Birthday of a Municipal Armoury

A couple of days ago James Neeley at The Peterborough Examiner published an interesting piece on the centenary of Peterborough, Ontario's municipal armoury. Constructed in 1908 as part of an armoury building boom in the years before the First World War, the armoury has been the home for thousands of militia soldiers over the decades. Perhaps as many as sixteen units have been housed in the building during the past century as it has played - and continues to play - its role in training soldiers and contributing to Canadian military history.

History of Toronto's Warriors' Day Parade

John C. Hymers, a member of The Warriors' Day Parade Council recently e-mailed me about the 87th Annual Warriors' Day Parade, to be held at the Canadian National Exhibition in Toronto, Ontario, on 16 August 2008 with the theme "Saluting Our Veterans, Supporting Our Troops". Details on the parade can be found at the parade website.

This is an event with a long history, dating back to the first parade in 1921. In fact, the website contains extensive information on - and links to - the history of the event. The salute on the first parade was taken by none other than Lord Byng of Vimy, then Governor General of Canada. There are pages dedicated to significant events in the parade and an overall historical background to the parade.

Upcoming Canadian Museum of Civilization Lecture

The next presentation in the Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation Internal Brown Bag Speaker Series will feature Pamela Peacock, from Queen's University, speaking on "Redcoats and Petticoats: Interpreting the Lives and Work of Women within a British Garrison at Fort Henry National Historic Site". The talk will take place on Thursday, 13 March 2008, at 12.00-1.00 p.m., in the Cascades Salon, Canadian Museum of Civilization, 100, rue Laurier, Gatineau, Quebec. For further information you can contact Rhonda Hinther, Curator, Western Canadian History, at rhonda.hinther@civilization.ca

19th Military History Colloquium at the University of Waterloo

The call for papers for the 19th Military History Colloquium has been issued by the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies, the Department of History of the University of Waterloo, and the Department of History of St. Jerome's University. This year's conference will be held at the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, from 1 to 3 May 2008. The topics for proposals can range widely through the breadth of Canadian military history and can cover all aspects of the subject. All scholars are welcome to submit proposals for papers, but grad students and recent grads are "especially encouraged to submit". One-page proposals should be submitted to Mike Bechthold via e-mail at mbechthold@wlu.ca by fax at 519-886-5057 or by snail mail at the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario. The deadline for proposals is 22 February 2008.

3rd Windsor Military Studies Conference

There has been a change to one of the presentations at this conference (Hayes vice Copp), so I'm posting a revised version:

The 3rd Windsor Military Studies Conference is to be held at the Major F.A. Tilson, VC Armoury, 4007 Sandwich Street, Windsor, Ontario, on 15-16 February 2008.

Dr. Desmond Morton will begin the conference with the keynote address on "The Final 100 Days". Dr. Geoffrey Hayes will speak on "Rethinking Vimy Ridge: 90 Years On", while Dr. Susan Mann will deliver "War and the Making of Maj Margaret Macdonald". Switching gears, Lieutenant-Colonel David L. Bashow will speak on "The Canadian War Museum and the Bomber Command Controversy" and Major Ron Miller will lead a panel discussion on "Current Canadian Operations".

McCrae House Lecture Series for 2008

This year's McCrae House Lecture Series is titled "1917-1918: Looking Back on the Decisive Years of World War One after Ninety Years" and includes three presentations:

24 January at 7.30 p.m., Andrew Iarocci, Canadian War Museum, presenting "The Hundred Days: Ordinary Soldiers in the 1918 Victory Offensives";

21 February at 7.30 p.m., Terry Copp, Wilfrid Laurier University, presenting "Robert Borden, Arthur Currie and Canada's War 1916-1918"; and

27 March at 7.30 p.m., Mark Humphries, University of Western Ontario,
presenting "Canadians and the Great Influenza Pandemic of 1918: Myths and Reality".

All three presentations will be held at McCrae House, 108 Water Street, Guelph, Ontario.

Upcoming lecture on the latest tour of HMCS TORONTO

The Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies is hosting a talk by Commander Stephen Virgin, commanding officer of HMCS Toronto, titled "Recent Deployments of HMCS Toronto and Canada's Naval Activities Overseas", on Wednesday, 16 January 2008, at 7.00 p.m., at the Laurier Centre, Wilfrid Laurier University, 232 King Street, Kitchener, Ontario. HMCS Toronto recently returned to Canada after five months deployed on anti-terrorism duties in the Mediterranean Sea and having conducted a circumnavigation of Africa with Standing NATO Maritime Group 1.

