NIAGARA MILITARY MUSEUM EXHIBITS: The Armoury, Niagara Falls, ON

On Exhibit at

NIAGARA MILITARY MUSEUM NIAGARA MILITARY MUSEUM 5049 Victoria Avenue, Niagara Falls, On L2E 4E2 Telephone (905) 358-1949 Email: niamilmuseum@gmail.com

AIR FORCE

Vern Larson

Collection includes air projectiles, parachutes, photos of planes & models, including Gordon Greig’s model of Johnny Johnston’s Spitfire, uniforms, flight suits and equipment, warrants and other documents.

Learn about the aircrew of the DK259 Halifax bomber, which crashed in Boekelo, Holland. Two of the crew were killed, the pilot evaded capture and the remaining four crew were captured as POWs till war end.

Niagara Falls’ Major Clarence Hovey, tail gunner, was imprisoned in Stalag Luft III, home of The Great Escape.

Learn about Reginald Myers, RCAF and his war bride Stella.

Clarence Hovey

Reginald and Stella Meyers

ARMY

ARMY: A gallery dedicated to Canadian army infantry.

Available for view are ammunition belts, bandoleers and other carriers, gas masks and accessories, Gerry cans, helmets, projectiles, trench art, uniforms, webbing, PPCLI display, emergency shelter, radio sets, photos, maps and documents. Follow the story of Pte. Berkley Mitchell who died in service and view the Memorial Cross sent to his wife.

Ammunition Carriers Gas Masks

Helmets

Gas Masks Trench Art

The Arsenal: Located in the former military arsenal room of the Armoury, the collection features weapons including firearms, muskets, flare guns, swords, and knives.

ARTILLERY The Artillery collection features stories and artefacts highlighting the 10th Battery and 56th Field Artillery Regiment, and others. Projectiles, fuses and casings, and the Artillery Hockey Team in England can be viewed.

Uniforms on display include service dress winter and summer, parade dress, No. 2 (mess) dress, forage cap, épaulettes, collars and cuffs. Field artillery tools of the trade - charts, Fenian Raid of 1866 Display pencils, plotting pins and protractors – including a Christmas dinner menu autographed in the field. View the Welland Canal Field Battery display about the Fenian Raid of 1866 and the battle at Fort Erie.

10th Battery and 56th Field Artillery Regiment Aterfacts

BLACK MILITARY HISTORY

John Bright MM

James Grant MM

The exhibit features personal stories of real people. It examines periods dating from the American Revolutionary War and War of 1812, the Coloured Corps, No. 2 Construction Battalion in the First World War, the Second World War, Korea to present. St. Catharine’s James Grant was the first Black Canadian awarded the Military Medal for bravery in the field, followed by John Bright of Fort Erie.

Biographies of the service of many soldiers from the Niagara region are featured.

"C" Force - The Hong Kong Story The exhibit features information on the volunteers who came from the Niagara Peninsula, the story of the Canadian troops going to Hong Kong, the battle, the POW camps, the liberation and the trip home.

Story from panel #8 LIBERATION

“C” Force – The Hong Kong Story is the result of Eugene Labiuk’s sevenyear research effort and is the culmination of a joint effort of Niagara Military Museum and the extensive research of Eugene Labiuk.

The 10 panel display is available as a traveling exhibit free to schools.

Details can be found at the end of this presentation.

On exhibit until March 19, 2022

NAVY Models of the HMCS Haida, the HMCS Woodstock and Corvettes are showcased along with photos of various other ships named for local Cities in our region. The service of locals is emphasised. Vernon Rae Ward’s story is followed as is the Bergman family. Local Niagara dentists, the Bergman family, enlisted in all service branches: George in the Navy, Capt.

Robert (Bob) in the Army and F/Sgt. Bill (Identical twin brother of Bob) was in the Air Force.

A collection from former chief petty officer Dave Hastings is also on display with various naval memorabilia.

