Duane Hicks
“We Remember Them” is the theme of the new exhibit at the Fort Frances Museum marking the 100th anniversary of the start of WWI and the 75th anniversary of the beginning of WWII.
And given the amount of time and effort that went into the exhibit, it’s evident those local men and women who served in the wars will never be forgotten.
The exhibit opened with a come-and-go, wine-and-cheese reception last Thursday.
Since 2014 coincides with both anniversaries, museum curator Sherry George said she and members of the Royal Canadian Legion Br. #29 and the Ladies Auxiliary formed a committee and thought long and hard about what to do for the exhibit.
While this is not the first time they have worked together to feature local veterans, this year called for something different, she noted.
“Most of us are aware of the devastating effect that war had on the entire world,” George said. “We have seen the photos of countries torn apart, cities bombed, and landscapes changed forever.
“We know that young men died; that servicemen and women came back with not only physical injuries but devastating emotional scars that were often too horrible to speak about,” she added.
“Most of us have not been to war so we can only guess at what it must have been like,” George reasoned.
“The closest most of us can come to understanding is to raise children and grandchildren of our own and to fear their choices in what we often think of a big, scary world.
“But to send our young off to war? How does a parent send their child across the world and into a war zone?” she wondered.
“Many who served lied about their ages,” George said. “But even if they did not, they were truly just kids.
“Bored with life on the farm or in a little town in the back of beyond, few could resist the call the war.
“The wide world beckoned, offered adventure, and, if they were lucky, an opportunity to come back a hero,” she remarked.
“How could they resist? And yet how quickly did reality show its ugly face.
“One thing is for certain—when those young people came back, they were no longer children,” George stressed.
“As for the great stories they hoped to tell, most are locked away forever,” she added. “For many, even nearing the end of their lives, they could not share their experiences.”
George said that when the committee made the decision to collect community stories, it had no idea what it would get.
“Would there be enough for an exhibit?” she mused. “The call to the community for their wartime stories went out this spring, and yes, in the beginning, the response was slow.
“But in the past month or so, and specifically in these past two weeks, the information coming in has been nothing short of amazing.
“The traffic through here has been non-stop, with individuals bringing in photos, their family treasures, and, yes, the stories,” George noted, adding the committee continues to scan in photos and type up pages of information for the exhibit.
George thanked the committee, which included Noris Piccinato, Ed Haglund, Bob Boland, Robert Bagacki, Silvia Gunderson, Alfreda Easton, Josie Miller, Sandy Pruys, Jenn Soderholm, and museum historian and volunteer Maxine Hayes.
She noted special thanks goes to Miller and Hayes for their considerable assistance with research, organization, and many hours of typing.
George said the exhibit, which will be up until Christmas, is a work in progress. As such, the public is urged to bring wartime artifacts and information to the museum so they can be added.
“It’s not too late to get your story in,” she stressed.
Mayor Roy Avis, along with Couns. John Albanese and Paul Ryan, also attended last Thursday’s opening.
Mayor Avis publicly thanked George, the “Friends of the Museum,” the Legion, and Legion Ladies Auxiliary for putting on the exhibit, and thanked all veterans for their contributions.
He also shared some localized facts on both world wars, noting quite a few vets returned and got into municipal politics, started businesses, and became pillars of the community.
Mayor Avis urged all citizens to come to the museum and see the new exhibit for themselves.
Richard McKinnon, speaking on behalf of local MP John Rafferty and MPP Sarah Campbell, thanked the Legion for bringing in the “Soldiers of Song” show on Sept. 10, as well as for helping put together the exhibit.