Western Front Association Pacific Coast Branch's AGM and Seminar

This past week Peter Broznitsky announced on the Canadian Expeditionary Force Study Group the programme for the the Western Front Association Pacific Coast Branch's Annual General Meeting and Seminar, 7-9 March 2008, to be held at the Officers' Mess, The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's), Bay Street Armoury, Victoria, British Columbia.

The programme begins with a social function at the mess, before proceeding to the annual general meeting. Papers on Canadian military history (there are also several non-Canadian subject lectures) to be presented include: Peter Broznitsky's "Forestry, Pioneer, and Railway Troops in the C.E.F." and Yvonne van Ruskenveld's "Canadian Women on Active Service in the Great War". In addition, the keynote speaker is Norman Leach, who will speak on "The Making of 'Passchendaele': The Movie". There will also be a mess dinner, a silent auction, and other opportunities for discussion.

Book launch for new biography of General HDG Crerar

The University of Toronto Press will be conducting a book launch for Paul Douglas Dickson's much awaited A Thoroughly Canadian General: A Biography of General H.D.G. Crerar on Thursday, 25 October, at Nicholas Hoare Books, 419 Sussex Street, in Ottawa, Ontario. Attendees are asked to RSVP to awilson@utpress.utoronto.ca.

The catalogue entry for the book notes:

General H.D.G. 'Harry' Crerar (1888-1965) was involved in or directly responsible for many of the defining moments of Canadian military history in the twentieth century. In the First World War, Crerar was nearly killed at the second battle of Ypres, was a gunner who helped to secure victory at Vimy Ridge, and was a senior staff officer during the pivotal battles of the last Hundred Days. During the Second World War, he occupied and often defined the Canadian army's senior staff and operational appointments, including his tenure as commander of First Canadian Army through the northwest European campaign.

Despite his pivotal role in shaping the Canadian army, however, General Crerar has been long overlooked as a subject of biography. In A Thoroughly Canadian General, Paul Douglas Dickson examines the man and his controversial place in Canadian military history, arguing that Crerar was a nationalist who saw the army as an instrument to promote Canadian identity and civic responsibility. From his days as a student at the Royal Military College in Kingston, to his role as primary architect of First Canadian Army, the career of General H.D.G. Crerar is thoroughly examined with a view to considering and reinforcing his place in the history of Canada and its armed forces."

Henry Roper, with The Chronicle Herald (Halifax), has published a review in that paper of Dickson's biography of Crerar.

West Point Summer Seminar in Military History

Prof. Mark Grimsley, over at the Blog Them Out of the Stone Age military history blog, has posted on the West Point Summer Seminar in Military History for 2008. This seminar, scheduled for 4 to 25 June 2008 at West Point, is "designed to help scholars increase their understanding of the study of war and military history." Although primarily directed in terms of content towards the American audience, the seminar's organizers definitely encourage applicants from around the world. The goal of the seminar is to advance "the field of academic military history by educating and training educators in the field of Western military history. Upon completion of the seminar, fellows are prepared to return to their home institutions and develop or enhance a program in the study of military history." Targeted at both faculty and advanced graduate students, the seminar combines lectures, seminars, and staff rides. Further details and an application form can be found on the seminar's web page.

Upcoming military history in museums lecture

Dr. Steve Muhlberger, history professor at Nipissing University (and a former prof of mine at Trent University nearly twenty years ago - I'm feeling kinda old all of a sudden), has posted notice for an upcoming lecture on his blog "Muhlberger's Early History", the information courtesy of Dr. Robin Gendron. On Thursday, 22 November, Dr. Dean Oliver, chief historian at the Canadian War Museum, will present "Bloodless Wars? Military History in Museums" at Nipissing history department's annual keynote address. Steve notes that Dean "...will be speaking about the challenges involved in presenting history and historical research at public institutions, a particularly germane topic given the controversy at the museum this past summer about its portrayal of the strategic bombing campaign against German during the Second World War." Admission to the talk is free, is open to the public, and will take place at 6.30 p.m. in room H106.

