Inspection of the 77th Battalion by the Governor-General of Canada in 1916 at the site of the current Cartier Square Drill Hall.
Visitors to the Bytown Museum will soon be able to get a glimpse into the lives of everyday residents in Ottawa during the First World War.
Marking 100 years since the beginning of the Great War, the new exhibition Ottawa Answers the Call: The Capital and the Great War, not only showcases the stories of Canadian soldiers, but also the lives of people living in Ottawa during that time.
“It’s not just maps and battle reports. It’s stories about real people,” says Grant Vogl, collections and exhibition manager at the Bytown Museum. “I think most Canadians don’t have to go far back in their family tree to find a connection to the world wars, so it’ll be quite personal for people.”
The museum has a five year plan that looks at events that could be commemorated in an exhibition showcasing Ottawa’s history.
The exhibition includes artifacts, photographs, local stories and a commemoration wall with all the names of the soldiers that were killed. It will run from April 9 to January next next year.
Vogl says an anticipated artifact is a Royal Flying Corps uniform from the First World War.
But it’s not just a collection of artifacts that makes the exhibition unique.
The exhibition also includes biographies from pilots, nurses and other workers from Ottawa at the time of the war, allowing the public to better understand what life was like during the war.
“You can’t find out about these real people from the city that you live in, unless you dig deeper and that’s what I’m trying to show,” he says.
For the past couple of years, Vogl says he has emphasized ordinary people, so when guests come to the exhibitions, they can relate to the stories.
Although the First World War began 100 years ago, Robin Etherington, executive director of the Bytown Museum, says the exhibition is very timely in relation to the Canadian soldiers returning from Afghanistan.
“Families are experiencing firsthand the effects of their country being at war and soldiers coming back and being re-introduced into the community,” she says. “Families are dealing with some very serious issues and 100 years ago, it was the same situation when soldiers came home.”
Bytown Museum isn’t the only museum that is preparing to mark the 100th anniversary of the war. Etherington says other museums in Ottawa are preparing to commemorate the event.
John McAvity, executive director of the Canadian Association of Museums, says museums play a significant role in showcasing the events and stories from the First World War.
“It’s the actual evidence of war,” he says. “(Museums are) a very tangible way to bring history alive.”