Posts Tagged WWII

Photo Credit: Laura Waldie

I was emailed today with what I thought was a neat question. Derek from St. John’s asked me “What building is in your gravatar? It looks quite old.” It is an old building actually. Well, old by Canadian standards I suppose. It is the Black Swan Guesthouse on Peasholme Green in York, England. It was built in 1417 for William Bowes who became Lord Mayor of York that same year. The Bowes went on to make quite a name for themselves as a family of goldsmiths to the Tudor Kings and Queens and William’s son Martin became Lord Mayor of London. Martin was also an advid heritage conservationist! He intervened in the proposed demolition of several medieval churches in York, including St. Cuthbert’s and the York Rectory, by arguing that these buildings were still in great shape and were links to the City’s historic past and should be saved. He then went on to restore the Church so it could be passed down to us in good condition today. But the real reason I use this building pictured above as my gravatar is its Canadian connections…. (more…)

Photo Credit: North Vancouver Museum Association

Much has been made in recent years about the war effort on the home front in Canada from 1939 to 1945. Stories are now emerging about war bond fundraising efforts on the Prairies, Ontario hospitals training new nurses to specifically serve overseas and a number of “Rosie the Riveter” type recollections in the ammunitions factories all across Canada. With the 100^th anniversary of the Canadian Navy having occurred in 2010, other home front stories are now getting more attention. Canadian men and women worked side by side during the war years to build naval destroyers, corvettes, and supply ships. One such place that churned out a large number of those supply ships was the Burrard Dry Dock in North Vancouver, British Columbia.  (more…)

Photo Credit: Laura Waldie

For those of you in the Cambridge region who are just mad about military history, you’ll want to check out this event on Oct 30th. The Colonel J. A. McIntosh Armoury in Cambridge, which is home to the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada, will be holding their annual open house this Saturday, October 30th from 10am to 5pm. The event is free for everyone. The military museum on site will be open for you to browse through and you will be treated to displays of costumes, modern warfare equipment, historical artifacts and other little treats. I’m told that kids just love this event as there is a section for them to play a few games and dress-up with kid-sized uniforms. They will also, no doubt, get a kick out of the folks dressed in War of 1812 costumes as they recreate some battle scenes.

This event is quite a popular one and is well attended each year. So if you love military history, or if you are curious about how the current military operates, please check out the Armoury this weekend. Staff will be on hand to answer your questions and they look forward to seeing you there.

You can find the Armoury at 1 Valour Place, which is just off Ainslie Street in downtown Cambridge. For a brief history of the Armoury as well as the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada, please check out my previous post here.

Photo Credit: Laura Waldie

Canada’s military has quite a distinguished history. From victory in the War of 1812 to its participation in Afghanistan, Canada has earned some hefty and significant battle honours. Canadians shocked the South Africans in the Boer War with their courage, were feared by the Germans in the Great War for their strength and ability to adapt to extreme conditions and earned the respect of many nations for its peacekeeping efforts in the Cold War. For its mere population compared to the powerhouse nations of the United States and Britain, Canada’s valour is quite extraordinary. Citizens of Cambridge and the surrounding areas had a chance to explore a local piece of that military history when the Royal Highland Fusiliers of Canada opened their doors during this past weekend’s Doors Open event for the Waterloo Region. (more…)

Andrew Mynarski Memorial Lancaster

Air shows in western Canada are in for a huge treat this month. In fact, nothing like this has been seen in a very long time. The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum’s Mynarski Memorial Lancaster is conducting its most comprehensive western tour in more than 20 years and it will be at an air show near you! (more…)