Symposium on Niagara's Military Past and Present

The Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies is advertising a symposium on "Niagara's Military Past & Present" to be held on 9-10 November 2007 at the Lake Street Armouries, 81 Lake Street, St. Catharines, Ontario. Scheduled speakers include:

Terry Copp, Wilfrid Laurier University, "Cinderella Army: The Canadians in Northwest Europe, 1944-45";

John Grodzinski, The Royal Military College of Canada, "Men of Good Character and Intelligence: The Lincoln Militia in the War of 1812";

Russell Johnston and Michael Ripmeester, Brock University, "A Monument's Work is Never Done: The Watson Memorial, Memory and Forgetting in a Small Canadian City";

Mark Humphries, University of Western Ontario, "The Tunnels of Vimy"; and

Geoffrey Hayes, University of Waterloo, "The Battle for Bergen-op-Zoom, October 1944".

Further information can be requested from Geoffrey Hayes, (519)-888-4567 ext. 35138 and ghayes@uwaterloo.ca or Captain Chris White, (905)-685-6777 ext. 3531 and white.fcu@forces.gc.ca.

Upcoming lecture on the Bomber Command Controversy at the CWM

The Brigadier Milton F. Gregg Centre for the Study of War and Society has announced an upcoming Remembrance Week Public Lecture by Dr. Serge Durflinger, Department of History, University of Ottawa, and former Second World War Gallery Manager at the Canadian War Museum, entitled "Bomber Campaign Controversy at the Canadian War Museum: Context and Perspective". This talk will take place in Tilley Hall, Room 102, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, at 7.30 p.m. on 7 November 2007. For further information, contact the centre at (506)-453-4587 or greggcentre@unb.ca.

"Women, Armies, and Wars" international colloquium

The Saint-Jean campus of The Royal Military College of Canada, in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, is hosting an international colloquium called "Women, Armies, and Wars" / « Les femmes, les armées et les guerres » on 8-9 November.

The Maple Leaf / la feuille d'érable notes:

This multidisciplinary meeting will have speakers from various fields of expertise and background experience, Canadian and European militaries, as well as Canadian, European and African researchers, who will present papers on a common theme, the place, role, and experience of women within armed forces or in armed conflict.

[...] Le colloque réunira des participants et des conférenciers issue de disciplines et de champs d'expérience variés. Des militaires canadiens et européens ainsi que des chercheurs canadiens, européens et africains deront des présentations sur la place, sur le rôle et sur l'expérience des femmes au sein des armées ou en temps de guerre.

Among the papers to be presented are a few specifically focusing on Canadian military history, including:

BGen Christine T. Whitecross, Commander Joint Task Force North / Commandante de la Force opérationelle interarmées (Nord), "Women in the Military - A Personal Perspective";

Karen Davis, Canadian Forces Leadership Institute / Institut de leadership des Forces canadiennes, "Public Discourse and the Warrior Paradigm: Canadian Casualties in Afghanistan, 2006"; and

Major Heather Macquarrie, Directorate of Human Rights and Diversity / Direction des droits de la personne et diversité, DND / MND, "Gender Integration in the Canadian Forces, 1970-2007".

Canadian military history - live!

Alright, so I usually post about what someone, somewhere has written or spoken about or recorded about some aspect of Canadian military history. Sometimes, however, I get to experience a little bit of that heritage first hand. Until recently I was the curator of the regimental museum of The Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa. I'm still the regimental historian of the Camerons and a member of the regimental association. All that said, today marked the turning of another page in the 150-year history of the regiment ("A" Company was formed in 1856, the regiment in 1881) when a change of command ceremony was held on the field outside of Ottawa City Hall, next to the Cartier Square Drill Hall, the home of the regiment for its entire history. This was Lieutenant-Colonel Bud Walsh's last day as commanding officer, after more than three years at the helm. Succeeding LCol Walsh was Major Boyd Aitken, the thirty-eighth commanding officer of the regiment since 1881.

The rain held off on a cloudy day here in Ottawa. The ceremony was well-conducted and very emotional but, unfortunately, rather sparsely attended. The Mayor of Ottawa, Mr. Larry O'Brien, was in attendance, however, as an honoured guest of the regiment. Any opportunity to further cement the position of the Camerons as "Ottawa's Regiment" is always a good thing. I've uploaded some photos to my Flickr account. Give them a look.

