Poignant Reminders

The War Museum houses a large collection of art. Some of the artists use the horrors of war as their subject. Others deal with the life of a soldier during downtime. And others depict armies simply on the move, or navies, as the case is in this first picture, which depicts Canadian ships en route to Europe at the outset of World War One. Still other art can be found in a selection of airplane fuselages painted with various images, some of which would have made a pilot's mother blush and wag her finger at her son.

This second one, beyond the artillery, depicts a moment at the Second Battle of Ypres, in Belgium, in 1915, the first time the Germans used poison gas on a large scale against Allied forces. The cannon itself, as mentioned on an accompanying panel, was typical of the technology of the time.

A portion of the World War One section deals with propaganda of the time. Examples are given, such as the death of British nurse Edith Cavell and the response to the sinking of the Lusitania; this part of the museum explores how propaganda played a role in carrying on the war. This sculpture below is drawn out of one such example. There's a story that could never be proven that a Canadian soldier was crucified on a barn door by Germans. The artist sculpted this as a response. Whether or not it's mere rumor, the sculpture itself is harrowing. By the way, that's me reflected in the glass.

One of the most poignant spots in the museum is one that I stop at each time I visit. There's a large wall in the midst of this section filled with items from the soldier's life in the trenches, common every day objects. These two artifacts belonged to a soldier who died on the Western Front. The bear was a gift from his daughter that he carried with him. The letter was from his son. Both were returned to his widow and children after his death, and the family donated them to the museum. It is a reminder, I think, that every soldier has loved ones back home, waiting for them, and the human cost of a soldier's death.

The Guns Of War

The American Revolution certainly had its influence on what was to become Canada. Loyalists came up from the former colonies after the war into what had remained British North America, starting a new life. Yet during the war itself, Canada was a battleground for Continental forces. Quebec City was under siege, part of a campaign by American officers to take the city and the St. Lawrence in 1775. Richard Montgomery, one of the rebel commanders, was killed during the battle. You may have heard of one of the other rebel generals, a temperamental fellow named Benedict Arnold.

Below is a model of a street scene in Quebec City during the campaign, with British regulars, local militia, and American troops engaged in battle.

Weapons are displayed throughout the museum as we travel forward through time. In this portion of the museum, focusing on the Revolution and the War of  1812, these muskets, pistols, swords, and other items are safely behind glass, a display of the technology of the time.

This is one of the key items in the museum's collection. British General Isaac Brock was killed leading forces at the pivotal Battle of Queenston Heights during the War of 1812. This is his uniform jacket. If you look closely, you can see a black hole on the chest, right below the downturned collar. That's where the fatal shot struck him.

Moving forward to the end of the 19th Century, we have this cannon, an artillery piece from the South African War, in which Canadian troops went overseas alongside the British, fighting Boer forces in a place far from home. 

Into The Museum

The idea of a Canadian War Museum goes all the way back to the late 19th century, and for many years, the collection was housed in a building downtown. I'll show you that place sometime, but there came a point when the need for more space became pressing, and the new museum was erected to the west of the downtown core, in the area called Lebreton Flats, opening in 2005.

Every once in awhile, architects get the job done right. In this case, the building is designed with the subject clearly in mind. From a distance, it looks like a bunker or an airplane, depending on the eye of the beholder. Its roof holds a field of poppies and commanding views of the surroundings. And its interior houses a collection of military art, artifacts, vehicles, and much more, while telling the story of Canada in warfare in the context of world history. It is a stark and solemn place, as it must be.

The triangular spike you see above is Regeneration Hall, one of two fundamental aspects of the building (it has a direct view towards the Peace Tower). I'll have to go back in there sometime, because my mobile memory card ran out of space before I got there, and there are things in that hall I want you to see. It lines up with the other core element in the building: Memorial Hall. Behind the glass wall is Lebreton Gallery, which you'll see something of in future posts.

Memorial Hall is a deceptively simple room, but it is in fact the heart of the museum. The walls remind one of the gravestones of soldiers, a common theme in the museum, where corridors are often at sharp, harsh angles, with stone rectangular panels mimicking tombstones. There is but one artifact in the room, lit by a window from above and soft interior lights. Unfortunately the pic I took of it didn't turn out well (curses!). It is the original gravestone of the man whose body now rests in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The entire museum is built with this room in mind. The architect designed the museum so that on November 11th, at eleven in the morning, if the sun was shining, it would illuminate the tombstone through the window. I have no idea of the math involved in figuring out how that works. Memorial Hall is a quiet, solemn space, and an ideal place to begin the tour of the museum.

The museum follows the chronological order of history, starting with the first traces of pre-Contact conflicts among First Nations peoples. There are extensive panels, artifacts under glass, and displays in life size, such as this, which depicts the partnerships of Europeans and Native peoples, and the blending of their technologies and ways of life.

I'll leave off for today with this mortar, typical of the artillery used during the French and Indian War. This one was used by the French during the siege of Louisbourg, in Nova Scotia.

The Call Of Duty

Coming down to the War Museum on Remembrance Day, we stopped at the national firefighter's monument. The statue of a firefighter stands high over the onlooker; it's much bigger than the city memorial I showed you a couple of weeks ago.

