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The Canadian War Museum (CWM) (French: Musée canadien de la guerre) is a national museum on the country's military history in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The museum serves as both an educational facility on Canadian military history and a place of remembrance. The 40,860 square metres (439,800 sq ft) museum building is situated south of the Ottawa River in LeBreton Flats. The museum houses a number of exhibitions and memorials, in addition to a cafeteria, theatre, curatorial and conservation spaces, as well as storage space. The building also houses the Military History Research Centre, the museum's library and archives.

Key Information

The Canadian War Museum was formally established in 1942, although portions of the museum's collections originate from a military museum that operated from 1880 to 1896. The museum was operated by the Public Archives of Canada until 1967, when the National Museums of Canada Corporation was formed to manage several national institutions, including the war museum. In the same year, the war museum was relocated from its original building to the former Public Archives of Canada building. Management of the museum was later assumed by the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation (later renamed the Canadian Museum of History Corporation) in 1990. Plans to expand the museum during the mid-1990s resulted in the construction of a new building at LeBreton Flats. Designed by Moriyama & Teshima Architects and Griffiths Rankin Cook Architects, the new Canadian War Museum building was opened to the public in 2005.

The museum's collection contains more than 500,000 items related to military history, including more than 13,000 works of military art. In addition to its permanent exhibition, the museum has hosted and organized a number of travelling exhibitions relating to Canadian military history.

History

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Cartier Square Drill Hall housed the Cartier Square Military Museum from 1880 to 1896. The military museum served as the predecessor to the Canadian War Museum

Background

[edit]

The collections of the Canadian War Museum originated from the collections of the Cartier Square Military Museum, established through a general order on 5 November 1880.[3] Established with the intention to be a museum of national interest, the institution sought to preserve historical records and materials relating to the Canadian Militia, and any of its colonial predecessors.[4] A proposal to establish a library operated by the museum was made in 1882, although these plans never came to fruition.[5] As the museum continued to solicit donations for its collection the museum quickly outgrew its space in the drill hall, and appeals for a new facility were made by 1886.[5] The museum was closed in 1896, to make room for a new shipment of Lee-Enfield rifles and space training.[5]

The militia office originally intended for the museum to be relocated, storing its collections in an old military warehouse below Parliament Hill (present location of the Bytown Museum).[6] In July 1901, the Department of Militia and Defence negotiated a lease to house the museum in a building in Ottawa.[6] However, little effort was put into reopening the museum, with the department opting to not renew the building's lease in 1905.[6] On 26 January 1907, the Militia Council was informed by Eugène Fiset, the quartermaster-general of the Canadian Militia, that there was "no interest being taken by the officers of the garrison" to reopen the museum, and recommend to not reopening it.[6]

The collection from the Cartier Square Military Museum remained at the warehouse until Dominion Archivist, Arthur Doughty, requested the transference of the items to the archives to display some of them.[7] The militia approved the request, and transferred 105 items to the Dominion Archives between 1910 and 1919; although in doing so, the militia believed the archives had assumed responsibility for establishing any future military museum.[8] By the 1910s, the militia began to redirect potential donors of military artifacts to the Dominion Archives.[7]

These artifacts, in addition to captured German weapons from the First World War, were exhibited for the first time in a travelling exhibition in 1916.[9] In December 1918, the Commission on War Records and Trophies was established to distribute German war trophies and war-related materials to memorials across Canada.[10] However, the Commission retained several pieces at the Dominion Archives with the hope they would eventually be exhibited in a national museum.[10] In 1924, the War Trophy Building was built adjacent to the original Dominion Archives building to house the military collection.[11] In 1935, Doughty struck a deal with General Andrew McNaughton, the Chief of General Staff, for the militia to support the establishment of the museum.[12] A War Trophies Review Board was established between the archives and militia, charged with selecting the best items to preserve for a future museum.[11]

Establishment

[edit]

The Canadian War Museum was formally opened at the War Trophies Building in January 1942; initially operated by the Dominion Archives, and partially funded by the Department of National Defence.[11] In 1958, management of the Canadian War Museum was assumed by the National Museum of Canada (predecessor to the Canadian Museum of History and the Canadian Museum of Nature).[13]

The original Dominion Archives building housed the war museum from 1967 to 2005

The museum relocated to the original Dominion Archives building, adjacent to the War Trophies building in June 1967; after the Public Archives of Canada moved its operations to a new facility.[14] However, the museum continued to use the War Trophies building as a storage facility.[14] In the same year, management of the war museum was assumed by the National Museums of Canada Corporation; a crown corporation which managed several national institutions, including the war museum.[15]

In 1983 the museum relocated its storage facilities from the War Trophies building to Vimy House; with the former building demolished to make way for the National Gallery of Canada's new building.[14] In 1990, the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation (later renamed the Canadian Museum of History Corporation) was formed through The Museum Act, and assumed management of several national museums of Canada, including the war museum.[16]

By the 1990s, the museum's staff had voiced that the space in the building was inadequate, with some areas of the building deemed environmentally hazardous for the exhibition of certain artifacts.[17] In 1991, the government established the Task Force on Military History Museum Collections in Canada, whose final report called for more resources to be given to the museum, referring to its shape in the original Dominion Archives building as "embarrassing," and a "national disgrace."[17] Although the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation invested C$1.7 million for new exhibit designs as a result of the report; funds remained limited for expansion, with the federal government implementing a number of austerity measures during the mid-1990s.[18] A museum supporter's group, the "Friends of the Canadian War Museum" was established in 1995 to assist the museum in fundraising efforts.[18]

Exterior of Vimy House. From 1983 to 2004, items from the museum's collection that were not on display were stored at Vimy House.

Between 1996 and 1997, the museum considered opening a large Holocaust exhibition within the museum.[19] In addition to the exhibition, the architectural expansion plans released in November 1997 included enhanced exhibit spaces, a theatre, and a memorial chamber.[20] However, the proposed exhibit was opposed by Canadian veterans, who felt a sense of neglect by the museum, and believed an exhibition on the Holocaust would further marginalize them; in addition to some historians who believed the museum was an inappropriate space for such an exhibition.[21] Following events commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of the Second World War passed, public debate over the museum's future intensified; with the Senate Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs convening a hearing in February 1998 to determine the future of the exhibition and the museum itself.[22] Following the Senate Subcommittee hearings, the chair of the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation, Adrienne Clarkson announced the museum would abandon its plans for a Holocaust exhibition, although proceed with its plans to expand the museum.[23]

Barney Danson was appointed to the board of trustees and the war museum advisory committee in 1998. This led to an increase in the museum's research capacity and towards the establishment of the Centre of Military History.[21] Danson later secured for the museum the acquisition of property near CFB Rockcliffe.[24]

21st century

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In March 2000, the Government of Canada formally announced plans to build a new museum building at CFB Rockcliffe.[24] However, in 2001, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien intervened to have the proposed location changed to LeBreton Flats, a formerly industrial area of the city.[24][25] LeBreton Flats was initially rejected as a site for the new museum building during the planning stages of the project as the site was contaminated. However, Chrétien proposed to decontaminate the site, with the museum serving as the centrepiece for the area's revitalization efforts.[24][26] In 2001, a design submitted by Moriyama & Teshima Architects and Griffiths Rankin Cook Architects was selected for the design of the new building.[27] Groundbreaking for the new building took place in November 2002, followed by a major decontamination effort of the property by the National Capital Commission.[26]

Construction for the new museum building in May 2004

By 2004 the museum began to move its larger artifacts from its exhibits, as well as its storage facility into the new building.[26] By the end of 2004, the museum closed its storage facility in Vimy House and closed its facility in the original Dominion Archives building in January 2005.[26] The new building was opened on 8 May 2005, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of Victory in Europe day.[26] On the same day the new building was opened to the public, Canada Post issued a 50¢ stamp to commemorate the opening of the new museum.[28] The total cost to build a new building for the museum, and the exhibitions was approximately C$135 million.[29]

Shortly after its opening of the new building, the museum became the centre of controversy over its interpretation of the Combined Bomber Offensive during World War II, in which some 20,000 Canadians participated.[30] Much of the controversy stemmed from two assertions made on a museum label, that the bombing offensive was largely ineffective until later in the war, and that its morality and value of strategic bombings remained contested.[30] Complaints from Canadian veterans prompted another Senate Subcommittee to be launched.[31] Museum staff eventually removed the offending museum label, replacing it with another label with text three times in length that "glossed over the salient facts;" although the offending images remained.[30][31]

Site

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Aerial view of the museum's green roof, with the Ottawa River and Capital Pathway adjacent to the building.

