Entrance to The Military Museums of Calgary. All photos provided by the author.
As a historian of modern European history, with a focus on Germany, I often visit historical sites when I travel—not always for research, but out of curiosity. During a recent stay in Calgary, I visited The Military Museums, Canada’s largest military museum complex, outside the capital of Ottawa. Consisting of eight separate museums, I was interested in how Canada presented its military history, especially its involvement in the First and Second World Wars.
Visitors attending a public talk.
Located about fifteen minutes from its downtown, the museums combine several regimental collections documenting the histories of Canada’s navy, army, and air force. Since its 1990 opening, the museums have expanded through a close partnership with the University of Calgary. The academic connection remains strong, with public lectures, discussions, and exhibitions bridging scholarship and public engagement, a model I wish were more common elsewhere.
Once I entered the museum, I was struck by how Canada’s role at Vimy Ridge is presented, not as triumphalism, but as a formative moment in national identity. Vimy Ridge was a major battle during the First World War in April 1917 where Canadian troops, from all four divisions and different parts of the country, fought together for the first time and captured a heavily defended ridge in France.1 The battle is seen as a defining moment for Canada, symbolizing national pride and unity. A reconstructed trench, with dim lighting and distant artillery sounds, brought the conditions of trench warfare vividly to life.
Museum exhibit showcasing the wartime roles of Indigenous women, in English and French.
The “Women in War” exhibition offered powerful insights, especially regarding Indigenous women whose wartime roles as medics, scouts, or community leaders are often overlooked. The Canadian Women’s Army Corps (CWAC) also is represented. It was an all-female branch of the Canadian Army during World War II. The role of the corps was to fill support roles in the Canadian Army, with its members working as secretaries, clerks, vehicle drivers, mechanics and many other non-combat military roles.2
The CWAC disbanded in 1964 when the Canadian military began to move towards the integration of women in combat roles.3 Though relatively short-lived, the CWAC paved the way for future involvement of women in the Canadian Armed Forces. The Army Museum of Alberta’s gallery as part of the Military Museums provides insights into Alberta’s land force heritage, including the role of the CWAC during the Second World War. The gallery features a collection of CWAC materials, highlighting the contributions of women in the armed forces. One example featured in the exhibit is Mary Greyeyes Reid, an indigenous Cree woman and the first Indigenous woman to enlist in the Canadian Women’s Army Corps. Her story is highlighted through a mural and educational materials that honor her service and cultural identity.
The museums’ section on World War II highlights Canada’s significant involvement, such as at Juno Beach. Juno Beach was one of the five landing sites during the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944, where Canadian forces played a crucial role. Canadian troops successfully secured the beachhead, facing heavy resistance, which helped pave the way for the Allied liberation of Western Europe.4 In Germany, we tend to focus on the roles played by the United States or the United Kingdom. Canada is rarely mentioned. But here, the scale of Canada’s involvement was made clear. Tens of thousands of Canadians served in Europe, many of whom never returned. Their stories were told not just through numbers, but also through images, letters, and objects. Canada’s sacrifices are made tangible when reviewing this section of the museums.
Avro Canada CF-100 interceptor. The only all Canadian fighter designed and built in Canada. It entered service in the early 1950s and was phased out in the late 1960s.
I had not expected to find a contemporary art gallery within the museum. The Founders’ Gallery featured an exhibition on the psychological effects of war on veterans. The exhibition is deeply moving and profoundly powerful. Through well-crafted storytelling and personal artifacts, the exhibition offers a unique perspective on the often unseen struggles soldiers face long after the battle ends. There was no glorification or patriotic pageantry; just a quiet and deeply human experience.
The museums are not just about military history; but also about memory, identity, and the human cost of conflict. I found them to be thoughtful, engaging places that invite reflection beyond the battlefield. Whether you’re a military history enthusiast, a student, or simply curious about how a nation remembers its past, Calgary’s The Military Museums offer a rich and accessible experience.
I left the museum with a sense of deep respect, not only for the history it presents, but also for the considerate and critical ways it does. From a German perspective, it was a rare opportunity to experience Canadian war memory first-hand. The museums are thoughtful, accessible, and full of questions that go far beyond the battlefield.
Wars have many frontlines. Not all of them are geographic. Some are lines drawn through memory.
- Jonathan Franklin Vance, Death So Noble: Memory, Meaning and the First World War (UBC Press, 1997), 66.
- D. Collett Wadge, ed. Women in Uniform (Imperial War Museum, 2003) 257-284.
- “Canadian Women’s Army Corps,” The Military Museums, accessed on March 12, 2026, https://themilitarymuseums.ca/skylights/sl-w11
- “D-Day,” Juno Beach Centre, accessed on March 12, 2026, https://www.junobeach.org/canada-in-wwii/articles/d-day/