Men who joined the merchant navy during the war contributed enormously to the war effort and did so under danger on each crossing, bringing their cargo to Britain that kept the Allied forces going.
Yet it took decades for veterans of the merchant navy to be treated equally to their counterparts.
Women served extensively during the war in support and medical capacities. They tended to form post-war associations on their own.
Veterans formed Royal Legion halls, which are still around today. It was a place they could come to, share stories, and be with those who understood what it had been like.
Elaine Goble is a Canadian artist who in the last quarter century has done an extraordinary series of portraits of veterans, and whose collection is part of the War Museum collection. Two replicas hang here as part of the exhibit. Remembrance Day 2000 is an early work in that series, depicting Kenneth Edwards.
Normandy Warrior is a powerful painting of Cree veteran Philip Favel, done in 2020.
The words of veterans speak volumes.
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