The 7.5 hectares (19 acres) property is situated within LeBreton Flats, a neighbourhood within Ottawa, the capital city of Canada. The property is situated southwest of Parliament Hill and the National War Memorial. The property is bounded by roadways to the east and south, by the Capital Pathway, and the southern banks of the Ottawa River to the west and north. Water from the Ottawa River is drawn into the building for mechanical cooling, and ground irrigation of the larger property.[26]

Directly south of the museum building is an urban park called The Commons, used for various events hosted by the museum.[29] A wheelchair accessible pathway built around the building's green roof connects The Commons with the parkland to the north of the museum.[29]

Building

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The 440,000-square-metre-building (4,700,000 sq ft) was designed by Moriyama & Teshima Architects & Griffiths Rankin Cook Architects;[32] with Raymond Moriyama and Alex Rankin as the principal architect.[29] Stantec was contracted as the civil engineering consultant, whereas PCL Construction was contracted as the project's construction manager.[33] The cost to construct the building was approximately C$96 million.[29]

Concrete and glass facade at the north entrance to the museum

Regeneration served as the primary theme for the architectural design team of the building, with the design intended to showcase war's impact on nature;[29][34] and nature's ability to regrow and "regenerate" from war.[35] Tilted and jagged planes, along with roughhewn materials are used throughout the building in a form of "controlled imperfection", intended to create the impression of trauma and disequilibrium.[36] The building's massing largely remains low to the ground, with only the building's eastern portions only rising high above.[24] A significant portion of the building is made out of concrete, with 36,000 cubic metres (47,086 yd3) of cast-in-place concrete used throughout the building;[32] in addition to 3,750 tonnes of reinforced steel.[26] Many of the exterior and interior walls of the building are placed on a variety of angles, from 90 degrees to 31 degrees, with eight different angles in all used throughout the building.[32]

Exterior

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Exterior of the Canadian War Museum from the north

With regeneration being the primary theme of the architectural design, the external lines of the building were designed to evoke the "devastations of war," with the building appearing to emerge from a "scarred landscape".[26] The angular building was designed to appear as if it was "emerging from the Ottawa River.[26] The highest point of the building rises 24 metres (79 ft) off the ground, and faces towards the Canadian Parliament Buildings, and Peace Tower.[37]

A 20,500 square metres (221,000 sq ft) self-seeding green roof, which connects to the surrounding parkland and riverfront, is also situated on the rooftop of the building.[37] The green roof was incorporated into the museum building in order to reflect the building's larger theme of regeneration; with the green rooftop intended to appear as nature fusing with ruins, showcasing the process of regeneration.[29][33] The green roof also provides the building with some sustainability benefits; being an economical and efficient solution for stormwater management in the area, providing energy savings, and providing air pollution remediation.[33] The roof was designed to mimic the urban development of the area, with the western portions of the rooftop closer to the rural areas of Ottawa designed to blend in with the surrounding parkland, while the eastern portion closer to downtown Ottawa features sloped concrete slopes that provide visitors with a view into the museum from the rooftop.[29]

Southeastern glass façade the building. Windows along the protrusion are arranged to spell "lest we forget/n'oublions jamais in Morse code.

Nearly the entire southeastern façade of the building is covered in glass, providing people outside the museum a view of some of its items on display in the LeBreton Gallery, an open-storage exhibition space in the building.[26] Near the top of the building's walls are a series of small windows that spell out "lest we forget/n'oublions jamais" in Morse code.[26] The exposed concrete board-form exterior is fitted with cast-in-place insulated concrete wall panels.[32] Conversely, the entrance of the building is fitted with aluminum frames; with the canted curtain wall facing Parliament Hill.[32]

Panorama of the concrete façade on the southern exterior of the building from Vimy Place

Interior

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An angled concrete wall line a hallway leading to the museum's exhibition space.

The interior walls of the building are primarily made out of concrete that incorporates up to 15 per cent recycled fly ash, making the walls of the building a large energy-conserving mass.[29] The walls are designed to emerge sharply from the ground, in an unusual fashion; whereas the floors were designed with slight slopes within them.[26] Together, these design features are intended to evoke the feeling of instability with the museum's visitors.[26] All the galleries within the building include ramps and slopes, making all exhibits in the museum wheelchair accessible.[26]

Exterior façade of Memorial Hall from the museum's lobby.

Concrete is a major material used in the museum's lobby; with post-tensioned concrete beams extending throughout the foyer, in addition to 596 tonnes of exposed structural steel.[32] One side of the lobby's walls is textured and patterned like rough-hewn wooden planks, whereas the other side is patterned to resemble large blocks of quarried stone. In addition to concrete, copper that was originally used on the roof of the Library of Parliament is used on the walls of the museum lobby and the LeBreton Gallery. However, most of the building's interior space remains austere, to provide visitors with a solemn space for reflection.[26] A 7-metre-high (23 ft) audio-visual presentation of what is contained inside the exhibits is situated at the access point from the main foyer to the exhibition areas.[34]

Other educational facilities within the building include the Military History Resource Centre, a museum library and archive; and the 236-seat Barney Danson Theatre.[26] The war museum's theatre is named in honour of Barney Danson, in recognition of his efforts in supporting the Canadian War Museum.[38] The building also includes a dedicated group entrance; and a sunlit cafeteria along the riverfront portion of the building, with a seasonal terrace; dedicated climate-controlled vaults; and laboratories for on-site repairs of artifacts.[26][32] Including all areas of the museum, the total gross floor area of the museum building is 40,860 square metres (439,800 sq ft).[33]

Exhibitions

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The Canadian War Museum functions as a history museum, and as a "palace of memory". As a result, many of the museum's permanent exhibitions function as both educational exhibits, and as a memorial.[39][40] Permanent exhibitions at the museum include the Canadian Experience Galleries, Memorial Hall, Regeneration Hall, and the Royal Canadian Legion Hall of Honour.[27][41] The Canadian Experience Galleries are a series of four Canadian military history galleries arranged chronologically.[27] Memorial Hall is the only exhibition that is free to the public, with Memorial Hall being accessible through the lobby.[42]

Regeneration Hall is one of several permanent exhibitions at the museum

The permanent exhibitions at the museum were designed by Haley Sharpe Design, based in Leicester, UK, and Origin Studios, based in Ottawa.[34] The design team, together with museum historians, crafted its exhibits in which the themes of brutality, geography, politics, and survival are woven throughout most of the exhibitions in the museum.[34] The museum permanent exhibitions are divided into seven zones, and further subdivided into 25 themed clusters.[34] Graphic interpretive information is spread throughout the exhibits in order to convey textual and visual information to visitors.[34]

Exhibition design teams worked in conjunction with the architectural team for the new museum building, providing the exhibition design team with greater influence in how the exhibitions were arranged, positioned, and shaped; a degree of architectural influence not available to exhibition design teams working to fit exhibits in a pre-existing space.[34] The exhibit structures, like the building itself, is angular and trapezoidal, reflecting the museum's theme of regeneration, in addition to enhancing the themes of the exhibits.[34] The exhibition areas in the museum feature austere lines of galvanized steel, concrete, wood, and other hard surfaces with strong, and deep colours. The exhibition areas' design was intended to provide visitors with "little comfort or respite," with the "fragmented structure of the exhibits," intended to the story of war.[34] Although angular lines are prevalent throughout the design of the building and exhibitions, coloured curved structures are strategically placed throughout the galleries, acting as a counterpoint to the angular design of the building.[34]

In addition to permanent exhibitions, the museum also organizes and hosts special and travelling exhibitions.[41]

Canadian Experience galleries

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A life-sized trench diorama in the South African and the First World War gallery.

