Museum Spotlight: 48th Highlanders Museum

Tucked away in downtown Toronto in the basement of St. Andrew’s Church is an exceptional collection of Canadian military history.

The 48th Highlanders Museum describes the full history of the regiment from its formation in 1891 to the present day. The museum contains an extensive collection of photos and artifacts that in particular tell the story of the First and Second World War.

Ron Denham, a volunteer with the 48th Highlanders museum, invited Canada’s History for a tour of the museum and to tell us a bit of the story of the regiment. You can listen to an edited version of the tour here:

During the First World War, describes Denham, “we lost 1412 men, 61 officers, in the first war. So that will tell you that for all intents and purposes we were wiped out twice.” All told the unit lost 84 officers and 1732 other ranks killed in the First and Second World War. “In the second war we fought as part of Montgomery’s 8th army through Sicily and Italy, and then into Holland.”

The museum is full of unique personal stories that capture the stories of soldiers from the unit. One particular story which stands out relates to the story of Lieutenant-Colonel William Marshall D.S.O. who commanded the 15th Battalion during the First World War.

“He was the type of leader who might be compared to a shepard and his flock. He’d go to the trenches and make sure the guys had a bit of chocolate, or a cigarette, and he did it once too often,” tell Denham. Marshall was killed by a sniper while visiting the front lines.

“Prior to him being killed in May 1916 he had adopted a mongrel dog, Bruno, who as it follows, went off his food and, I guess it was ready to die with him. Col. Bent who took over the battalion adopted Bruno … He himself was badly wounded in the last 100 days of the war at a place called Amiens. Prior to him being wounded he had relieved a German officer of his horse, he immediately christened it Fritz, what else. But he had pull somewhere and both the dog and the horse are buried on his estate in the Annapolis Valley. He got them back to Canada and that was no mean feat because they were slaughtering the horses for food.”

Perhaps the most exceptional piece in the museum is the Vimy Cross, erected to commemorate members of the 15th Battalion killed during the battle of Vimy Ridge. Beside the cross is a photo of it in its original location on the ridge.

The museum is open on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 10 am to 3pm and is definitely worth a visit for anyone in downtown Toronto. St. Andrew’s Church is located just a one block west from the St. Andrew’s subway station.

There are regimental museums like the 48th highlanders Museum across Canada, often run by entirely by volunteers and holding unique collections. Over the next five years they will play an important role in telling the story of Canada at war. Commemorations marking the 100th anniversary of the First World War and the 75th anniversary of the Second World War will start next year in 2014.

- By Joel Ralph