Perth Legion to re-dedicate Hall of Remembrance

By Chris Must, EMC News
Staff Writer

"To visit the Hall of Remembrance at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 244 is to feel a growing sense of pride in the courage and dedication of earlier generations of Canadians, and particularly Perth residents who fought and died in the wars of the 20th century.

The artifacts of the small local war museum have been reorganized and displayed to better advantage, and the Legion is inviting the community to see what has been accomplished by attending a re-dedication and dinner Saturday, May 15.

Gordon Thomas, a Legion member for 35 years, is assistant curator of the Hall of Remembrance, which contains an impressive cross section of memorabilia commemorating the major conflicts of the 20th century in which Canada played a role. The collection, which fills six rooms at the Branch 244 hall, is even more impressive because it is located in a small community like Perth. The displays are made up of artifacts donated by local veterans and their families, ranging from medals, letters, and photographs, to military souvenirs captured from enemy troops.

In fact, says Thomas, we've got plenty of stuff we can't put out due to limited space. Assistant curator Thomas (the curator is John Gemmell, branch president and deputy mayor of Perth) said the museum's role is to preserve the memory of local people who served in Canada's wars, as well as to give a broader view of the overall part played by Canadians. It's to promote the remembrance of the people who served, particularly local people who gave their lives for Canada.

The extensive collection includes display cabinets devoted to both army and navy memorabilia, and every effort has been made to represent Canadian and Perth contributions in World War I, World War II, Korea, Cold War peacekeeping missions and even Canada's current involvement in Afghanistan.

Many fascinating stories can be found among the various displays. The items in one display case include a cigar given by British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill to Melville Kirkham of Perth in front of the Prime Minister's residence at Number 10 Downing Street.

There is a full display devoted to the story of Flying Officer William J. Kyle, who went missing in action at the age of 22 while flying a Dakota aircraft on a Second World War mission in Burma. The story made major headlines 50 years later, in 1995, when the wrecked aircraft was discovered in the Burmese jungle. The Canadian military sent a team to Burma, and in 1997 Kyle and the other five members of his flight crew were given a full military funeral at the closest Commonwealth cemetery in Rangoon. The Hall of Remembrance display includes Kyle's watch, recovered from the wreck, and a letter mailed by Kyle to his mother on June 2, 1945, very shortly before the plane crash. His mother would have got the telegram saying he was missing before she got the letter, said Thomas.

Another display commemorates the contributions of another famous local resident, Judge John Matheson. The judge was an artillery officer in World War II, and his uniform, photograph and other memorabilia are displayed. Years after the war, Matheson served on the committee assigned to choose the new Canadian flag. A copy of his book, Canada's Flag, is part of the display. Now 92, Matheson made the news again a few years ago when he celebrated his 80th birthday by making his first parachute jump.

A cabinet devoted to the Royal Canadian Navy includes a model of HMCS Snowberry, a World War II corvette and convoy escort, built by war veteran William Y. McVey. There are walls of photographs of local veterans. If the serviceman in the picture died in action, the picture bears a Remembrance Day poppy. One prominent individual among the photographs is Major Alex R. Campbell of the Lanark and Renfrew Scottish Regiment. Killed in action in Italy on Dec. 25, 1943, Campbell was a friend of author Farley Mowat.

Another unique item is the original wooden cross from the gravesite of Corporal Farquar Caldwell Fraser, killed in action in World War I at the age of 23 and buried at Pas de Calais, France, May 19, 1917. The cross was returned to Canada after the Commonwealth Military Cemetery was refurbished. Fraser listed Perth as his home town when he enlisted.

In addition to the collections of artifacts the Hall of Remembrance also has a library devoted to topics such as military science and the histories of the world wars. We're starting to get quite a bit of interest in it, and people coming in to research, said Thomas.

The value of the collection was proven for Thomas himself, who had been researching his family tree and was unable to locate a photograph of his uncle C.J. (Cuthbert) Thomas, who served with the Royal Canadian Regiment during the Boer War in South Africa. A framed engraving in the library showing small pictures of Boer War veterans and an alphabetical listing of their names includes the very same C.J. Thomas.

Thomas said he volunteered for the assistant curator's job because I've been interested in this sort of thing for a long time. He served with the Canadian Army engineers for almost 25 years, including Cold War era assignments to the Gaza Strip, Cyprus and Germany. My father was a soldier before, and my grandfather, added Thomas."