RCA Museum
Building N-118, Patricia Road, CFB Shilo, Manitoba, Canada R0K 2A0 CFB Shilo, MB, Canada

The RCA Museum is closed until January 20th, 2021 at which time we will return to work at the museum. The Gun Park is not open to the public at this time. Staff members are working from home and may not answer email or telephone messages until we return on January 20th.

Resilience...Only a few days after a major fire at his residence General Dallaire gives a conference on Pandemic & Leadership Resilience to 250 people. Résili...ence...Seulement quelques jours après un incendie majeur à sa résidence, le général Dallaire donne, à plus de 250 personnes, une conférence sur la pandémie et la résilience dans le leadership. See more

Letter written by Cecil Edmund Minary 103 years ago today. #829297 South Camp A coy 144th Battn. C.E.F. Seaford Sussex 18th Reserve... c/o Army Post Office Jan 20th 1917 London Eng. Dear Edna. Received your splendid letter of Dec. 28th yesterday and was pleased to get it, especially as mail these last two weeks has been rather small, only one letter besides yours from Berta Prette. You will see by the heading of the letter that we are still in the same old place, I don’t remember just the date of my last letter, so don’t know exactly where to start in on this one, but anyway we got out of quarantine for the Measles the 30th of Dec a month and ten days not bad eh? The first draft of men from this Battalion left for France a week ago this morning My but we hated to see them go, as it has broke up our Battalion, but we will all join them again before long I hope. They picked out the second draft yesterday morning but I was unlucky enough to not get on it, all though some of the returned fellows say to stay hear as long as possible but a fellow gets so tired of forming fours that he is ready to do anything for a change. They have been changing things around some here latley. The 203rd Battn Winnipeg Rifles, the same as the 144th have joined up together as the 18 Reserve and as new drafts go out they will keep bringing in new men to fill there places, so that is why I put the 144th and 18 reserve in the address, so they would have an idea where to look for me, quite a job out of twenty-two hundred men. There are two fellows in the 203rd from home so I have a couple of my old chums to go with again. Joe Patterson, one of those uncles of mine, left Winnipeg for over hear the tenth of Dec and he is in Shorncliffe now but it is in quarantine for Deptheria now some luck eh? What do you think? he is in the Army Service Corps running a Motor Transport. You said the 147th was at Shoreham, that is only a short way from here, about eighteen or twenty miles up the coast. The weather hear is still wet as usual but does not seem to be getting any colder for the grass is still green yet quite a difference to what I have been used to, what do you think Edna? This last week has ben a pretty busy one for me, this Battalion has been on garrison duty for the Camp all week, but Sunday at church parade I was warned for quarrel on the Reservoir out near New Laven to mount at two thirty we carried twenty four hours rations and live ammunition, it took us an hour and a half to walk out to it the guard was not to bad at all, but the relief guard the next day lost there way and did not relieve us untill half past nine at night so we got out to the barracks about eleven o clock at night after having nothing to eat from early morning so that was one supper that was enjoyed. Then on Wednesday and Thursday nights I was an inlined picket untill half past ten, there dutys are in case of an air raid or a risk to help order then last night I was on police picket down town running in the drunks and keeping order in general until twelve and this afternoon I had to mount guard again, quarter guard this time, and will be on untill retreat tomorrow, I have been on parade every day besides so am feeling almost all in tonight. I intended writing you last night but that police affairs spoilt that so today I slipped the pad into my hoversack and am writing between reliefs as I am on duty two hours and then four off for the twenty four hours. There were seven Xmas boxes sent me and yours was the first to reach me, the last to arrive was from home a week ago last Wednesday but I was lucky in that line for I am the only fellow in my hut who has got all there Xmas parcels yet. Dad said in his last letter that he might go to Ontario next in January and I think that it was about time that he went too. Say Edna but you must be some girl to hold down a mans job who was good enough to be a soldier, Next thing they will be after you to enlist And Edna there would be more than you who would be pleased to see you drop in some night when we are singing our songs, but as you say that is impossible so please do the next best thing, send me your picture as you promised for a fellow likes to have some pictures to look at over hear of his relatives. Well I guess this is all the news for this time so will close with love to all. From your Cousin Cecil Minary

