| The Battlefield Tours
Newsletter |
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Welcome to our first monthly newsletter - a vital source of information on what you can visit, see and do if you are traveling the world in the footsteps of the Men and Women who gave, and continue, to give for our freedom.
In our Newsletter, we will provide you with links to Museums, Interpretation Centres and Battlefield Sites as well as our organised tour schedules. We will also add links of sites to visit, museums, military bookstores, associations and all other relevant information at home and away.
We will also advise you of any events, ceremonies and special displays at museums that you may want to visit if you are planning a trip to the region in the future. This Newsletter will be a mine of current information and a method of finding out about those special, out of the way museums supported by private enthusiasts that are close to the battle sites. Many of you have already discovered some of the museums with us and may want to share memories and pictures.
Every month we will feature a different museum in a different country. These are museums that we have visited, enjoyed and wish to share the experience with you.
We hope to hear from you soon.
Kindest Regards,
Karen Kettle & Ian Cowan
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Canadian Museum at Adagem
The "Canada Museum" in Adagem, Belgium is one of the most memorable tributes to the Canadian role in the liberation of Europe that could be imagined. The museum presents the story of World War II as it was lived in Flanders.
The exhibits allow the visitor to understand the pain of defeat, the misery of occupation and the joy of liberation. The role of the Canadian troops is represented by photos, documents and life size panoramas of the battle for the Leopold Canal. There is an extensive collection of uniforms, badges, posters and artifacts from private collections. The curator Alex Martens has carefully researched all aspects of the story and the visitor will obtain a comprehensive view of the history of the area and the story of the liberation.
A magnificent new building houses the museum and the cafeteria and there are plans for further expansion of exhibits. The entire project was conceived by Alex Martens and Gilbert Van Landschoot. Mr. Van Landschoot, a prominent businessman built the museum with his own money as a thanks-offering to the people of Canada. His father, a member of the Belgian resistance was saved from a Gestapo roundup in September 1944 by the timely arrival of troops of the 4th Canadian Armoured Division. The
Canada Museum is his attempt to honour all those who endured the war and especially those who sacrificed their lives in the liberation of Belgium.
The museum is exceptional in every way. Mr. Van Landschoot is a timber merchant and he has used large oak beams and wood panelling to compliment the stone work and stained glass panels. This museum should be on every Canadian's priority list when visiting Europe. For information contact the museum at:
Fax 050/7171 32 or write Canada Museum, Heulendonk 21,
9991 Adegem-Maldegem.
Canadian Military History also has a limited supply of brochures available. |
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The Canadian Veterans
On May 2005, a dedicated group of individuals came together to honour all the men and women of Canada who have contributed to Canada's role in retaining our freedom, yesterday and today. Canadian Veterans' Hall of Honour Inc. are memorializing them in the Canada Veterans' Hall of Valour and the Canada Veterans' Book of Valour. Their sacrifices freed our British, European and Asian cousins from tyranny and dictatorship.
Accordingly all those veterans who received valour awards such as Military Medal (MM), Military Cross (MC), Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) , Distinguished Service Medal (DSM), Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM) , Distinguished Service Order (DSO), Distinguished Conduct Medal (DCM), George Cross (GC), George Medal (GM), Victoria Cross (VC) and other valour medals, are eligible to have their portraits and mini-biographies displayed in the Canada Veterans Hall of Valour on this website.
Also the parents of veterans, all of whom suffered in their own way, are also remembered. That is why, immediately below the veteran's portrait is a mini-biography stating the names of parents, place of birth (or enlistment), the citation (s) and any other relevant piece of information.
In addition to memorializing Canada's war veterans and their parents, their website www.canadaveteranshallofvalour.com will describe the horror of war in an interesting and exciting way by using computers and the internet.
Students and other young persons who access this website will see the youthful faces based on photos taken while these soldiers, sailors and airmen were still young. Beneath the portraits will be mini-biographies which will tell the stories of the horrors these young people faced.Our belief is that students and youth who learn about the sacrifices of Canadian veterans and the horrors of war, will be a major influence in ensuring that Canada will never again be involved in the horrors of a world war.
The plan is to memorialize, by other means, all those heroic veterans who faced painful death and dismemberment, but did not receive valour awards.The first of several stages is to display, on this website, the portraits of 800 veterans who received valour awards. Later stages will add mini-biographies beneath each portrait and will also add hundreds more portraits and mini-biographies.
Location:
Old Town Hall
267 Edmund St.
Carleton Place ON.