V. Rae Ward

WAR OF 1812 The Archives of Ontario former traveling exhibit “War of 1812” is now an online exhibit. Niagara Military Museum is now home to the five-panel display which covers The War of 1812, Queenston Heights and Brock’s monument, supplying Upper Canada, soldiers and civilians, and loyalty and treason. Building on the panels, photos, artefacts and other information are displayed in the exhibit room. This exhibit showcases some of the personalities and locations that played a role in the war and explores the events of that conflict. The online display can be found here: http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/explore/travelling/documents/war-of-1812.pdf

PAST EXHIBITS

The Armoury: Ukrainian Internment and Detention Barracks Examines prisoners held in Niagara Falls Armoury between 1914-1918. The Armoury was a temporary holding facility for prisoners taken at the border crossings. It served as a registration depot and internment camp for AustroHungarians alien enemies, mostly Ukrainians, under the War Measures Act, 22 August 1914.

The Internment Staff was established as part of the Welland Canal Field Force. The armoury acted as a detention barracks for the Welland Canal Force and the CEF battalions being raised in Niagara and those training at Niagara Camp.

Overcrowding was a problem with as many as forty-two prisoners of war, and twenty-one detention prisoners confined at one time. George Heinovitch, an Austrian, was arrested in Windsor, sent to Niagara Falls and escaped out of the open back with the lock missing. The exhibit covers Heinovitch’s story, Ukrainian artefacts and information on the Ukrainian Internment and detention barracks.

Plaque placed in front of the Armoury by the Ukrainian Canadian Civil Liberties Association with the support of the Ukrainian Canadian community of Ontario and the Ukrainian Canadian Foundation of Taras Shevchenko 30 October 2004

PROPAGANDA

A collection of propaganda from Second World War and Korea including posters, original pamphlets, newspaper articles. Propaganda can cover topics that depict the evils of fascism, racist cartoons and are often full of exaggerations or even outright lies. Victory Bonds, rationing, and recruitment posters promoted ways serve your country.

Beware: The U-Boat man's life will end up at this memorial

North Korea tears the country apart while the UN sews it together

TRAVELLING EXHIBITS

Black Military History of Niagara

Produced with funding by Veterans Affairs Canada, Commemorative Partnership Program, the travelling exhibition offers circulation of a gallery exhibition to schools, libraries, legions, cultural spaces, and other organizations interested in presenting Black military history. For those who cannot readily visit the Museum, our Museum comes to you, helping you get to know more about this underdeveloped and mostly unshared history.

Dedicated to Wilma Morrison

Themes on the eight banners are: 1) PreConfederation 2) Canada’s response to Black soldiers 3) No. 2 Construction Battalion 4) First World War Military Medal Recipients: James Grant and John Bright 5) a) Remembering the Fallen: Junius Lyman Hokan, Edward Robinson Smith, Charles Ernest Harper; b) First Black Paratroopers in Canada and Great Britain. 6) The Johnson Family: Douglas, Beverly, David and Clarence Johnson 7) a) The Brown/ Duncan Family; b) Everett Gerald “Pudge” Dawson 8) Contemporary Service: Gerry Bell, Bill Hokan, Stephen Thomas, Edward Smith, and a dedication to Wilma Morrison.

“C” Force - The Hong Kong Story TRAVELLING EXHIBIT

The exhibit features information on the volunteers who came from the Niagara Peninsula, the story of the Canadian troops going to Hong Kong, the battle, the POW camps, the liberation, and the trip home.

Story from panel #8 LIBERATION The exhibit consists of ten free-standing, photo-text, 2.13 m tall display panels.

1) Volunteers Of The Niagara Region 2) The Call To Arms 3) Nursing Sisters, John Robert Osborn, VC and Sargeant Gander 4) The Trip To Hong Kong 5) The Battle 6) Pows 7 & 8) Liberation 9) Repatriation 10) Those That Never Came Home

Example of three of the eight panels

BOOKING INFORMATION FOR TRAVELLING EXHIBITS Space Requirements: The travelling exhibits are modular, free-standing panel exhibits. They can be configured to fit in any office, classroom or lobby space.

