Saturday, December 3, 2022

War At Home, Hell Upon The Front

Family portraits from the time of the First World War are gathered together, adding to the poignant tone of this part of the Museum.


The 1917 federal election was the most bitterly fought election in the country's history, with the question of conscription at its heart. Prime Minister Robert Borden and Liberal leader Wilfred Laurier, a former PM in the twilight of his life, represented different world views on the matter.


This collage of newspaper pages of the time does catch the eye.


There is war art here as well, such as Land Girls Hoeing, by Manly Macdonald.


A large painting nearby is by one of Canada's greatest artists. Arthur Lismer of the Group of Seven was a commissioned war artist at the time, and the painting is Convoy In Bedford Basin. This is the setting of the Halifax Explosion in late 1917, with the collision of two ships in the harbour, one carrying explosives. This resulted in the worst non-nuclear explosion in history.


Medals related to the explosion are at right. A fragment of one of the ships, blown several kilometres inland, testifies to the violence of the explosion.


On the front, there is no more fitting example of hell on earth during that war than the Battle of Passchendaele, a bloody victory by Canadian soldiers in 1917.


A recreation you can walk among is here, with large photography on the wall, and equipment and even a body reproduced in the mud and water.


Two Canadians of the same rank fought with valour at Passchendaele, and their story is detailed here, with only one of them surviving.

42 comments:

  1. War is heartbreaking for so many families.

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  2. Wars are hell to those who have lived through wars and have their families badly affected. The scars of wars will live on for many years.

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  3. It really brings home the truth, doesn't it? Meanwhile, Russia tries to turn Ukraine into a mudbath filled with rubble. So sad.

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  4. ...war is such a messy thing.

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  5. Hay muchas formas de entender la política y cada grupo piensa que ellos tienen la razón.
    Feliz fin de semana.

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  6. The paintings are wonderful. I like the family portraits and the girls hoeing. Have a great weekend.

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  7. Replies
    1. They reinforce that there are still bodies buried deep into the earth.

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  8. This really shows the horrors of war.

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  9. Those family portraits from so long ago are a great addition to this collection.

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  10. This is fascinating and heartbreaking. And now, it's beginning to happen again with Ukraine.

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  11. Trench warfare is indeed hell. And such scenes are unfortunately playing out again in Europe at the moment.

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  12. Why do humans continue fighting, there are plenty of worthwhile things to do. There are no answers to the same old questions.

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    1. That war, an entire generation wiped out or forever marked by it.

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  13. We never learn do we? Excellent photography William. The exhibits you share with us are so very important.

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  14. The dead soldier in the display is giving me goose bumps

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  15. Those family portraits from the time of the First World War are very poignant.

    All the best Jan

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  16. Vivid exhibit, reading the newspapers is eerie. What people endured through those years is frightening.

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  17. Such sad losses. Excellent details.

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  18. So many times in recent years, war has felt remote -- somewhere else. Seeing the war at home really brings into focus the impact it has on daily life.

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