Exhibitions and Galleries

Gallery 2 For Crown and Country

The South African and First World Wars, 1885-1931

Canada's contributions in these overseas wars led to a growing autonomy and international recognition, but at great cost.

Canada's sacrifices and contributions to the South African and First World Wars led to an increased sense of nationhood and to international recognition. However, the strain of war nearly tore the country apart. In this gallery, visitors enter an imperialistic setting marking the 1897 Diamond Jubilee. Canada was proud to be part of the British Empire and celebrated in its greatness. Despite intense debates over whether to support Britain's war in South Africa, Canada sent an overseas force. This decision marked an important change in Canadian military relations: Canada was now willing and able to support its allies by fighting in other countries.

In August 1914, the nations of Europe went to war. Canada, as a Dominion of the British Empire, was automatically involved, and young men across the country clamoured to enlist. The naïve optimism of 1914 was crushed under the weight of machine-gun firepower and massive artillery bombardments. Visitors encounter Canada's first battle at Second Ypres (April 1915) where poison chlorine gas was unleashed for the first time in the history of warfare. An interactive display allows visitors to see through a respirator into a case as it fills with gas.

On the home front, the shock of 6,000 casualties at Ypres reverberated through Canada. Most Canadians were galvanized by the terrible losses, demanding that the war be fought to the bitter end. However, there was a darker side to this unfettered patriotism: fear and anger drove Canadians to demand that German and Ukrainian Canadians be interned in isolated camps.

From the home front, the visitor returns to the trenches. A large model of the Western Front allows a birds-eye view of the trench system. Visitors can also walk through a full-scale trench reconstruction. Sandbags, barbed wire, dugouts, rats and trench soldiers greet the visitor; sound and light effects complete the experience.

Visitors move from the trench into the battle gallery that contains exhibitions relating to Vimy (April 1917) and the Somme, war in the air, and artillery. Overhead a reproduction Nieuport 17 fighter plane dominates the space. A film recounts the story of the Canadian storming of Vimy Ridge, examining its context and consequences in detail.

From this intense battle space, the visitor moves back to Canada, suffering under the weight of war effort. By 1917 the country was in crisis, and the gallery examines divisive events like conscription, the Halifax Explosion, naval warfare, and the experience of children.

From the home front, the visitor is confronted by the evocative, blasted landscape of Passchendaele. This full-scale reconstruction places the visitor on the battlefield, surrounded by shell craters, mud, shattered weapons and corpses. Beyond this is an exhibition on the experience of battle and medicine and war. From there, visitors pass through the Hundred Days campaign (August to November 1918), past evocative war art, an armoured car, and personal stories of Canadians in battle.

Finally, visitors explore the aftermath of the war through a film, which is supported by powerful artifacts that emphasize the impact of a death toll of nearly 60 000. Canada emerged from the First World War a grieving and divided country; but it was also proud and victorious, with a new standing in the world.