Elgin Military Museum

Coordinates: 42°46′44″N 81°12′34″W / 42.778866°N 81.209468°W / 42.778866; -81.209468

Elgin Military Museum
Location St. Thomas, Ontario
Type military and war museum
Website http://www.theelginmilitarymuseum.ca/

The Elgin Military Museum is located in St. Thomas, Ontario. Its mandate is to preserve the local historical record of military service. From the cannonballs of 1812 to the caps of Afghanistan; from the pastures converted to runways to the skies over the Balkans; from the Battle of Lake Erie to the undersea depths of the Cold War, the Elgin Military Museum connects the dots through the lives of those who served and died in far away places and those who waited for them at home.

History

The Elgin Military Museum was established by ordinary citizens in 1982 to recognize the contribution of other ordinary citizens who were, like themselves, called upon to meet the extra ordinary circumstances of war.

The museum recounts the stories of Elgin County residents (long or short term) from the War of 1812 to Afghanistan. Exhibits include models by highly respected craftsmen and a collection of some 600 UN and NATO badges. Exhibits are not confined to the interior as the museum has two M113 armored personnel carrier [1] on permanent display.

The Elgin Military Museum may well be the only such museum on the continent that has space dedicated to an elephant. However, Jumbo,[2] the largest elephant ever held in captivity, met his demise here in St. Thomas, Ontario on September 15, 1885. In 1985, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of his death, a life-size monument of this gentle animal was installed on the brow of the hill a hundred yards up the street from the museum. Finding a home for the monument had proved to be a significant problem until several members of the museum board (who just happened to serve on the Jumbo Monument Committee) convinced other members of the museum board to permit the statue of Jumbo to be placed in the parking lot the museum had just built on Talbot Street. However, that is just the beginning of the 'menagerie' which also includes the kangaroo and dolphins.

HMCS OJIBWA

In 2012, The Elgin Military Museum acquired an Oberon Class Cold War Submarine, HMCS Ojibwa S72 See: http://www.hmcsojibwamuseum.ca/. At just under 300 feet long and five storeys high, she is the largest artifact in the collection. As the city of St. Thomas is landlocked, HMCS Ojibwa is located in Port Burwell, Ontario on Lake Erie. The submarine left Halifax, Nova Scotia in May 2012, arriving at Port Burwell in November that year with public tours beginning in the summer of 2013. http://www.hmcsojibwa.ca/. The Elgin Military Museum was the proud recipient of both the provincial and national tourism awards for the tours at HMCS Ojibwa after its first year of operation. The tours provide an awesome experience and our unique educational programming really does put the sub in subject - just about any subject.

VIMY RIDGE AND THE VIMY POPPY

Perhaps one of the most moving artifacts at the Elgin Military Museum is the Vimy Poppy, picked by a soldier from St. Thomas on that famous Ridge a few short weeks after that momentous battle began on April 9, 1917 in memory of his fallen comrades. One of these comrades was Lance Corporal Ellis Sifton who won the Victoria Cross that day but lost his life. The tiny box in which his effects were posted to his parents is part of a poignant display in his honour.

Photos

See also

Affiliations

The museum is affiliated with: CMA, CHIN, OMMC and Virtual Museum of Canada.

References

  1. ↑ "M113 Armoured Personnel Carriers at official website". http://www.theelginmilitarymuseum.ca/. Retrieved 2013-06-30. External link in |publisher= (help)
  2. ↑ "Jumbo". Elginmilitarymuseum.ca. 1942-08-19. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
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