Due to the Province of Manitoba going to Code Red at 12:01 on Thursday, November 12th, the RCA Museum will be closed to the public for a period of time, possibly four weeks or longer. Staff may be working during that time. For more information call (204) 765-3000 ext. 3570 or ext. 4563. Thank you and stay safe!

Ils ne passeront pas! Meet Captain Paul Triquet, company commander with the Royal 22e Regiment. #OnThisDay in 1943, while serving in Italy with the Canadian ...Army’s 1st Infantry Division, his battalion was tasked with securing the hamlet of Casa Berardi and opening the way to capturing Ortona. This was no easy task as Captain Triquet’s company encountered fierce German resistance almost immediately in the form of enemy machine guns, tanks and self-propelled guns. Fighting continued as Captain Triquet’s company eliminated German armour and defensive positions. However, by this point, ammunition was running low and the company had been reduced to fifty men and one officer Triquet. Defiant against the encroaching enemy, Captain Triquet rallied his men and charged forward towards the objective, breaking through the enemy resistance destroying even more enemy tanks and machine gun posts. The German defence was unrelenting but Captain Triquet’s company forced their way through and secured a position on the outskirts of Casa Berardi. With only fifteen men and four tanks Ontario Regiment tanks remaining, Captain Triquet organised a defensive perimeter and issued the order Ils ne passeront pas which translates in English to They shall not pass. Using whatever weapons they could find, the small force held out against overwhelming odds until the remainder of the battalion arrived to relieve them and take Casa Berardi. His courageous actions and determined leadership in the capture of Casa Berardi, Italy earned him a Victoria Cross. #SWW #CAF #MyCAF #CanadianArmy https://www.canada.ca//victoria-cross-re/paul-triquet.html

As a young Iraqi, Paul and his family spent the summer of 1972 touring Canada when a coup d’etat back home turned their vacation into a permanent stay. As a CEG...EP student in Montreal, he stumbled into an army recruiting centre and enlisted in the Ceremonial Guard, starting a life-long relationship with the army. Eventually he was appointed as the Honourary Colonel of the Army, and in 2019, his journey came full circle: he was asked to return to Iraq to see the CAF rebuild his former country. Watch Paul recount his emotional journey. #MyCAFStory #CanadianArmy #CeremonialGuard #CameronsofOttawa See more

An article about the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum in Brandon, Manitoba. It's a great museum.

December 10, 1943 at San Leonardo, Italy The attack was launched on December 6th. The slopes were steep; heavy winter rains had swollen the river and turned the... ground into thick mud that bogged down armoured vehicles. The enemy was well entrenched and each inch of ground had to be gained the hard way. Counter-attacks followed and the Canadians were forced to retreat. It took two days, December 8th and 9th, to capture San Leonardo. In spite of numerous obstacles, the Seaforth Highlanders, riding on the tanks of the Calgary Regiment, were able to get close to the village. On the narrow road, two tanks plunged down ten metres into the ravine after missing a sharp turn. Violent artillery and mortar fire hit the armoured column and the infantry as they were approaching the Moro River. On the other side, the lead tank struck a mine as it was climbing towards San Leonardo and was stalled, blocking the road and forcing the other vehicles to find their way through the olive groves. Only five tanks were left when the Canadians entered San Leonardo. The Seaforth Highlanders engaged the enemy and silenced their machine gun positions, killing or capturing many German soldiers. Twelve enemy tanks drove into town from the east but in spite of the difference in strength, the Calgarys held fast and destroyed or drove back the German tanks. On December 9th at 1740, the Canadians were solidly positioned in San Leonardo. Photo 1: "Infantrymen of the 48th Highlanders of Canada dealing with a German counterattack, San Leonardo di Ortona, Italy, 10 December 1943." Contributed by: Courtesy of Lieut. Frederick G. Whitcombe/ Canada. Dept. of National Defence/ Library and Archives Canada/ PA-166566 Photo 2: "Infantrymen of The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada searching German prisoners on the Moro River front, Italy, 9 December 1943." Contributed by: Courtesy of Lieut. Terry F. Rowe/ Canada. Dept. of National Defence/ Library and Archives Canada/ PA-114486 Photo 3: "Burial service for a Canadian soldier killed by shell-fire, San Leonardo di Ortona, Italy, 10 December 1943." Contributed by: Courtesy of Lieut. Frederick G. Whitcombe/ Canada. Dept. of National Defence/ Library and Archives Canada/ PA-129784