Nearby stands a wall bearing the names of firefighters across the country who have fallen in the line of duty, either directly on the job, or through illnesses attributed to the profession. On one panel is a firefighter's prayer. It ought to be readable, but just in case...

When I am called to duty, God

Whatever flames may rage, 

Give me strength to save a life, 

Whatever be its age.

Help me embrace a little child

Before it is too late

Or save an older person 

From the horror of that fate

Enable me to be alert

And hear the weakest shout

And quickly and efficiently

Put the fire out

I want to fill my calling

To give the best in me

To guard my every neighbour

And protect their property

And if according to Your will

I must answer death's last call

Bless with Your protecting hand

My family one and all

The names are etched on the stone, a testament to the risk of the calling that is the life of the firefighter.

It's a new monument, but a stark and fitting one. And because the firefighter's profession is dangerous, there is room on the wall for more names- and room for more walls. And there will, sadly, be more names.

Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was placed at the foot of the War Memorial several years ago. The body of a Canadian soldier who fell at the Battle of Vimy Ridge during the First World War was repatriated and placed here. Starting several years ago, the public began a tradition on Remembrance Day to place poppies on the tomb. Thousands of people doing that will take awhile; we headed off to warm up for a bit before coming back to the Memorial.

During the placing of wreaths during the service, aside from the official wreaths placed at front (you saw one of them yesterday), many other wreaths are placed around the sides of the Memorial. They come from veterans groups, government agencies, aboriginal groups, community associations, and ambassadors from the diplomatic community. 

From here, we went off to the War Museum, with one stop across from it. I'll show you why tomorrow.

Acts Of Remembrance

Remembrance Day in Ottawa is marked in many locations, but the heart of it is at the War Memorial, where the national service takes place.

It was a snowy, damp November 11th, but the crowds came out, thousands crowding the area around the Memorial. The traditions are observed as they have since the First World War: the silence at the eleventh hour, the twenty one gun salute, the prayers by various clergy, the Last Post, the fly-by, and the placing of wreaths at the Memorial. It is followed by the march of the veterans and the service branches past the Governor General, representing the Queen.

Veterans march together, decades after the Second World War and Korea. Some are in wheelchairs, some are accompanied by service dogs. Many of them walk on their own, all of them still holding onto that military discipline that never goes away. These are the survivors.

Each year there are fewer vets of those wars of the past, but their presence draws out the applause of the onlookers.

Others follow in their wake, retired military officers and enlisted men, and active duty troops serving today. And even the Mounties.

When I see units from Highlander regiments on a day like this, I find myself wondering how they bear the cold in those kilts.

If Ye Break Faith

Coming into the Memorial Chamber, this carving stands over the entrance, a nod to animals etched into the stone. 

Through the short passage inside, looking up, this is the arch above the entrance within the room

I mentioned last time about inscriptions of poetry carved onto the walls of the room. This is one such example.

While this is another: John McCrae's immortal poem In Flanders Fields.

Higher up on the walls are stained glass windows letting in light below.

It is a solemn space, sacred ground, really. I always feel humbled being here, seeing the names of those men in these display cases.

Hallowed Ground

Today is Remembrance Day in Canada, Veteran's Day and Armistice Day elsewhere; it is the commemoration of the end of the First World War on November 11th, 1918, nearly a century ago now, as well as a day to honour veterans and war dead in many countries around the world. I will be at the services at the War Memorial today, and dropping in at our War Museum as well, so you can expect pics to come. For today and tomorrow, I'll be showing you the interior of the Memorial Chamber in the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill. If you're so inclined, check my writer's blog for a post on the Somme, and a guest post I wrote on the soldier and poet John McCrae. 

When Centre Block was rebuilt, the Peace Tower was erected in memory of the dead of the First World War. The Memorial Chamber was integral to the Tower, a commemoration of the many dead through the War, and is now dedicated to all who have died in military service in our country's history. The room is a quiet, reflective space, with books listing the dead of World War One, World War Two, Korea, the Merchant Navy, and other conflicts and operations before and since those wars. Each of these books are placed in elaborate cases, the pages turned once a day,  for something like the above case, which houses the book listing the Canadian dead of the First World War.

Around the walls of the room, panels are carved with the years of conflicts,  theatres of war, and specific battles. There are other panels that include scripture or poetry carved into the stone.

The books are all under glass, and the names of the past reach out to us across time. They were young men, serving their king and country in some far away place, and they died a long way from home.

This closeup of the book for the Great War, as it was called, vexed me, because I was trying not to get the reflection of a stained glass window above. Actually, it works.

Courtyards

One of my favourite areas in the city is a warren of cobblestone courtyards and old stone (and not so old) buildings in the Byward Market. The courtyards are quiet, home to a number of restaurants and cafes that use outdoor patios in season. It's peaceful to walk through any time of the year, a very pedestrian friendly place. These shots were taken about a month ago.

Illumination

The main branch of the Ottawa Library features this stained glass window, lit from behind by lights as opposed to daylight (there's a hallway beyond that wall). I'll experiment with more takes on this one periodically. As opposed to the church stained glass windows with religious themes, this one has a literary theme, with authors like Shakespeare, Dickens, Tennyson, and Scott represented.

Below is open space surrounded by staircases and balconies for the second and third floors; the floor is ideal for author readings or performance space. While I was there, a quartet of musicians were putting on a performance. Here three of them were playing classical music.