The Canadian Experience galleries are a collection of four galleries that take up 5,028 square metres (54,120 sq ft) of space. The four galleries document the military history of Canada, with the four galleries being Early Wars in Canada, South African and the First World War, Second World War, and From the Cold War to the Present.[27][41] Although some galleries are centred around individual conflicts, events involving Canadians serve as the focus for the galleries, with other events during these conflicts only being briefly addressed.[43]

The galleries were intended to "enhance the human experiences of war," documenting moments in Canadian military history that helped shape the country; with many of the exhibits drawing links to the events with larger themes of nationhood and national identity.[40] Many of the exhibits were designed to simulate the "collective perspective" of Canadian service members, and Canadians in the homefront to a lesser extent.[40] The galleries are themed after four "intertwined principles," geography, brutality, politics, and survival; with each principle serving as the leading theme for a gallery.[44] Visitors are introduced to these principles before entering the galleries, with conceptual phrases relating to these principles printed on the walls of the rotunda outside the entrance of the Canadian Experience galleries.[45]

An exhibit on the Seven Years' War in the Early Wars in Canada gallery

The Early Wars in Canada gallery explores First Nations conflicts, as well as conflicts in New France and British North America, and post-confederated Canada in the 19th century.[46] Many of the exhibits showcase how early conflicts in Canada were shaped by geography, and centred around lakes, streams, and rivers.[45] Conflicts covered in this exhibit include the Beaver Wars, Anglo-French conflicts to the Seven Years' War, the American Revolutionary War, War of 1812, and the North-West Rebellion.

The South African and the First World War gallery explores Canadian participation in the Second Boer War and the First World War. The South African and the First World War gallery is styled to resemble Canada during Queen Victoria's diamond jubilee in 1897; intended to mimic the imperialistic fervour that existed during that period.[47] In 2015, the museum opened a new portion of the gallery on the homefront during the First World War, highlighting the Conscription Crisis of 1917, the suffragette movement, and stories from individuals during the war.[48]

Exhibits of the homefront in the Second World War gallery

The Second World War gallery explores the causes of the Second World War, as well as Canada's participation during the conflict.[49] Most of the Second World War exhibit focuses on Canada's role in the Battle of the Atlantic, the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan, the European theatre, the homefront and the internment of Japanese Canadians.[48][50] Small portions of the exhibit are also dedicated to Canadian participation in the Asian and Pacific theatre, and the Holocaust.[50][51] Objects from the museum's collection exhibited in the Second World War portion of the Canadian Experience galleries includes a Mercedes-Benz 770K previously owned by Adolf Hitler, entitled Hitler's Car: A Symbol of Evil at the exhibit.[50] The museum acquired the Mercedes Benz 770K in 1970, under the assumption that the car formerly belonged to Hermann Göring; although a research report published in 1982 revealed that the vehicle belonged to Hitler.[52] The gallery also houses an M4 Sherman tank named Forceful III, and is dedicated to the members of the Governor General's Foot Guards killed during the Second World War.[53] A memorial plaque to Captain Thomas G. Fuller of the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve is also present in the gallery.[54]

Artifacts on display in the From the Cold War to the Present gallery

The final gallery, From the Cold War to the Present, explored Canada's role during the Cold War, and the threat of nuclear war in the public eye.[45][55] In 2017, the concluding portion of the fourth gallery was updated to include post-Cold War conflicts involving members of the Canadian Armed Forces.[56] The final portion of the gallery was designed to confront visitors with the problematic nature of warfare;[57] and features an interactive space for visitors to leave their own reflections on war, peace, and remembrance.[56]

[edit]
Military vehicles and equipment on display at the LeBreton Gallery

The LeBreton Gallery: The Military Technology Collection is an open-space gallery housing several items of military equipment used by Canadians, or other military forces.[58] Situated along the eastern portion of the museum, its eastern walls are made of glass, allowing natural sunlight to illuminate the gallery.[26]

Equipment is organized into several sections, land, air, sea, field artillery, armoured fighting vehicles, cannon or mortar, and tanks.[59] Most of the equipment in the gallery has been restored and cleaned, arranged and organized with museum labels which provide details on the equipment.[60] The museum labels accompanying the pieces are focused primarily on the technical aspects of the equipment.[61] The equipment housed in LeBreton Gallery is among the largest items in the museum's collections and includes a McDonnell CF-101 Voodoo, 19th-century artillery pieces, tanks, and other military vehicles.[26] The majority of the lighter wheeled and tracked transport vehicles on display date back to the Second World War or the Cold War era.[62]

Memorial Hall

[edit]
The interior of Memorial Hall. Its walls are made out of smooth concrete, and are arranged in a grid resembling First World War headstones

Situated within the lobby of the museum, Memorial Hall serves as a place for sombre reflection and remembrance.[26] The exhibit's access point is angled upwards; with its doorway designed to provide an illusion of narrowness.[26] The walls surrounding the access point are cladded in copper and are illuminated only by light fixtures installed in the floor, and a light mounted on the ceiling.[26] The portion of the museum where Memorial Hall is situated is also aligned on an axis with the Peace Tower of the Canadian Parliament Buildings.[26]

Conversely, the walls inside Memorial Hall are made out of smooth concrete, with only a grid pattern resembling the headstones used for Canadian First World War soldiers etched into the walls.[26] The exhibit is illuminated by a skylight which extends beyond from the building's rooftop; while a glass-enclosed pool of water sits on the south side of Memorial Hall.[26] The design of the exhibit was intended to provide visitors with the feeling of weightlessness.[26] The exhibit contains a single artifact, the original headstone for the soldier eventually reburied at the Canadian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The hall was designed so that sunlight that passes through the hall's only window illuminates directly onto the headstone once a year, on 11 November at precisely 11 am, the time that the armistice that ended the First World War went into effect.[25]

Regeneration Hall

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Regeneration Hall is an exhibition located at the highest point of the museum building serving as a "physical representation of hope for a better tomorrow".[63] The walls of Regeneration Hall are angled in a manner similar to the buildings on Parliament Hill, with the Peace Tower visible through the eastern glass façade of the exhibition.[39] The exhibition holds several artworks, including the original models for the Canadian National Vimy Memorial, and the painting Sacrifice by Charles Sims.[39]

Royal Canadian Legion Hall of Honour

[edit]
The Royal Canadian Legion Hall of Honour exhibit, with the original plaster design for the National War Memorial

The Royal Canadian Legion Hall of Honour is a 200 square metres (2,200 sq ft) oval-shaped exhibit which explores how Canadian military history has been commemorated and honoured throughout recorded history.[26] The original plaster model that was submitted and later chosen in the National War Memorial design competition is exhibited in the centre of the Hall of Honour.[26][64]

Floor-to-ceiling display cases containing certificates of service, letters, medals, models, paintings, photographs, rolls of honour, scrapbooks, and souvenirs are situated along the walls of the exhibit.[26] The exhibits are displayed chronologically and include items relating to First Nations, New France, British North America, and confederated Canada. However, the majority of the displays are dedicated to exhibiting items from the 20th century.[26] Items in these displays, along with the individual stories corresponding to each chronological period are exhibited in an attempt to convey the various forms of commemorating the war dead throughout Canadian history.[26]

Collection

[edit]
Canadian military medals from the museum's collection on display

As of 2015, the museum's collection includes over 500,000 pieces.[27] The collection includes correspondences, documents, equipment, maps, medals, military art, military vehicles, and military uniforms.[65] On average, the museum receives 700 offers for donations a year, including individual items or large collections; although, the museum only accepts 100 to 150 of these offers annually.[66] However, Canadian service medals and medals of valour are accepted by the museum unconditionally, as an "act of honouring".[66] Approximately 2,000 artworks and photographs from the museum's collection are used throughout the museum exhibits; although 500 of these images are enlarged versions of originals.[34]

Items from the museum's collection are either displayed in the museum's exhibits, on tour with travelling exhibitions, loaned out to other institutions, or housed in the museum storage area.[14] From 1967 to 2004, items not on display were stored in off-site facilities; with the Dominion Archives' Trophy Building used as storage from 1967 to 1983, and Vimy House used as storage from 1983 to 2004.[14] During the 20th century, archival materials belonging to the war museum were also held in a warehouse in ByWard Market.[67] In 2004, the museum ceased operating these off-site storage facilities, after it relocated items held there to a new storage space within the new museum building.[26]

Storage units in the museum's collections vault. The vault holds items from the museum's collection not on display in its exhibits or on loan.

