Friday, February 4, 2022

Artifacts In The Lebreton Gallery

Departing Regeneration Hall as seen in yesterday's post takes us into the final exhibition space of the Museum. Lebreton Gallery contains vehicles, equipment, and artifacts of multiple wars across time, and from multiple countries. Two large memorial plaques are found here, one for each of the World Wars. These were in the Toronto flagship store for the Eaton's department store company for many years, memorializing company employees who fought and died in those wars. Now the War Museum is their home. 


The vehicles range from trucks to tanks to planes and even naval equipment. I find this area particularly fascinating.


There is a model set up near the memorial plaques, and this is one detail of it. A German pillbox at Passchendaele has a cutaway roof to reveal the soldiers inside. A close look at one of the mudholes to the right will reveal a lone figure- a Canadian soldier about to throw a grenade. Sergeant Tommy Holmes won the Victoria Cross for his actions on October 26th, 1917.


This looks like a tank, but it's not. This is a mobile Howitzer. Most of the vehicles in the Gallery include panels explaining their technical specifications and histories.


What dominates the Gallery is a mounted interceptor jet. The CF-101F Voodoo was the standard RCAF fighter for twenty years.

32 comments:

  1. What a strange name for that, Voodooo.

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  2. Quite the exhibit, especially with all the vehicles.

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  3. I am old enough to remember when a trip to the old Eaton's store downtown was an event.

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  4. Nice exhibit, I like the memorial plaques.
    Have a happy day!

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  5. ...an act of valor is a noble thing.

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  6. I can't comment, it's not very female as subject, lol !

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  7. The Easton’s connection is unexpected and interesting.

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  8. Eaton’s employed a lot of people back in the day.

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  9. Sad there are so many names on the plaques. The tan truck is nice. The jet speak amazing power.
    Well done photographs

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  10. I remember when those plaques were in Eaton's.

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  11. @Iris: an odd name.

    @Gemel: definitely.

    @Francisco: thanks.

    @David: and now a memory.

    @Eileen: thank you.

    @Tom: it is indeed.

    @Gattina: that's one way to look at things.

    @anvilcloud: I think so.

    @Marie: they did.

    @Maywyn: I agree.

    @RedPat: at some point I must have seen them.

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  12. I'm getting the impression that this is a very large museum.

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  13. All kinds of vehicles were invented. makes for an interesting view.

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  14. Though war is destructive, these exhibits can be interesting. Have a wonderful weekend.

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  15. That is quite the exhibit ~ enjoy the weekend ~

    Wishing you joy in your days,

    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  16. Buenos vehículos, en esa determinada época.

    Felíz fin de semana.

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  17. @Sharon: it is.

    @Red: it does.

    @Nancy: thanks.

    @Bill: I think so.

    @Carol: thank you.

    @Ventana: thanks.

    @Jeanie: they are.

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  18. Absolutely fascinating, William. I find places like this compelling, but also profoundly sad.

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  19. Fascinating indeed specially the mobile Howitzer!

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  20. That's a nice collection.
    At the Leeuwarden military airbase not far from us, work is underway to make an original F100 D fighter plane show-ready for our national war museum.

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  21. I'm interested in the wooden plaque, does it have names on it in memorium of those who fought?

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    1. It's bronze. I'll have to take a look at it next time I'm in and see if it's both the dead and those who served. I suspect the former.

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  22. I like the memorial plaques.

    All the best Jan

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