Saturday, October 9, 2021

Canada Goes To War

The path up to the last of the three galleries of the Canadian History Hall winds up a long ramp around the central hall. A physical map of the country is laid out on the floor.


A stamp of Canada in the heart of the British empire from the close of the 19th century is found here, greatly enlarged.


With an image of Queen Victoria in the background, a bust of Wilfred Laurier, the Liberal Prime Minister from 1896-1911 is placed.


As part of the British empire, Canada was automatically committed to war when the First World War broke out.


Haunted eyes: Canadian soldiers of the era look back at us through time.


A Lee-Enfeld rifle is displayed beside the uniform jacket of Sergeant Alexander Reid, a Canadian soldier decorated on multiple occasions for his actions and courage under fire.


I leave off today with a different kind of photograph of soldiers. These are Canadian troops in a celebratory mood, and for good reason. The photo was taken after their victory at the Battle of Vimy Ridge, where they did the impossible and defeated the Germans who had held onto that place against multiple previous attacks by Allied forces. 

34 comments:

  1. Nice note to end on. But world War One in particular was a meat grinder.

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  2. That´s a shocking photo with the soldiers.

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  3. Hello,
    It is a wonderful museum. I love maps of any kind. It is good to see the soldiers in a happy mood, celebrating their victory. Have a happy weekend!

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  4. Thank goodness we are no longer committed to war by another country, although Super Hawk Harper would gladly have ceded that right to the US.

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  5. So great to see the joy in the final photo. They lived through hell to get there though.

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  6. @Cloudia: yes it was.

    @Italiafinlandia: me too.

    @Iris: they'd seen a lot.

    @Eileen: it certainly is.

    @David: he would have.

    @Anvilcloud: they did.

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  7. Thanks for ending with that celebratory photo. And good for them for prevailing.

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  8. The jacket looks so fragile but it did a good job by the sound of it.

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  9. I never like war even though I have been in one. It is only the soldiers and their family that suffer the most.

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  10. That map on the floor would be fun to examine.

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  11. A happy day for those soldiers in the last photo.

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  12. La última foto refleja la alegría de la finalización de una guerra, que trajo consigo demasiadas muertes.

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  13. The title sounds bizarre to me. I don't think of you Canadians as very warlike, which is strange considering how close you are to us. Hm...um...maybe I shouldn't have said that, but we do a lot of warring,

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  14. Those exuberant soldiers in the photo are beautiful.

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  15. @Tom: so it seems.

    @DJan: it was an incredible moment in our history.

    @Marie: I wonder what he would think of his jacket being in a museum.

    @RedPat: that it was.

    @Nancy: that is true.

    @Sharon: I think so.

    @Bill: it was.

    @Ventana: thanks.

    @Sandi: when we've gone to war, we have fought well.

    @Jan: I agree.

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  16. War against nations must end. War against children. War against women and blacks.

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  17. I like spiraling ramps in galleries, a nice way to see art. Fun that the map is on the floor.

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  18. I'm just reading a book about a character in a POW camp. She was a pilot.

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  19. That's an interesting artistic stamp.

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  20. Many thanks for sharinh the hstory of Canada. It is very interesting

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  21. Great history display and yes Victory is sweet ~ a bit bittersweet at times ~ someone has to lose ~

    Living in the moment,

    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  22. The Canadian role in WWI was really significant. What a wretched war. But then, all are.

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