The museum's collection originated from the artifacts and archival materials originally held at Cartier Square Military Museum in 1880; including an assortment of weapons; a bell from HMS Neptune, the flagship for Admiral Charles Saunders during the 1759 siege of Quebec; and the colours for the Royal Highland Emigrants, and various units from the War of 1812.[7] The collection grew in size during the First World War, with materials from the war transported back to Canada.[9] Following the end of World War II in Europe, the museum dispatched its first collections acquisition team to the Netherlands and Allied-occupied Germany to acquire a large number of German military equipment.[10] During the Cold War, the museum's collection continued to expand with the Canadian Armed Forces transferring its obsolete equipment, as well as examples of enemy equipment to the museum. During the 1990s, the museum also began to acquire a number of materials as gifts from several post-Soviet states.[10]

In 1994, the museum's collection held approximately 6,550 posters; with 3,770 posters originating from Canada, 692 from the United Kingdom, 612 from the United States, and the remaining from a variety of countries in Europe, and Australia.[68] In 2019, 39 of the 99 original Victoria Crosses that were awarded to Canadians are held in the collections of the Canadian War Museum.[69][note 1]

War art

[edit]
Further information: Canadian official war artists

As of 2015, the museum's Beaverbrook Collection of War Art contained over 13,000 pieces of military art.[27] The majority of the war artworks in the collection are on paper, although these works are less often used in museum exhibits than their on canvas counterparts.[70] The museum has been invested in several Canadian war art programs since 1971, after the National Gallery of Canada handed over management of the Canadian War Memorial Fund, and over 5,000 works from its Canadian War Records Collections to the war museum;[71] including all of its war art from the Second World War.[72] The museum's military art collection takes its name from Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook, who established the art collection that later became the Canadian War Records.[71] Although the museum's war art collection included over 13,000 works, only 64 of these pieces depicted a dead body as of 2017.[61]

Military art from the museum's collection on display

The museum's collection of war art includes over 400 works by Alex Colville.[65] Other artists featured in the collection include Caroline Armington, Alfred Bastien, Charles Comfort, Alma Duncan, Colin Gill, Bobs Cogill Haworth, Robert Stewart Hyndman, Richard Jack, Frank Johnston, Manly E. MacDonald, Pegi Nicol MacLeod, Mabel May, Jack Nichols, Charles Sims, and Frederick Varley.[70][73] The collection also includes several models and statues, including the plaster model by Vernon March that was later selected as the design for the National War Memorial.[64] The museum's collection also includes the original scale plaster models by Walter Seymour Allward for the Canadian National Vimy Memorial.[74] From 1937 to 2000, the models were held in storage, before they were exhibited in an exhibition in 2000.[74] The models are now used in the Regeneration Hall exhibition.[39]

Major travelling exhibitions of war art organized by the Canadian War Museum include A Terrible Beauty: The Art of Canada at War (1977), curated by the Canadian War Museum and Heather Robertson; and Canvas of War: Masterpieces from the Canadian War Museum, which toured Canada between 1999 and 2004 and was seen by nearly half a million visitors.[75]

In 2007, the Canadian War Museum highlighted contemporary women's perspectives on war in the exhibitions War Brides: Portraits of an Era (an installation by Calgary artist Bev Tosh) and Stitches in Time (the work of London, Ontario artist Johnnene Maddison).[75]

Selected works

[edit]

Library and archives

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The Military History Research Centre is a facility in the museum that houses the Hartland Molson Library Collection, and the George Metcalf Archival Collection. The Hartland Molson Library Collection serves as the museum's reference collection on Canadian military history, materials, and rare books; whereas George Metcalf Archival Collection serves as an archive for blueprints, daguerreotypes, films, journals, logbooks, maps, photographs, scrapbooks, and tapes.[26] The research centre includes a general reading area that overlooks the adjacent river, and a specialized reading room for more fragile materials.[26]

Depiction of the Canadian Corps' advance during the Battle of Vimy Ridge; drawn by the Historical Section of the General Staff, 1917.[76] The map is one of a number of cartographical materials held in the museum's archives.

Although the War Trophies Review Board initially planned for the museum to include an archive, the museum did little archival work until 1967.[15] The archiving of war-related documents was primarily undertaken by the Public Archives of Canada up until that point; although the Public Archives voluntarily turned over war materials sent to the archives to the war museum.[15] After the closure of the Public Archive's history museum in 1967, materials and documents from the museum were split between the National Museum of Man (now the Canadian Museum of History), and the Canadian War Museum.[15] As a result of the closure of the Public Archive's history museum, the Public Archives began to regularly transfer archival documents to the war museum.[15] In 1982, the museum's archival collection was reorganized into several categories, souvenirs, museum, manuscripts, maps, plans and blueprints, and Canadian War Museum records.[77]

The Military History Research Centre's oral history archive contained nearly 400 interviews in 2007.[78] The oral history collection was started by the museum in 1999.[78] The program devised topic lists to guide interviews toward certain areas of interest; although the framing of the topics is designed to allow for in-depth conversation, one free of bias.[78] Interviews were either conducted by the museum's research team, or ex-military officers and averaged 90 minutes in length.[79] Subjects of interviews include service members who served in the Second World War, United Nations Emergency Force, Canadian Forces Europe, Yugoslav Wars, and the War in Afghanistan.[80] Specific subjects interviewed include Airborne Intercept Navigators in NATO and NORAD, deputy commanders of NORAD, and all former Canadian commanders of STANAVFORLANT.[80]

In 2000, the museum's photographic archives contained over 600 photograph collections or fonds; holding more than 17,000 individual photographs, and more than 250 photo albums.[81] The collection was largely obtained through private sources, most of whom had taken the photo as participants in these conflicts.[81]

See also

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Notes

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References

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Further reading

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[edit]
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The Canadian War Museum is Canada's national museum of military history, dedicated to documenting and interpreting the nation's involvement in armed conflicts from colonial eras to modern times through artifacts, exhibitions, and research resources. Located at 1 Vimy Place in Ottawa, Ontario, on LeBreton Flats west of Parliament Hill, it operates as an autonomous Crown corporation under the Museums Act, fostering public understanding of war's causes, conduct, and consequences on Canadian society. With origins tracing to a 1880 collection of militia artifacts, the museum's contemporary facility opened in 2005, featuring an architectural design evoking regeneration to symbolize recovery from war's destruction. Its collections encompass military objects, archival documents, photographs, sound recordings, and over 13,000 works of art, positioning it among globally respected institutions for military historical study. The museum has presented defining exhibitions such as the Canadian Experience Galleries, chronicling military history from pre-Confederation to the present, alongside specialized displays on events like the First World War. Notable controversies include revisions to a 2007 exhibit on the Allied strategic bombing campaign in the Second World War, altered after veterans contested wording that some interpreted as equating the raids with Axis atrocities or implying crew culpability.

History

Origins as Militia Collection (1880–1919)

The origins of the Canadian War Museum trace to November 5, 1880, when a military museum was established in Ottawa's Cartier Square Drill Hall as an informal collection of militia artifacts. This initiative arose amid the expansion of Canada's militia forces following the Fenian raids of the 1860s and 1870s, driven by local garrison officers seeking to preserve historical military items. Lieutenant-Colonel Thomas Wily, serving as Director of Stores and Keeper of Militia Properties from 1862 until his retirement in November 1880, was the primary architect of the museum. In the preceding year, Wily assembled artifacts, books, records, and archival documents, including early commissions such as Walter Patterson's from 1769 and William Jamis's from 1782. The initial holdings featured items from the , such as regimental colors, a bell from HMS Neptune, and various equipment, many of which remain in the museum's collection today. Under Wily's successor, Lieutenant-Colonel John Macpherson, the collection expanded until space constraints in the Drill Hall necessitated its closure in 1896. The artifacts were then stored in a military building near the from 1896 to 1909, after which they were transferred to the Public Archives of . In , a documented inventory highlighted the collection's scope, encompassing diverse militia-related materials. During the First World War, the collection's focus shifted toward contemporary acquisitions. Dominion Archivist Arthur Doughty began gathering war records and trophies from 1916 and was appointed Controller of War Trophies in 1917, integrating battlefield artifacts into the holdings by 1919. This period marked the transition from a static repository to a broader assemblage incorporating active conflict memorabilia, laying groundwork for the formal Canadian War Museum established in 1942.

