The Elgin Military Museum
30 Talbot St. N5P1A3 Saint Thomas, ON, Canada

New book by Rob Gliddon highlights how a toss of a coin took Captain Clare Gliddon to Kitcheners Wood the night of April 22, 1915. The night Canadians of the 10th and 16th battalions silently crept into the Wood to fill the gap left earlier that day when the Germans first used chlorine gas in a major battle. No training at the University of Toronto Medical School from which he graduated less than a year before could have prepared Clare for the carnage. The author is on the board of the Elgin Military Museum and can usually be found at the museum photographing the collection. His book can be purchased ($20.00) at the Museum in St. Thomas; HMCS Ojibwa in Port Burwell; Oxford Books in London, ON or by contacting the author at: [email protected].

It's National Indigenous Peoples Day and we want to salute some of the people we know who are making sure that the people of the past are not forgotten. Sharing experiences enriches us all. The family of Arnold Logan presented a portrait of their uncle to the museum to augment the things we have. Arnold was one of the first people in the area to enlist on August 11, 1914. By August 22nd he was on his way to the muster area at Valcartier, Quebec. From there he went overseas wi...th the First Contingent. Find some of his story on our website under the title "The Perfect Man". Jonathan LaValley, is from Oneida. He is a National winner of the Canadian Heritage Fairs for his work on indigenous contributions to the World Wars. Jonathan, now in high school, continues to expand his knowledge and share it with local schools. His story is also on our website under the title National Winner. See more

No funny handshakes in these clubs - just glad to be alive and touch another human who has experienced either cheating death using a parachute or flotation device or crashing or making a forced landing and walking out - eventually to safety or in some cases combinations of the above. Life in the Air Force during WWII was never dull and it was always dangerous. You can read about the experiences of local men such as Stan Jones and Bill Burton about how they gained entry into the Caterpillar Club, the Goldfish Club or the Late Arrivals Club on the Elgin Military Museum website http://www.theelginmilitarymuseum.ca/links-to-air-force-sto By the way, these pins and badges were not regulation wear on your uniform so I believe the caterpillars were worn under the right lapel and the goldfish badge was sewn under the left lapel.

I found these images in images in the Flt. Lieutenant Reg Schwartz, DFC & Bar file at the Museum. He went overseas in June of 1943 and by November of '44 he had already completed 52 missions with his Pathfinder Squadron. The image has a note on the back written by him after it was torn from a scrapbook and donated to the museum along with items such as his membership in the famous Caterpillar Club. The note says: First Canadian built Lancaster delivered to 405 Pathfinder Squadron at Gransden Lodge (near Sandy) Bedfordshire. Designated Q for Queenie (Named Ruhr Express). Delivered to 405 late 1943. Flew several missions with 405 Squadron then (I believe) transferred to heavy conversion unit at Talthorpe, Yorkshire.

Victory in Europe - the boys... and girls will soon be home again.

Remembering the 75th Anniversary of the Liberation of Holland Many men and women from St.Thomas and Elgin County were involved in the liberation of the Netherlands including some of the founders of this museum. Our collages commemorate the events through the images of two cousins, Bill Copley who served with the Elgin Regiment and later the 'Kangaroos' the first of which was named after his wife, Marion and Stanley Copley, who served with the British paratroopers who tried to... hold the 'Bridge too Far' at Arnhem. The collage also includes an image of Captain Matron Margaret Smith (later Sparling) along with her nurses who were leaving No. 6 Casualty Clearing Station in Holland on Christmas Day in 1945. Marg is in the front row, third from the right in the light coat and carrying a white bag. The tulips recall the tremendous hardships of the Dutch many of whom were forced to eat tulip bulbs to avoid starving. See more

The Elgin Military Museum remembers with deep respect those who served in and supported the longest battle of the Second World War. This year marks the 75th anniversary of that six year battle. In the collage, the ship under the memorial in Point Pleasant Park in Halifax, where the Battle of the Atlantic is remembered each year, is the Canadian merchant vessel the S.S. Point Pleasant Park and the ship at the bottom is the HMCS St. Thomas, one of the gutsy Corvettes that escorted convoys. The men floating in the sea are from the U-boat sunk by the St. Thomas in December 1944. The men in the centre are the survivors of the destroyer HMCS Athabaskan torpedoed in 1944 and rescued by the Tribal class destroyer HMCS Haida. The medal is the Atlantic Star.

EMM Remembers Dr. Ray Knight Laughter isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about a dentist; however, despite the sadness on learning of the passing of Dr. Ray Knight, it is the laughter we remember at gatherings of the Elgin Military Museum committee members. Ray never tired of offering to demonstrate (on us) how his footed pedaled drill worked (pictured). It was pretty much the same drill that was used by his predecessors in WWI and while it was undoubtedly appreciated in those moments of need during both wars, he didn’t get any takers at the museum. Ray served in the Canadian later Royal Canadian Dental Corps for 26 years attached to the Elgin Regiment; he achieved the rank of Major. Ray was 97 years old. Our sincere condolences go out to his family and friends.

April 1944 saw the last weeks of the Liberation of Holland. 7,600 Canadians lost their lives during this nine month struggle including Trooper George Henry Backus A-104765. He served with the 25th Armoured Delivery Regiment - The Elgins. He was born in Dunwich Township just south of Wallacetown.

More about Confidential Book Boxes While I was working on Hugh Fackrell's story about his travels with Sir Winston Churchill for the website, I could not find an image of one of the Confidential Book Boxes described in his article. A google search did turn up some interesting references in interrogation report interviews with Merchant vessel survivors from one WWII convoy. http://www.uboatarchive.net/Convoy/ConvoyONS5-Masters.htm

Romeo y Julieta This is a love story of a different sort! I just posted an enhanced clipping from the St. Thomas Times Journal back in 1965. It was written by Hugh Fackrell who was a Lieutenant in the Canadian Navy who served with the Royal Navy aboard the famous battleship, the Prince of Wales, in 1941. He was a communications officer when Churchill made his secret trip to meet US President Roosevelt at Placentia Bay, Newfoundland. You can find the story on the Elgin Military Museum website. Click on the Services tab and choose Links to Navy Stories. As an aside, Hugh was not the only person from St. Thomas on this voyage. Stuart Paddon, later Vice-Admiral, was aboard as the first Radar officer.

We at the Elgin Military Museum want to take this opportunity to mark the passing of Stirling Ince on March 16th 2020 which has just come to our attention. Stirling was curator of the museum for more than ten years beginning in 1983. Our sincere condolences go out to his family and many friends. Stirling was in his 88th year.

Keep the AVM Out of Trouble One of the first photos of ‘Squadron Leader’ J. Fred (Bunt) Green who gained that promotion while he was in his flying boxcar (Liberator) over the North Atlantic hunting German submarines. It was September 1943 and Fred was tasked with taking along Air Vice Marshal E. Godfrey who was visiting the base. He was under strict instructions to keep the AVM out of trouble. It was not to be, much to the pleasure of the AVM, they came upon a wolf pack and t...he AVM took to one of the guns. Green learned of his promotion on landing but it came with new orders to fly immediately to Ireland to join Air Transport Command. Check out the story of this operation on the ‘The Services’ tab on the EMM website. Click on Air Force and scroll down to Links to Air Force stories. The stories are filed alphabetically by the last name of the person. Left to right in photo: Air Vice Marshal E. Godfrey, Group Captain Clare Annis, commander of the station and Squadron Leader J. Fred Green See more