Security: Borrowers are expected to take reasonable action to keep the exhibits from being damaged or stolen.

Booking Fees: Free of charge for a one-week (Monday to Friday) venue. Borrowers can book additional time for the exhibitions at a cost of $50.00 per week, unless otherwise specified by the Niagara Military Museum.

February/November Bookings: Due to the increased demand for bookings during the these months, exhibits are scheduled on a first-come first-serve basis. Niagara Military Museum reserves the right to decline bookings should the exhibit be circulating for promotional purposes.

Transportation: Round-trip transportation is the responsibility of the borrower, unless otherwise specified by the Niagara Military Museum. For borrowers in Niagara Falls and St. Catharines, the Niagara Military Museum will transport, install and de-install the exhibitions for a fee of $50.00 or you may pick the exhibitions up.

For borrowers outside of Niagara Falls and within 100 km the Museum can ship the exhibition via UPS at the borrower’s expense or a transportation fee of $100.00 will apply for the Museum to transport the exhibition.

Availability: The exhibitions are available to travel on a first-come first-serve basis. For scheduling contact:

NIAGARA MILITARY MUSEUM 5049 Victoria Avenue, Niagara Falls, On L2E 4E2 Telephone (905) 358-1949 Email: niamilmuseum@gmail.com

Click on link to find our more about the exhibit https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/art-hub/niagara-military-museum

BOOKING FORM: BLACK MILITARY HISTORY TRAVELLING EXHIBIT

Contact Name

Venue/Organization

Venue Mailing Address

Telephone Number

Email Address

Venue Shipping Address (if different from mailing address) PERIOD REQUESTED

Monday date

to

Preferred Week:

Friday date

Alternate Week:

Monday date

METHOD OF round trip tRANSPORTATION

$50 delivery fee to Niagara Falls/St. Catharines locations

to

Friday date

Received by: (Signature)

$100 delivery fee outside Niagara Falls, within 100 km Venue to pick up at Niagara Military Museum

Date

Ship the exhibition via UPS at the borrower’s expense

Delivery fee is due upon receipt

Returned by: (Signature)

Date

For office use only The preferred week is available and booking is complete The alternate week for booking has been confirmed as:

Booking Processed: Booking agreement signed & dates confirmed with venue

Delivery date scheduled:

______________________ to _____________________

__________________________________ Delivery invoice sent Pick up date scheduled:

The method of round trip transportation is: Venue to pick up at Niagara Military Museum Ship the exhibition via UPS at the borrower’s expense $50 delivery fee $100 delivery fee Fee picked up upon delivery by:

__________________________________

Delivered by: (Signature)

Date

Returned by: (Signature)

Date

BOOKING FORM: “C” Force - The Hong Kong Story TRAVELLING EXHIBIT

Contact Name

Venue/Organization

Venue Mailing Address

Telephone Number

Email Address

Venue Shipping Address (if different from mailing address) PERIOD REQUESTED

Monday date

to

Preferred Week:

Friday date

Alternate Week:

Monday date

METHOD OF round trip tRANSPORTATION

$50 delivery fee to Niagara Falls/St. Catharines locations

to

Friday date

Received by: (Signature)

$100 delivery fee outside Niagara Falls, within 100 km Venue to pick up at Niagara Military Museum

Date

Ship the exhibition via UPS at the borrower’s expense

Delivery fee is due upon receipt

Returned by: (Signature)

Date

For office use only The preferred week is available and booking is complete The alternate week for booking has been confirmed as:

Booking Processed: Booking agreement signed & dates confirmed with venue

Delivery date scheduled:

______________________ to _____________________

__________________________________ Delivery invoice sent Pick up date scheduled:

The method of round trip transportation is: Venue to pick up at Niagara Military Museum Ship the exhibition via UPS at the borrower’s expense $50 delivery fee $100 delivery fee Fee picked up upon delivery by:

__________________________________

Delivered by: (Signature)

Date

Returned by: (Signature)

Date