Interwar and World War II Era Developments (1920–1960s)

Following the First World War, the Canadian War Memorials Collection formed the core of what would become the museum's holdings, initiated by donations of war trophies and artifacts organized by Lord Beaverbrook in the early 1920s. In 1921, this collection was officially established under the administration of the , focusing primarily on official war art and battlefield relics to commemorate Canadian contributions. Exhibitions, such as the Canadian War Memorials Paintings Exhibition held in 1920, showcased over 100 works depicting the war's final phases, drawing public attention and encouraging further acquisitions through public and veteran donations. During the interwar period, the collection expanded modestly amid limited government funding for military commemorations, with artifacts stored in temporary spaces at the and other sites due to the absence of a dedicated facility. By , additional donations included small arms, uniforms, and documents from units, reflecting Canada's restrained posture but growing interest in preserving national military heritage. The onset of the Second in 1939 spurred renewed acquisitions, as battlefield souvenirs, equipment, and records from Canadian forces in and at home began accumulating, necessitating better . In January 1942, the collection was transferred to the newly established Canadian War Museum as a distinct entity under the Department of National Defence, marking its formal separation from the to focus exclusively on military artifacts and . This development coincided with intensified wartime efforts, enabling systematic documentation of Canadian involvement, including over 1 million personnel records and equipment from campaigns like in August 1942. Post-1945, the museum's holdings grew rapidly through repatriated war , veteran contributions, and purchases, reaching approximately 50,000 items by 1960, encompassing vehicles, , and archival materials from both world wars. Into the early 1960s, storage constraints prompted relocation to Vimy House in , a former residence adapted for exhibition and preservation, which facilitated public displays and research access while underscoring the museum's role in educating on Canada's military past amid Cold War rearmament. This era solidified the institution's emphasis on empirical preservation over interpretive exhibits, with collections prioritizing verifiable artifacts to counter postwar narratives minimizing .

Postwar Expansion and Relocations (1970s–1990s)

In the 1970s, the Canadian War Museum, housed since 1967 at 330 Sussex Drive in Ottawa's former Public Archives building, faced severe space constraints that limited public exhibitions to a fraction of its growing collection, with the majority of artifacts warehoused off-site under suboptimal conditions. This reflected postwar accumulation of military artifacts from conflicts including and Korea, but the facility's outdated infrastructure—lacking modern climate controls and adequate display areas—hindered preservation and access. By 1983, to alleviate storage pressures at the main site and accommodate the of Canada's expansion, the museum relocated its surplus collections to Vimy House, a in Ottawa's Centretown West neighbourhood, where items remained until 2004. This interim measure underscored ongoing logistical challenges, as the Sussex Drive building's limited footprint—approximately 3,000 square metres—could not support comprehensive exhibits amid rising artifact acquisitions and in Canada's . Into the 1990s, conditions at 330 Sussex Drive deteriorated further, with cramped galleries, fire hazards, and no freight elevator prompting a 1991 federal to label the facility a "national disgrace" and "embarrassment" due to its inability to house or research the full collection effectively. Budget cuts under the Liberal government in 1993 exacerbated funding shortfalls, leading to reliance on private sponsorships. In response, the museum launched the "Passing the Torch" fundraising campaign on May 8, 1995, targeting $2 million each from Jewish and Dutch communities to modernize the site, including proposals for a Gallery and Memorial Theatre. A $12 million expansion plan by architect A.J. Diamond, announced in 1997, envisioned a glass dome atrium and upgraded exhibit spaces at Sussex Drive, but faced resistance from military veterans who argued the emphasis on would marginalize Canadian contributions to . This opposition, prioritizing national narratives over broader atrocity-focused exhibits, resulted in the Holocaust Gallery's cancellation in 1998, stalling renovations and accelerating plans for a entirely new facility elsewhere.

Planning and Construction of the Current Facility (2000–2005)

The planning for a new standalone facility for the Canadian War Museum intensified in the early 2000s under the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation, driven by the need for expanded space to house growing collections and provide modern exhibition areas beyond the constraints of the existing Sussex Drive location. The selected site at in offered a 4.2-hectare plot suitable for redevelopment, following prior decontamination of the former industrial area, and aligned with goals for revitalizing the district along the . This location symbolized renewal, contrasting the museum's themes of conflict and regeneration. Architectural design was awarded to of Moriyama & Teshima Architects in with Griffiths Rankin Cook Architects, emphasizing a structure with jagged, crystalline forms evoking shattered landscapes and regeneration through materials like glass and copper cladding. The project budget was set at $105.6 million, comprising $83.6 million from federal funds, $15 million from private sector fundraising via the "Passing the Torch" campaign—which had secured over $11 million in cash and pledges by December 2001—and additional contributions. Construction contracts were awarded to firms including for general work and Walters Group for , focusing on features like a 12-storey tower for collections storage and climate-controlled galleries. Groundbreaking occurred on November 5, 2002, attended by Prime Minister and the Minister of Canadian Heritage, marking the formal start of building on the site with an initial target completion of November 2004. Progress included foundation work and erection of the iconic roof structure, but by May 2003, costs had escalated $30 million over budget due to factors such as steel price increases and design complexities, pushing the total projected expenditure to $135 million. Despite delays, construction advanced through 2004, enabling the facility's opening to the public on May 8, 2005.

Operations and Modern Adaptations (2006–Present)

The Canadian War Museum, operational since its public opening on May 28, 2005, has averaged approximately 500,000 visitors annually in the years following, with peaks during Remembrance Week and seasonal tourism. Early operations included responses to public and veteran feedback on permanent exhibits; in July 2007, the museum revised interpretive panels in the Second World War section's Bomber Command display after complaints that original text, such as questioning the morality of area bombing, undermined the contributions of Canadian aircrew and implied disproportionate civilian casualties without sufficient context on Axis actions. The changes emphasized operational achievements and the campaign's role in defeating , reflecting the institution's commitment to balancing historical narratives with empirical accounts from participants. To adapt to contemporary audiences, the museum expanded digital resources starting in the late 2000s, offering virtual tours of its galleries and architecture, as well as online exhibitions on topics including the from multiple perspectives, Canada's role in the Normandy campaign, and operations. These initiatives, enhanced during the from 2020 onward, facilitated remote access to artifacts and veteran testimonies, with recovery in in-person attendance noted by 2023 amid slower international tourism rebound. Programming has included immersive temporary exhibits, such as "" in 2024 exploring links between and video games, and hands-on workshops like sessions using family photos for personal war histories. Recent operations feature specialized displays on post-1945 engagements, including a 2024–2025 exhibit on Canadian peacekeeping in highlighting operational challenges in divided territories, and artifacts like the RG-31 vehicle from Afghanistan missions (2006–2008). Site renovations in 2023–2024 temporarily reduced access but coincided with high attendance in unaffected periods, such as July and Remembrance events. The museum continues scholarly activities, including the 2025 conference on oral histories and veterans' experiences, underscoring its role in preserving primary-source accounts amid evolving public interest in military heritage.

Location and Facilities

Site and Architectural Design

The Canadian War Museum is situated on a 7.5-hectare site at in , , adjacent to the . This location, previously an industrial brownfield devastated by a in 1900, underwent soil remediation starting in 2003 under the to prepare it for redevelopment. The site's integration with the riverfront landscape emphasizes themes of recovery and renewal, aligning with the museum's conceptual focus on regeneration following conflict. Designed by Moriyama & Teshima Architects in with Griffiths Rankin Cook Architects, under the leadership of , the building opened to the public on May 8, 2005. The architectural concept draws from the resilience of nature in war-ravaged environments, as well as stories of Canadian veterans, , and historical imagery, manifesting in a structure that appears embedded within its surroundings. Low-lying forms conform to the , with raw concrete walls featuring rough joints to convey strength and austerity. Key features include angled and sloping walls and floors that evoke the disequilibrium of warfare, large east-facing glass windows symbolizing hope through the rising sun, and a copper-clad . A prominent spans 10,684 square metres—among the largest in at the time of construction—planted with tall-grass prairie species, serving as a pedestrian walkway and capturing up to 720,000 litres of stormwater to promote and reduce urban heat effects. These elements collectively foster reflective, introspective spaces that challenge visitors' consciences and underscore healing.

Exterior and Symbolic Elements

The Canadian War Museum's exterior embodies a duality of destruction and renewal, with its angular, low-profile forms designed to evoke the scarred landscapes of battlefields, including shapes reminiscent of trenches and craters. This design approach integrates the 40,860 square meter structure into the 7.5-hectare site in Ottawa's , adjacent to the , fostering a visual continuity with the surrounding terrain. Architect of Moriyama & Teshima Architects, in collaboration with Griffiths Rankin Cook Architects, incorporated natural elements like light, air, and water to enhance the building's environmental harmony and symbolic depth. A defining feature is the gently sloping green sedum roof, which functions as an accessible walkway and symbolizes regeneration—grass and vegetation emerging atop the "devastated" forms below, representing life's persistence after war's brutality. The roof's organic integration contrasts with the building's more rigid geometries, underscoring the museum's thematic focus on conflict's aftermath and human resilience. On the eastern facade, large glass curtain walls paired with a prominent 43-meter and metal allow natural light to penetrate while directing views toward the river and , evoking openness and forward momentum amid remembrance. Exterior materials include panels that weather to a patina over time, paralleling the oxidation seen on historical military monuments and reinforcing contextual ties to Canada's martial heritage. These elements collectively position the museum as a modern landmark opened on May 8, 2005, at a of C$135 million, blending functionality with interpretive symbolism derived from military history's tangible impacts.