New books at Library and Archives Canada

Library and Archives Canada (www.collectionscanada.ca) has released its new books lists for August and September 2007. The lists include the following items of interest (including some that have not yet been released for sale) with respect to Canadian military history:

Coreen Atkins, In Our Defense: The Veterans and Military Heritage of Historic Osgoode Township (Vernon, ON, 2007);

Matthew Bin, On Guard for Thee: Canadian Peacekeeping Missions (Toronto, 2007);

Bob Blakeley, The Civilian Soldier: A Complete History of the Norfolk Militia 1796-2007 (Waterford, ON, 2007);

Howard Coombs, The Insubordinate and the Noncompliant: Case Studies of Canadian Mutiny and Disobedience, 1920 to Present (Toronto, 2007);

Sylvia Crooks, Homefront & Battlefront: Nelson BC in World War II (Vancouver, 2007);

Fred Doucette, Empty Casing: A Soldier's Memoir of Sarajevo under Siege (Vancouver, 2008);

Suzanne K. Edwards, Gus: From Trapper Boy to Air Marshal (Renfrew, ON, 2007);

Harry L. Gill, Hurricane Pilot: The Wartime Letters of W.O. Harry L. Gill, DFM, 1940-1943 (Fredericton, 2007);

Lance Goddard, Hell and High Water: Canada and the Italian Campaign (Toronto, 2007);

Dianne Graves, In the Midst of Alarms: The Untold Story of Women in the War of 1812 (Montreal, 2007);

Larry Gray, Canadians in the Battle of the Atlantic (Edmonton, 2007);

Joseph T. Jockel, Canada in NORAD, 1957-2007: A History (Kingston, 2007);

P. Whitney Lackenbauer, R. Scott Sheffield and Craig Leslie Mantle (Eds.), Aboriginal Peoples and Military Participation: Canadian and International Perspectives (Winnipeg, 2007);

Chris Lambie, On Assignment in Afghanistan: The Day-to-Day Life of Maritimers at War (Halifax, 2007);

Eric McGeer, Valediction and Remembrance: Canadian Epitaphs of the Second World War (St. Catharines, ON, 2007);

Pat McNorgan (Ed.), 402 "City of Winnipeg" Squadron History (Winnipeg, 2007);

Kevin Patterson and E. Jane Warren, Outside the Wire: The War in Afghanistan in the Words of its Participants (Toronto, 2007); and

Graeme F. Somerville, With Steadfast Remembrance: A Commemoration of the Twelve Men from the Former Communities of Armstrongs Corner, Clones, Fowler's Corner, New Jerusalem and Olinville (Communities that were taken up by Canadian Forces Base Gagetown) who gave their lives in the Service of Canada (St. John, NB, 2007).

Fall 2007 sessions of the Military History Speakers' Series

The Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies of Wilfrid Laurier University and the Department of History of the University of Waterloo have cooperated to announce a handful of sessions for this fall in their Military History Speakers' Series.

Katharine McGowan, University of Waterloo, will speak on Thursday, 18 October, at 7.00 p.m., on "Rethinking the Boer War: Sam Steele and the Strathcona's Horse in South Africa." This presentation will be held at 232 King Street at Wilfrid Laurier University (across the from the Athletic Complex).

At 7.00 p.m. on Thursday, 1 November, MGen Tim Grant, Deputy Commander, CEFCOM HQ, will speak at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (formerly the Seagram Museum), 57 Erb St. W., Waterloo, on "Reflections of a Senior Commander in Afghanistan".

Paul Dickson, Centre for Operational Research and Analysis, Department of National Defence, will speak on Thursday, 22 November, at 7.00 p.m., at 232 King Street, on "General HDG Crerar and an Army for Strategic Effect".

On Thursday, 6 December, at 7.00 p.m. at the same location Tim Cook, Canadian War Museum, will speak on "Storm Troops: The Canadian Corps and the 1917 Battles".

For more information on this series contact Geoffrey Hayes (ghayes@uwaterloo.ca) or Mike Bechthold (mbechthold@wlu.ca).

I have returned

Finally, I'm back. Well, okay, I've been back from France since Sunday night, but time with my family and time decompressing (not to mention readjusting to this time zone) has meant I had no opportunity to blog until now.

It was an incredibly busy couple of weeks overseas. My first six days, from the 2nd through the 6th, revolved around the case of Private Herbert Peterson, 49th Battalion, CEF - the discovery of his remains (and those of his fellow, as yet unidentified, soldier), an examination of the battlefield on which he died, his funeral service and interment in La Chaudière Military Cemetery south of the city of Avion. I spent a lot of time at the site where his remains were found, attempting to piece together the circumstances of what had happened to the two Canadians. It wasn't easy and I'm not entirely happy with the results. Urban sprawl (although it was the cause of the discovery), continued industrial expansion (there's a huge coal slag in the midst of the 49th Battalion's battlefield), 1917 maps which don't necessarily agree with one another, and 1917 narratives which also conflict with the ground all combine to confuse the situation. Nonetheless, there is everything to be said for seeing the ground upon which the history is written in order to gain the best possible understanding of what happened. Walking along the still-evident trench line - what I believe is the final objective of the battalion that night - and the communication trench with which it intersects - left an amazing impression. Over the next few days I revisited the site several times for media interviews and filming by a documentary crew (I told them I have a face for radio, but nobody listened). I also had the honour of meeting with the family of Private Peterson at the site, as they wanted to know what I could tell them about where Peterson had died, and under what circumstances.