Share with a "motorcycle nut" ! Tank & Vehicle Thursday at Canadian Virtual Military Museum Norton in 1st Para Service... IMAGE - Lieutenant G. Murray Williams of Headquarters Company, 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, riding a Matchless G3L, 350cc OHV, 1943 contract motorcycle, during the battalion's advance from Lembeck through Coesfeld, Germany, Date: 30 March 1945. Place : Lembeck, Germany Source: Library and Archives Canada Photo, MIKAN No. 3588776 The Norton 16H is a designation given to British motorcycles made between 1911 through to 1954.The H denotes the Home model. Norton was the main military motorcycle supplier prior to WW2 and one of the main suppliers of motorcycles to the British Army in World War II with a total of nearly 100,000 produced. British Army Nortons were also supplied to the Commonwealth forces such as Australian, New Zealand, India and the Canadian Army. See 100s more motorcycles in this album, https://www.facebook.com/media/set/

Letter written by Cecil Edmund Minary, to his cousin Edna, 104 years ago today! 829297 Pte CE Minary South Camp A Coy 144th Batt CEF Seaford c/o Army... Port Office Sussex London Eng Dec 9th 1916 Dear Cousin-: Just a few lines to let you know that I’m still alive and think of you now and then although I have not received an answer to my letter yet I’m writing anyway for my letter of yours may have went astray for some of the letters from Manitoba has already done so. You will see by the heading that we have been moved since the last letter I just forget if I told you or not. The camp here is not so good here as the last as the soil is all clay so we do a lot of wading through mud although the scenery here is splendid we are right on the south coast between Brighton and Eastbourne the Camp itself is only half a mile from the sea shore and the same from town, the coast here is all chalk cliffs that drop straight down to the sea from fifty to three hundred feet high. Seaford itself is only a small summer resort with a sandy beach about a mile long so the town is kind of empty this time of year. The weather hear has turned a little cooler now with some frost in the mornings but not heavy enough to do any damage as everything is green yet. They had picked out a draft for France from this Battalion and I was in it but the Measles had to breakout so that stopped the draft, the Battalion has been under quarantine for nearly three weeks now and are likely to be for quite a while yet as fresh cases keep breaking out all the time, so it looks as if we are going to spend our Xmas in our huts some cheery lookout eh? I was intending to send a few things over for Xmas but cannot as we are not allowed downtown to buy anything. We have quite a time passing the time away these long evenings but we manage it pretty well, one of the fellows in this hut has a Mandolin so we all gather round the stove after supper and sing all the songs we know and of course try a few that we don’t know, then we have two or three comics one of them would make a good imitation of Charlie Chaplin so we have some good laughs. There were three letters for me this week one from home one from Berta Prette and one from Annie Prette, they were all well then, Annie my sister said that they had just brought home a new piano that day and that she was almost to excited to write so I guess she will be busy these evenings learning to play it. Well as news of any kind are rather scarce I’ll have to close for this time hoping this will find you all as well as this leaves me and wishing you all a happy Xmas and a Bright new year I remain Your loving Cousin Cecil