Interior Spaces and Visitor Experience

The interior of the Canadian War Museum features raw surfaces, sharply angled walls, and occasionally sloped floors that create a of disequilibrium, symbolizing the tension of conflict and the potential for regeneration. These elements extend from the exterior design, with bunker-like spaces such as Commissionaires Way guiding visitors through slanted hallways toward the main exhibition areas. The layout descends gradually, evoking a journey back through time into Canada's . Upon entry, visitors encounter the Moriyama Regeneration Hall, a tall, narrow space with towering angled walls lined by life-sized plaster maquettes of figures from Walter Allward's Vimy Memorial, accompanied by Charles Sims' painting and a of offering a framed view of Parliament Hill's [Peace Tower](/page/Peace Tower). This meditative area emphasizes themes of loss, resilience, and hope, providing an initial reflective pause before deeper exploration. Adjacent is Memorial Hall, a solemn space dedicated to remembrance, featuring elements that honor fallen soldiers and encourage contemplation of war's human cost. The Royal Canadian Legion Hall of Honour traces the evolution of commemoration practices in , displaying medals, uniforms, and artifacts related to veterans' organizations and public memory. From these introductory spaces, visitors proceed to the Canadian Experience Galleries, arranged in chronological sequence across four sections: Gallery 1 covers early conflicts from Indigenous warfare through the ; Gallery 2 examines the South African War and First World War, including revamped Vimy Ridge exhibits; Gallery 3 details the Second World War's campaigns and ; and Gallery 4 addresses tensions to contemporary . These galleries house 2,167 artifacts and employ , touchscreen interactives, and personal veteran narratives to highlight the human dimensions of military engagements. Complementing the narrative galleries, the LeBreton Gallery presents Canada's extensive collection, including tanks, , , and weapons in a vast open space supported by large-span trusses, allowing visitors to appreciate the scale and mechanics of warfare equipment. The overall visitor experience prioritizes immersive over didactic presentation, fostering empathy through chronological progression from ancient battles to modern operations, interspersed with opportunities for reflection in dedicated halls. This design, informed by veterans' accounts and war art, aims to convey both the horrors and sacrifices of conflict while underscoring themes of national identity and renewal.

Exhibitions and Displays

Permanent Galleries on Canadian Military Conflicts

The Canadian War Museum's permanent galleries on military conflicts consist of four chronological "Canadian Experience" galleries that trace the nation's involvement in warfare from pre-colonial times to contemporary operations. These exhibits emphasize the human, strategic, and societal dimensions of conflict, drawing on artifacts, personal accounts, and multimedia to illustrate how military engagements shaped Canadian identity and policy. Spanning approximately 7,000 square metres, the galleries integrate large-scale displays such as vehicles, weapons, and dioramas with interactive elements and veteran testimonies to provide a narrative of evolution from tribal skirmishes to modern peacekeeping. Gallery 1: Early Wars in Canada covers conflicts from Indigenous inter-tribal warfare through colonial struggles up to 1885, including the , the Seven Years' War (1754–1763), and the War of 1812. Exhibits highlight tactics like fortified villages and employed by First Nations groups, as well as European fortifications such as those at , where British forces under General defeated French troops led by on September 13, 1759, securing British control of . The gallery features artifacts like period muskets and maps, underscoring the alliances and rivalries that predated , with over 100 items illustrating the transition from melee combat to early firearms use. Gallery 2: The South African and First World Wars examines Canada's participation in the Second Boer War (1899–1902) and the First World War (1914–1918), focusing on the shift toward industrialized warfare and national mobilization. Key displays include the Ridge offensive of April 1917, where units captured the ridge from German forces after British and French failures, resulting in 3,598 Canadian deaths and 7,004 wounded but marking a pivotal assertion of autonomy from British command. The gallery incorporates trenches, artillery pieces, and gas masks to depict battles like Passchendaele, alongside home-front exhibits on the , which saw 401,882 men registered under the Military Service Act amid riots in . Revamped in 2017 for the Vimy centenary, it added artifacts such as captured German machine guns and audio from Indigenous soldiers like Corporal , who earned the and two bars for sniper kills exceeding 300. Gallery 3: Forged in Fire details the Second World War from 1931 to 1945, encompassing the interwar rise of , global campaigns, and Canada's home-front contributions. It chronicles events like the on August 19, 1942, where 4,963 of 6,086 Canadian and Allied troops were killed, wounded, or captured, informing later successes such as D-Day on June 6, 1944, involving 14,000 Canadian soldiers in the Normandy invasion. Displays feature tanks like the Wasp Flamethrower Carrier, aircraft remnants, and propaganda materials, highlighting industrial output—Canada produced 815,000 military vehicles and 50,000 aircraft—while addressing after , affecting 22,000 individuals under the . The gallery uses dioramas and veteran interviews to convey the war's toll, with 45,300 Canadian combat deaths. Gallery 4: A Violent Peace addresses post-1945 developments, including the , commitments, UN from 1947 onward, and operations like the (1950–1953), where 516 Canadians died, and (2001–2014), with 158 fatalities. Exhibits cover nuclear deterrence, with artifacts from integration in 1957, and missions such as the in 1956, where Canadian forces under helped establish the first UN force. Recent conflicts feature equipment from the (1990–1991) and Iraq deployments, emphasizing shifts to counter-insurgency and the human cost, including 1,400 wounded in . The gallery integrates multimedia on ethical dilemmas in modern warfare, such as , and projects like the 2010 extension of exhibits to include (1993) inquiries. These galleries collectively house thousands of artifacts from the museum's 500,000-item collection, prioritizing primary sources like diaries and equipment to foster understanding of conflict's causality—strategic necessities driving technological and societal changes—over interpretive narratives.

Specialized Halls and Memorial Areas

The Memorial Hall serves as a dedicated space for quiet reflection and remembrance within the Canadian War Museum. Its concrete walls are grooved with large, offset rectangles evoking the rows of gravestones in military cemeteries, fostering an atmosphere of solemnity. At the center stands a replica headstone representing Canada's Unknown Soldier, interred at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on May 28, 2000. The hall's design ensures that on Remembrance Day, November 11, at precisely 11:00 a.m., sunlight streams through a single window to illuminate the headstone, symbolizing a moment of national pause. The Moriyama Regeneration Hall, the museum's highest interior point, emphasizes themes of sacrifice, renewal, and the human aspiration for peace amid conflict. Renamed in 2021 to honor architect , whose internment experiences as a child influenced its conception, the space features dramatically angled walls rising 24.5 meters and a narrow window framing the of the Parliament buildings. This vertical atrium invites visitors to contemplate the costs of war and prospects for regeneration, providing a to the museum's conflict-focused galleries. The Royal Canadian Legion Hall of Honour examines Canada's traditions of military commemoration, tracing practices from ancient burials and early artworks to contemporary monuments and digital memorials. It incorporates personal narratives, photographs, war art, and artifacts such as military honors, service certificates, and poppies to illustrate evolving remembrance methods. A key focus is the National War Memorial in , dedicated on May 21, 1939, which honors over 118,000 Canadian war dead whose graves are unknown. The hall underscores the Legion's role since 1925 in fostering national unity through remembrance activities.

Temporary and Rotating Exhibits

The Canadian War Museum maintains a program of temporary exhibitions that complement its permanent galleries by delving into specific historical episodes, personal narratives, and thematic inquiries related to Canada's involvement. These exhibits typically run for periods ranging from several months to over a year, utilizing artifacts, installations, and veteran testimonies drawn from the museum's collections or partnerships. They often align with significant anniversaries or contemporary relevance, such as operations or commemorations, to foster public engagement with evolving interpretations of conflict. Notable examples include Last Voices of the Second World War, on display until January 18, 2026, which features first-person interviews with surviving veterans and their families, emphasizing personal experiences across theaters of the conflict. Similarly, Invasion! – Canadians and the Battle of Normandy, 1944, held from June 3 to November 17, 2024, examined key events through the accounts of seven Canadian participants, incorporating artifacts and interactive elements to illustrate tactical and human dimensions. Other temporary exhibits address niche or international aspects of Canadian contributions, such as Cyprus – A Divided Island (September 25, 2024–March 16, 2025), which explores the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus and Canada's subsequent United Nations peacekeeping role, using documents, photographs, and oral histories to highlight the island's ongoing ethnic divisions and their global implications. Liberation! Canada and the Netherlands, 1944–1945 (December 5, 2024–July 1, 2025) focuses on Canadian forces' campaigns in the Netherlands, featuring artifacts like uniforms and vehicles to recount the liberation from Nazi occupation and enduring Dutch-Canadian ties. Earlier instances, such as Canada at War Against Japan, 1941–1945, marked the 80th anniversary of World War II's conclusion by detailing Canada's Pacific theater engagements, including submarine warfare and POW experiences. Rotating elements within these temporary spaces, or smaller-scale displays, incorporate immersive technologies, as seen in Encounters – Echoes of War, an ongoing sound-and-light installation by digital studio Iregular that integrates voices from 16 veterans to evoke the sensory realities of combat across eras. This approach enables periodic updates to reflect new research or acquisitions, ensuring the museum's narrative remains dynamic without altering core permanent content. Past temporary exhibits, like the 2012 1812@CWM installation covering the War of 1812 through participant perspectives in a 650-square-meter space, demonstrate a consistent emphasis on experiential storytelling.