K7C 3E8
Tel: 613 257 2395
For other enquiries, you can send an email to:
info@canadaveteranshallofvalour.com
www.canadianveteranshallofvalour.com
President: Mr. Robert B. Campbell
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 The Maple Leaf Legacy
Initially begun as a Millenium Project by Steve Douglas, a Canadian who now resides in Ieper, the aim or the mission of the project is to photograph or obtain a photograph of every Canadian War Grave of the 20th Century and made freely available on the projects website www.mapleleaflegacy.org
Initially begun as a Millenium Project by Steve Douglas, a Canadian who now resides in Ieper, the aim or the mission of the project is to photograph or obtain a photograph of every Canadian War Grave of the 20th Century and made freely available on the projects website www.mapleleaflegacy.org
Most of the families and friends of Canada's war dead have never visited and will probably never be able to visit the graves due to distance, health or expense. By taking, or having pictures taken of each site, the Legacy has become a permanent addition to the National Archives of Canada, and a permanent photographic inventory of Canada's War Graves for generations to come.
The project relies solely on the kind assistance of hundreds
of volunteers and sponsors around the world to get photographs
or to donate to keep the work in progress. |
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FRANCE
1914-1918
Somme Trench Museum, Albert
We highly recommend this museum as our previous tour participants have enjoyed it tremendously.
The Somme Trench Museum has been set into a series of underground shelters that were used by the local people on many occasions to shelter from invaders. The last time they were used for this poupose was during the Second World War.
The museum is devoted to The First World War as the town and region suffered greatly during that terrible conflict. As you drive around northern France, in particular The Somme, The Aisne, The Nord and The Pas de Calais ( also known as departements or counties/provinces) you cannot help but be reminded of the slaughter that took place in this part of France. A plethora of cemeteries and memorials have been built to honour those who died here.
To get to the museum you need to drive into Albert's town centre. The entrance to the museum is easy to find as it is right by the Basilica, which cannot be missed from miles around. It has a golden dome with a golden Mary and Child on its summit. Inside the museum there is a series of displays set behind glass in alcoves depicting trench life for the soldiers on both sides. When studying the displays you should notice the evolution of weponry used and uniforms worn. Lessons were learned and these were improved during WWI.
You step into daylight and find yourself in our museum shop and dining-cum-conference area. Here you can purchase refreshments, eat packaged lunches, buy books, films and WWI memorabilia, all part of the Iron Harvest that the fields turn up on a regular basis. If you have time, you can watch a documentary film on the event of WWI on the large screen provided for this purpose . If the weather is fine, the park is worth a visit too.
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Ortona Military Museum
Probaby the most important Museum to visit for Canadian's in Italy as it is dedicated to the Battle of Ortona, (December 20th, 1943 to December 28th, 1943) which was a small, yet extremely fierce battle, fought between German Fallschirmjager (Paratroops) of the German 1st Parachute Divsion under General Leutenant Richard Heidrich, and assaulting Canadian forces from the 1st Canadian Infantry Division under Major General Chris Vokes. It was the culmination of the fighting on the Adriatic front in Italy during "Bloody December".
The battle, dubbed "Little Stalingrad" for the deadliness of its close-quarters combat, took place in the small Adriatic Sea town of Ortona, with its peacetime population of 10,000.
The Museum is located in the town centre at the Public Library of Ortona. The opening times however, are somewhat hazy, therefore, before visiting it would be a good idea to contact Eva Borromea eva0121@hotmail.it as she is the curator. It would also be a good idea to visit this interesting museum before a walking tour of the town and many exhibitions, visuals and artifacts have been added on since opening.
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The Churchill Lecture Series
The Churchill Lecture Series, sponsored by Military History, returns for another year at the Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms.
Hugh Lunghi, Churchill's interpreter at the Yalta and Tehran conferences, will open the series on 21 October 2008 where he will share his observations of 'The Big Three' - Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt.
Alison Holmes looks at 25 years of Anglo-American relations in her lecture on 12 March 2009, entitled, 'Iconic Relationships and Transatlantic Affairs'. Renowned historian of the First World War and Professor of War Studies at the University of Birmingham, Gary Sheffield puts the spotlight in his lecture on Churchill's period of office as Minister of Munitions. 'Churchill the Unsinkable Politician' will be held on 7 April 2009.
The close of this years series will be with a lecture by Lord David Owen, based on his most recent book In Sickness and In Power: Illness in Heads of Government During the Last 100 Years will take place on 5 May 2009, entitled 'In Sickness and In Power: Winston Churchill and Franklin Roosevelt'. Tickets are £15 and £12 for concessions. Doors open from 6.30pm with lectures beginning promptly at 7.00 pm. Call us for more details: 1-800-265-2187
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Upcoming Tours:
2009
65th Anniversary of D-Day - June 3rd - 13th, 2009
The Italian Campaign - Sept. 21st - Oct. 2nd, 2009
Russian Front - Sept. 20th - Oct. 2nd, 2009
Remembrance Battlefield Tour - Nov. 1st - 11th, 09
For detailed itineraries, please visit us at:
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For information please contact:
Karen Kettle or Ian Cowan
Carlson Wagonlit Travel Source
101 Duncan Mill Road, Suite 305, Toronto, ON Canada M3B 1Z3
Phone: 416-449-0931 Toll Free: 1-800-265-2817 Fax: 416-449-9965
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