Pieces of the past
Military paraphernalia on display at New Glasgow legion
The thunder of the guns from the first two world wars fade with time. But on Saturday at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #34 in New Glasgow, a group of military memorabilia buffs helped bring them a little closer. “It’s about the history,” said Hugh Muir, a member of the Maritime Military Collectors Society. During the public sale and display, about 40 tables were set up with collectors from all over the Maritimes on hand. “A lot of this stuff is just for display for the people who might be interested in it.” Muir brought with him some glass-encased photos and handtyped notes about the pictures in the frame. Among the images was a picture of Sgt. Chipman C. Fraser of Little Harbour, who was killed when his plane was shot down over Europe in September of 1942; a 1914 photo of a group of Canadian nurses and doctors, the only Canadian unit that was stationed in France that year; and an image of Robert Muir, who was a cousin of Muir’s grandfather. He died in action and is buried in France. “I like to put a face and a little bit of a story to these for people who might be into that kind of thing,” Muir said. John Rae, of Albert County, N.B., does leatherwork, buys and sells firearms, and is a gunsmith. He was one of those who travelled to New Glasgow on Saturday. “It’s what I do for a living,” he said. “My whole family is military. History is my thing, the nostalgia of this and guns are fun to shoot.” Rae, who also had assorted knives and swords on display, said he sold a couple of rifles and a shotgun on Saturday. The event also served as a fundraiser for the RCL branch, which is raising money to do some roof repairs.