Collections and Research Resources

Artifacts and Archival Holdings

The Canadian War Museum maintains a national collection of approximately 500,000 military-related artifacts, encompassing objects from Canada's involvement in conflicts spanning centuries. These holdings include weapons, uniforms, equipment, vehicles, and personal effects that document the experiences of Canadian service members. Notable examples feature captured war trophies from the First World War, such as pieces and machine guns, alongside modern artifacts like the CF-101 Voodoo interceptor. Archival holdings comprise approximately 860 linear meters of material, housed primarily in the George Metcalf Archival Collection. This includes textual records, photographs, films, sound recordings, and over 200 interviews with veterans and their families. The archives preserve operational documents, personal correspondence, and wartime newspapers, providing primary sources for research into Canadian . Many artifacts and records originate from donations by veterans or their descendants, ensuring a direct connection to historical events. The collection emphasizes tangible evidence of warfare's impact, from Indigenous pre-contact tools integrated into early military contexts to post-Second commemorative items. Access to these resources supports scholarly analysis, with digitized portions available online for public and academic use.

War Art and Visual Records

The Canadian War Museum maintains one of the world's largest collections of , comprising over 13,000 works that depict Canada's military engagements from the First World War onward. This holdings stem primarily from official government-sponsored programs, including the First World War's Canadian War Memorials initiative, launched in under the Canadian War Memorials Fund chaired by Max Aitken (later Lord Beaverbrook), which commissioned nearly 1,000 artworks by more than 100 artists, with approximately one-third produced by . These pieces, often created from frontline sketches, emphasize realistic portrayals of , landscapes scarred by war, and soldiers' experiences, influencing public perception and commemoration efforts post-1918. During the Second World War, the Canadian War Records (CWR) program, administered by the National Film Board and the Department of National Defence, engaged official artists to produce both field sketches and studio-finished paintings, with works documenting naval convoys, aerial operations, and ground battles in Europe and Asia. Canada appointed 32 official war artists overall across major conflicts, supplemented by independent commissions, notably to female artists who captured home-front contributions and nursing scenes. Prominent figures include Group of Seven members such as A. Y. Jackson and Frederick Varley for the First World War, and later artists like Alex Colville and Molly Lamb Bobak for the Second, whose output totals thousands of pieces transferred to the museum from the National Gallery of Canada in 1971. The collection's scope extends to post-1945 conflicts, incorporating donated and acquired works that prioritize empirical depiction over stylization, though some critiques note selective emphasis on heroism amid graphic realities. Complementing the art holdings, the museum's visual records include the Photographs and Moving Images collection, exceeding 100,000 items such as photographs, films, and videos spanning Canada's military history. The George Metcalf Archival Collection houses approximately 90,000 photographic materials, encompassing black-and-white and color prints, negatives, slides, and digital scans from official military photographers and wartime correspondents. These records document tactical operations, equipment, personnel, and civilian impacts, with notable subsets like the Canadian War Records Office's First World War imagery, preserved for evidentiary and scholarly use. Films and videos, including acquired collections from photojournalists like Garth Pritchard covering modern missions in Afghanistan (2001–2014), provide dynamic visual evidence of combat dynamics and logistics, accessible via the museum's online database for research while supporting exhibitions that integrate art with photographic testimony.

Library, Archives, and Scholarly Programs

The Military History Research Centre (MHRC) at the Canadian War Museum houses the Hartland Molson Library and the George Metcalf Archival Collection, consolidating resources for in-depth study of Canadian military history from the colonial era to contemporary conflicts. These facilities support researchers through physical access and digital tools, including online databases for artifacts, documents, photographs, and media. The Hartland Molson Library maintains approximately 60,000 volumes, featuring regimental histories, published memoirs, military technical manuals, operational guides, periodicals, and reference works on Canadian and international military subjects. Complementing this, the George Metcalf Archival Collection includes about 900 linear metres of textual records such as personal letters, diaries, scrapbooks, logbooks, maps, and official military paperwork, alongside extensive photographic, film, and audio holdings documenting wartime experiences. Scholarly programs emphasize original research and knowledge dissemination. The Canadian War Museum Research Fellowship targets postgraduate scholars pursuing innovative studies in Canadian , providing funding and access to collections for specified terms. The institution also organizes conferences, including the October 2–5, 2025, event on " and the Veterans’ Experience," which convenes historians, veterans, and experts to examine post-service narratives and methodological approaches. These initiatives, alongside research assistance services, position the MHRC as a hub for advancing evidence-based .

Controversies and Debates

Dispute Over Bomber Command Exhibit (2007)

In 2007, controversy erupted over a text panel in the Canadian War Museum's permanent exhibit on the Second , focusing on the Allied offensive against , particularly the role of , which included over 17,000 Canadian personnel and resulted in more than 10,000 Canadian fatalities. The panel, titled "An Enduring Controversy," read: "The value and morality of the offensive against remains contested. Bomber Command's aim was to crush civilian morale and force to surrender by destroying its cities and industrial installations. Although Bomber Command and the American attacks left 600,000 Germans dead and more than five million homeless, the raids resulted in only a small reduction in German war production until late in the war." Veterans and organizations such as the Royal Canadian Legion objected that the wording implied moral culpability for the aircrews' actions, equated the campaign with indiscriminate destruction, and omitted essential context, including Germany's initiation of urban bombing, the diversion of resources to defense, and the campaign's ultimate contribution to Allied victory by weakening German industry and logistics in 1944–1945. In March 2007, the Legion renewed calls for a museum and petitioned the Subcommittee on , with spokesmen like Bob Butt arguing the display portrayed Bomber Command members as "war criminals." General Paul Manson, former RCAF chief, testified that the panel was "utterly indefensible," prioritizing civilian casualties over the strategic imperatives of against a regime conducting and aggression. Museum president Victor Rabinovitch initially resisted revisions, citing consultations with historians including David Bercuson, who endorsed the panel's reflection of scholarly debates on the campaign's proportionality and efficacy. Historian Randall Hansen similarly defended it as accurate, noting the bombing's limited early impact on production despite massive destruction, though critics of the panel argued such views overlooked declassified intelligence showing morale effects and resource drain on . The Senate Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs, after hearings in May 2007, recommended rewording to achieve balance by acknowledging bravery and the campaign's role in defeating , without endorsing unsubstantiated . In October 2007, the museum retitled the panel "The Bombing" and expanded it threefold to include Allied losses (over 80,000 total, including ), targeting of military infrastructure like oil facilities, and wartime public backing in Canada and Britain, while retaining reference to ongoing historical disputes over morality and results. Veterans, including Legion dominion president Duane Daly, approved the revision for providing fuller context and respect. The dispute underscored challenges in museum curation, where efforts to highlight ethical complexities of wartime decisions clashed with demands for narratives emphasizing heroism and necessity in confronting totalitarian aggression, prompting broader scrutiny of interpretive balance in Canadian exhibits. In late 1997, the Canadian War Museum, then under the administration of the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation, proposed a dedicated gallery as part of a $12 million expansion and renovation project at its Sussex Drive location. The gallery, envisioned at approximately 6,000 square feet and the largest in the museum, aimed to address themes of intolerance and the roots of conflict, with support from museum director Victor Suthren for linking it to Canada's role. CEO prioritized the initiative for its educational value and fundraising potential, evolving from earlier ideas of a broader exhibit. The proposal faced immediate backlash from Canadian veterans' organizations, including the Royal Canadian Legion and the National Council of Veteran Associations, who argued that a war museum's mandate should prioritize the sacrifices of Canadian combatants in conflicts like the World Wars rather than non-military atrocities like the Holocaust. Critics, led by figures such as Cliff Chadderton, emphasized a lack of prior consultation with veterans and contended that dedicating prime space to the Holocaust—where Canadian forces played no direct combat role—would marginalize exhibits on troops' experiences and dilute the museum's focus on military history. Additional concerns arose from groups like the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association, which demanded that any genocide exhibit include other victims, such as the estimated 14.5 million Ukrainians affected in World War II, to avoid selective emphasis. In February 1998, the Senate Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs conducted hearings that amplified these objections, with witnesses testifying that a full gallery would undermine the Holocaust's gravity by subsuming it within a context and that smaller, integrated exhibits might suffice instead. Heritage Minister intervened by appointing veteran Barney Danson to the museum board for mediation, amid warnings from Jewish advocacy groups like B'nai Brith that politicization risked broader commemoration efforts. By February 12, 1998, the museum suspended the plans, and on February 19, Corporation chair formally announced the rejection, stating that the 's narrative warranted a standalone venue rather than integration into the War Museum. The decision redirected resources toward military-focused exhibits and contributed to momentum for a new War Museum facility, which opened in 2005 without a gallery. Veterans viewed the outcome as a vindication of the institution's core purpose, while proponents expressed regret over lost opportunities for contextual education on genocide's impacts.