April 7th revolved around the actual funeral for Peterson. It began at the tiny Saint Louis Chapel within the walls of the Citadel in the city of Arras. There, a private funeral service was held by the family, with VIPs invited. A few others, like myself and other members of the team who identified Peterson, were also fortunate enough to attend. It was an incredible setting and a very moving ceremony. The casket was then placed back in the hearse for the journey to La Chaudière Military Cemetery. The interment ceremony at the cemetery was also extremely well attended, with VIPs, a veterans' contingent, the entire Canadian Forces' contingent from the Vimy commemorations, media, and the public on site. Again, another very moving ceremony. I understand that seeing Peterson placed in the cemetery provided a sense of closure for his family, and for me as well. Having him buried in a cemetery alongside fourteen other members of the 49th killed that night seems to set some cosmic sense of balance right.

I missed the Freedom of the City ceremony on April 8 in the city of Arras. I needed to prepare (cram, if you like) for battlefield tours which DND historians were tasked with carrying out of the Vimy Ridge battlefield for members of the CF contingent. I hadn't originally been assigned this duty, but I was asked to help out, and was certainly eager to do so. I was comfortable with the prospect having helped carry out battlefield tours in the Netherlands in 2005.

April 9th was the big day for the commemorative activity - the main event - at the Vimy Memorial. Broadcast coast to coast, I'm sure I don't need to say much about what happened. My only role was as a spectator, and was just glad to be there for the event.

I carried out two battlefield tours on April 11. The full tour - designed by Steve Harris and Jean Morin from the Directorate of History and Heritage - lasted about six hours and stretched from the 1st Division memorial to the south to Notre Dame de Lorette in the north. Tour stops included the 1st Division memorial, the artillery memorial, Arras Road Military Cemetery, the centre of the artillery concentration (near La Targette), the 3rd Division memorial, the trenches and tunnels in the Vimy Memorial Park, the Vimy Memorial, a drive around the pimple, Notre Dame de Lorette French military cemetery, Cabaret Rouge Military Cemetery, and the Neuville St. Vaast German military cemetery. A long day, but well worth it, and I think the troops got a lot out of it. If nothing else, we were able to impress upon them that the battle was more than just the fight for Hill 145, and was a varied and complex operation very much worth our attention. Jean carried this tour out on four occasion, Steve twice. Steve also led two tours to Dieppe, one of which I was fortunate enough to go on.

I finally had a break on the 12th and an opportunity to go off on my own (albeit without a car). I hopped a lift on the tour bus to Vimy to near La Chaudière where I visited the cemetery and took photos of Peterson's now installed headstone and grass-covered grave. Then I walked along the road to Givenchy-en-Gohelle and up the north end of the ridge to the Vimy Memorial. Along the way I wandered down the path to the Givenchy-en-Gohelle Military Cemetery, a small site but one with several members of the 38th Battalion, CEF, whose history I am writing in my spare time. I was finally able to spend some time at the Vimy Memorial itself, pretty much only having seen it from afar up to this point. I also had a chance to visit Canadian Cemetery No. 2 and Givenchy Road Cemetery before getting a ride back to our location in Lille.

All in all, it was an incredible experience, something my words might fail to convey.

Vimy, Vimy, Vimy

Not surprisingly, as the 90th anniversary of the Canadian attack on Vimy Ridge approaches, news about publications and ceremonies are coming fast and furious. Here are some of those I know of:

The book, Vimy Ridge: A Canadian Reassessment, edited by Geoffrey Hayes, Andrew Iarocci and Mike Bechthold has been published. The Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies is inviting anyone interested to the official book launch on Monday, 9 April, at 7.00 p.m., in the Senate and Board Chamber, Wilfrid Laurier University. As the press release notes, the book "began with the premise that there was still much more to learn about the Battle of Vimy Ridge. The collection offers new insights on the battle with articles by" Mike Bechthold, Michael Boire, Patrick Brennan, David Campbell, Tim Cook, Serge Durflinger, Paul Dickson, Andrew Godefroy, Jacqueline Hucker, Mark Humphries, Andrew Iarocci, Heather Moran, Bill Rawling, Gary Sheffield and Jonathan Vance. The launch will also incorporate brief presentations by Bechthold, Hayes, Humphries, Iarocci and Moran.

