps Of History

The War Museum's Second World War area moves into the Italian campaign, and this reproduction of the original painting is displayed on one of the walls. William Ogilvie painted Mountain Stronghold, Hill 736, which depicts Canadian soldiers during the push through Sicily.

This uniform display is one for the Devil's Brigade, the special operations force consisting of American and Canadian soldiers who fought in the European theatre through the war.

This was used by the Germans during the campaign, a StuG III.

Moving on takes us into the D-Day campaign, with two models of Canadian ships that took part on that day, the destroyer H.M.C.S. Athabaskan and the minesweeper H.M.C.S. Caraquet.

The Normandy campaign is extensive here, with panels and equipment on hand.

Among the D-Day section is the terrace that looks out onto Lebreton Gallery below, which we'll see more of later on.

This panel about the Great Escape caught my eye as I went on through the Second World War area, as did the Jeep.

This portion of the museum ends with the end of the war, in both theatres of war. That includes the liberation of the Netherlands, done largely by Canadian troops. The exhibits here include a pen used during the surrender by the German command.