Criticisms of Representation and Institutional Practices

Veterans' organizations have criticized the Canadian War Museum for exhibits that portray Canadian soldiers committing atrocities, arguing such depictions unfairly tarnish their legacy without sufficient context. In May 2005, the Royal Canadian Legion opposed the inclusion of two paintings by Jon McNair depicting Canadian troops scalping prisoners in and mutilating German corpses in , with Legion president Joe Foster stating the artworks "do not represent the vast majority of Canadian soldiers" and demanding their removal from permanent display. Critics, including retired military leaders, have accused the museum of adopting an unbalanced representation of military campaigns, emphasizing civilian casualties and moral controversies over strategic necessities and achievements. During Subcommittee on Veterans Affairs hearings on May 9, 2007, General Paul Manson (Ret'd) testified that certain panels created a "false and damaging impression" by focusing on destruction without acknowledging the bombing campaign's role in crippling German industry and morale, describing the museum's stance as a "stubborn refusal to budge from its severely unbalanced position." This perspective aligns with broader veteran discontent, as evidenced by calls for boycotts in 2009 over perceived distortions in narratives. Institutional practices have drawn scrutiny for curatorial decisions that prioritize interpretive panels seen as revisionist, potentially reflecting academic influences skeptical of traditional military heroism. Witnesses in the hearings highlighted the museum's reluctance to revise factual errors or add context despite precedents, such as corrections to statistics, raising concerns about a of unyielding institutional interpretation over empirical balance. J.L. Granatstein has contextualized such issues within a national decline in education, attributing it partly to historians who de-emphasize operational narratives in favor of social themes, though he noted the museum's research arm under as a of rigorous scholarship. Academic critiques have focused on omissions in representation of roles, particularly women and racial minorities, arguing that exhibits reinforce gendered and ethnic biases by centering white male . A 2021 analysis of War I displays found curatorial choices underrepresenting diverse contributions, such as Indigenous and female participants, thereby perpetuating "racial and gendered tensions" in historical communication. Similarly, a 2020 review highlighted the "missing voice of women" in core galleries, suggesting inadequate coverage undermines broader historical accuracy and recruitment efforts for modern forces. These claims, often from institutional or progressive scholars, contrast with priorities on fidelity, illustrating tensions between inclusive mandates and primary-source-driven remembrance.

Role, Impact, and Reception

Mandate for Remembrance and Education

The Canadian War Museum, as an affiliate of the Canadian Museum of History, operates under a mandate established by the Museums Act to preserve and exhibit Canada's , placing particular emphasis on and remembrance. This legislative framework directs the museum to maintain collections exceeding 500,000 artifacts, 13,000,000 photographs, and extensive documents that document Canada's involvement in conflicts from the onward. Central to this mandate is the promotion of remembrance, which involves commemorating the sacrifices of Canadian service members through dedicated exhibits and programs that highlight personal stories of valor and loss. The museum's Memorial Hall, featuring the and inscriptions of key conflicts, serves as a focal point for reflection on Remembrance Day observances, attended annually by thousands including veterans and dignitaries. These efforts align with national commemorative practices, fostering a collective acknowledgment of military contributions without endorsing glorification of war itself. Education forms the complementary pillar, aiming to enhance public knowledge and critical understanding of military history's causes, conduct, and consequences to inform contemporary perspectives on peace and security. The museum delivers this through tailored programs, including online modules for schools on topics like the Wars and , reaching over 50,000 students annually via virtual and in-person sessions. Scholarly initiatives, such as research fellowships and public lectures, further support academic inquiry into military artifacts and archives, ensuring evidence-based interpretations that prioritize historical accuracy over ideological narratives. By integrating artifacts like uniforms from the and modern peacekeeping equipment, these educational components encourage analysis of strategic decisions and human costs, grounded in primary sources.

Achievements in Preserving Military Heritage

The Canadian War Museum stewards a national collection surpassing 500,000 artifacts documenting Canada's military engagements, including weapons, vehicles, uniforms, and personal effects from the First World War onward. These holdings are safeguarded via specialized conservation protocols, such as climate-controlled storage, pest management, and periodic inspections to mitigate degradation from environmental factors. Since 2005, the museum has successfully repatriated more than 200 military artifacts previously held in private collections or abroad, exemplified by the return of a 1918 German Maxim , thereby securing irreplaceable pieces of Canadian heritage for perpetual preservation and . Restoration initiatives highlight technical expertise, including the overhaul of a 1944 tank, which involved disassembling components, treating corrosion, and reassembling to reflect its combat-era condition without compromising authenticity. Similarly, in 1999, conservators restored five large plaster sculptures from the Canadian War Memorials collection for the "Canvas of War" , addressing structural weaknesses and surface damage accumulated over decades. The museum preserves a core of First World War war trophies, comprising enemy , mortars, and small arms obtained through official Allied programs, with many pieces integrated into permanent displays after cleaning and stabilization. Over 100 instances of —improvised soldier-crafted items from battlefield scrap— from the same era, plus dozens from the Second World War and later, are maintained to illustrate wartime ingenuity and resilience. Advancements in technology bolster preservation efforts; in 2024, acquisition of a portable spectrometer enabled non-destructive of artifacts, facilitating precise material identification for tailored conservation and provenance verification. Complementing this, ongoing of the research centre's 250,000 photographs and extensive archival materials minimizes handling risks while enhancing scholarly access to preserved records.

Public Engagement, Attendance, and Scholarly Influence

Since its opening on May 28, 2005, the Canadian War Museum has averaged approximately 500,000 visitors annually. In the 2023-2024 , on-site attendance totaled 975,000, including 643,000 paid visitors, surpassing pre-pandemic levels for paid entries but falling short of the 1,260,000 on-site target due to ongoing construction; peaks occurred in and during Remembrance Week. On November 11, 2023, the museum recorded 4,780 visitors amid events. Public engagement encompasses guided tours, virtual and in-person events, youth outreach, and volunteer programs. In 2023-2024, the museum hosted 49 partnership events and outreach initiatives, exceeding its target of 40, alongside 13 travelling exhibition openings that engaged over 5,900 visitors, such as the "The Ones We Met" display. Remembrance Week activities drew 564 youth participants in free programs, while initiatives like the Friends of the Canadian War Museum support volunteer-led discussions, lessons, and ceremonies for schools. The museum also offers public tours led by historians and maintains volunteer opportunities that enhance visitor interactions. Scholarly influence derives from the Military History Research Centre's collections of primary and secondary materials spanning Canada's colonial era to present, supporting peer-reviewed outputs and exhibitions. In 2023-2024, researchers recorded 209 interviews for the "In Their Own Voices" project, producing over 120 videos, and digitized 16,694 collection items for online access. The museum published two volumes in the Mercury Series and two in the Studies in Canadian series, alongside five episodes of the "Artifactuality" launched in June 2023. Affiliated historians, such as the late , have contributed to 17 documented research papers, influencing scholarship through archival access and events like the 2025 conference on and veterans' experiences. Museum experts provided hundreds of media consultations, including op-eds on topics like the 60th anniversary of .

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