BCHS opens “The Path to Peace”
New exhibit focuses on the First World War as lived by local soliders
To commemorate the centennial anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I, the Brome County Historical Society has opened an exhibit that explains Canada’s role with particular attention paid to soldiers from Brome County.
Entitled, “The Path to Peace: Canada’s Hundred Days,” the exhibit is curated by Jeremy Reeves and Abbey Lacroix and describes the final battles in France that ended the Great War. The exhibit opened for the first time on Monday, November 5 although the museum waited to hold its official opening gala until November 9. It will remain on display until March 3.
Reeves and Lacroix have spoken to 250 students in elementary and secondary schools, Reeves said, adding that the museum has 450 artifacts from WWI. The German items like mortars, shells, and helmets, were given to the museum by the Canadian government, whereas descendants of local soldiers donated the Canadian items in the collection.
The exhibit includes panels with information about the Canadian troops and the progress they made as they fought to liberate France from German occupation.
“The Canadians were in the forefront,” Reeves said. “They were known as the best troops in the British Colonies.”
The One Hundred Days Campaign began on August 8, 1918 and ended with the signing of the armistice on November 11. The Canadian Expeditionary Corps, trained by Commander Arthur Currie, advanced quickly with machine gun teams, tanks, artillery, and aircraft, according to the panel entitled, “Rapid Advance.” In fact, the panel reads, they moved so quickly that the Allied Forces couldn’t keep up, leaving the Canadians exposed. Nonetheless, the corps managed to take thousands of German prisoners.
As the Canadians relentlessly advanced, German morale dwindled, and German officials notified US President Woodrow Wilson in early October that they wanted to negotiate a surrender.
The Germans first defeated British troops in Mons, Belgium in 1914. And that is where the war ended four years later. Currie ordered two Canadian regiments to recapture the town on November 10, 1918. John Cheam, a British–born resident of Brome County, served with one of the regiments. The units forced the Germans out of Mons, and a few hours later the armistice was signed and the Great War was over.
The 100 days was a costly campaign. ‑ The Canadian corps lost 40,000 lives one-fifth of all Canadian deaths during the entire war. Included in the loss of life were Knowlton soldiers Gardner Booth and Alvie Skinner Shepherd.
The exhibit displays five letters written home from soldiers involved in the 100 days. Reeves said he expected the soldiers to describe the horrors of war, but he was surprised to see that they wrote about missing home, like the Brome Fair and fishing in Lake Brome.
“It seems they used these letters as an escape from the war,” Reeves said. Most of them mentioned the Knowlton Overseas Club. He said he doesn’t know much about the club, but it seems to have been a community organization that sent supplies like socks and money to the soldiers on the front lines.
Reeves said the historical society has begun researching the club. He said he wonders if other communities had similar organizations. “We’ll do research during the winter months,” he said.
Meanwhile, the historical society has begun writing biographies of the soldiers who had connections to Brome County. Reeves expects there will be at least 60, and likely more. He said they started with the names on the memorial at Knowlton Academy – they are those who died during the war.
To see more about the exhibit log on to www.bchs-thepathtopeace.com. The website is only in English now, but the French version will be available within the next four weeks, Reeves said.
Ross Jones, Jack Walker, Joanne Croghan, and Cari Ensio helped ensure this project could succeed. The exhibit received funding from Pacte Brome Missisquoi, the Knowlton Lions Club, and the Brome County branch of the Royal Canadian Legion.