The Department of History, University of Regina, and the Humanities Research Institute are presenting "Vimy Ridge: Interpreting the Battle 90 Years Later" on Monday, 9 April, at 7.30 p.m., in the Language Institute Theatre (LI 215), University of Regina. As the release states: "The Canadian Corps captured Vimy Ridge on Easter Monday 9 April 1917. This coming Easter Monday, the 90th anniversary of the battle, two historians examine the significance of this pivotal event in the evolution of Canada as a nation." Dr. Ian Germani will speak on "The Military Significance of Vimy Ridge" and Dr. James M. Pitsula on "The Cultural Significance of Vimy Ridge".

The media is reporting that a special ceremony marking the 90th anniversary will be held at Queen's Park, the Ontario legislature in Toronto, beginning at 9.45 a.m. at the Veterans' Memorial Wall, located in front of the legislature. The event will include two minutes of silence, the playing of the last post and speeches by Premiere Dalton McGuinty and others.

Amongst all of the various activities going on in Ottawa on Easter weekend (see the Veterans Affairs Canada and Canadian War Museum websites) one seemingly unique ceremony will take place on the evening of Sunday, 8 April. The media is reporting that at 7.30 p.m. the lights surrounding the National War Memorial will be turned off and an overnight vigil will be mounted to honour those who served at Vimy. The names of the nearly 3,600 men killed in the battle will be projected in light on the walls of the memorial until sunrise the next morning and photographs of at least eighty soldiers who survived the Vimy battle will also be projected on the side of the memorial. A simulcast of the event will be hosted on the project's website.

I'm sure there's much more to come.

Afghanistan: A Glimpse of War

I had an opportunity today, fortunate that I am to live in Ottawa (you don't hear that phrase too often), to visit the Canadian War Museum. The main purpose of my visit was to take a look at the new "Afghanistan: A Glimpse of War" exhibit. As the CWM's brochure puts it: "This powerful exhibition goes beyond the headlines to capture Canada's participation in the international security mission in Afghanistan. Detailing Canada's efforts to help Afghans rebuild a country shattered by years of war, this exhibition uncovers personal stories drawn from the chaos of battle and the struggle for peace."

The exhibition was interesting, although not particularly informative for me. In the CWM's defence on that count - I'm sure I'm not their target audience, i.e. someone keeping up with Canadian Forces' operations in Afghanistan as much as time will allow. The exhibition does a good job of outlining Canada's involvement in Afghanistan since 9/11 and would, therefore, be excellent for the visitor who is interested, but hasn't kept up with the news on Canadian activities there.

It is artefact minimal, in the sense that there isn't a lot on display aside from newspaper pages, video clips, and graphic artwork. That is partly a reflection, in my opinion, of modern museum style (a style that goes way beyond the CWM), and undoubtedly a reflection of the difficulty in coming up with many items from a conflict so recent (and ongoing). That said, it was very interesting to see the .50 calibre sniper rifle Canadian troops are currently using to such great effect (it's a very impressive piece of kit) and a destroyed G-Wagen.

All in all, a very interesting display, and one well worth seeing.

A few of the events coming up at the Canadian War Museum in April and May include:

Terry Copp speaking on "The Art of Command", "...the challenges faced in 1944-45 by Lieutenant-General Guy Simonds, best known for his role in the liberation of Northwest Europe", at 7.00 p.m. on April 26 in the Barney Danson Theatre;

A performance of "No Man's Land: On July 1, 1916, a generation of Newfoundland's best and brightest was virtually wiped out at the battle of Beaumont Hamel. Witness this moving play and discover why this July morning will never be forgotten", at 8.00 p.m. on both April 27 and 28 in the Barney Danson Theatre;

Mark Ward speaking on "Honouring an Unlucky Lady: HMCS Athabaskan", recounting his 2003 scuba dive "in the English Channel to his grandfather's submerged gravesite. He will discuss the mysterious Second World War sinking of Canada's HMCS Athabaskan", at 7.00 p.m. on May 10 in the Barney Danson Theatre; and

Stephen Thorne speaking on "War Stories from Afghanistan", discussing how he "photographed Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan from 2002 to 2004. His work reveals his encounters with human stories of loss, conflict and reconstruction in Canada's most recent chapter of military history", at 7.00 p.m. on May 24 in the Barney Danson Theatre.