Halifax Citadel commemorates Canada’s 100 Days
Posted Aug 3, 2018 06:13:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Canada's Hundred Days was the final campaign of the First World War.
“It is probably considered by military historians as the finest achievement of the Canadian Corps,” says Halifax Citadel product development officer Hal Thompson.
To mark the centennial of the series of battles that led to peace, Halifax Citadel National Historic site is telling the story of Canada's role.
The commemoration takes form of a WWI themed weekend Saturday, August 4th and Sunday, August 5 that will include special exhibits, activities and presentations.
Visitors will be able to interact with re-enactors in period costume.
In addition to the Citadel's own WWI interpreters, Thompson says there will also be two WWI re-enactment groups from other provinces.
“We have a group called History Matters from Ontario and we have a group called For King and Empire from St. John's Newfoundland,” he says.
Other scheduled activities include Lee-Enfield and Vickers Machine gun firing displays, a Ford Model T ambulance and a Canadian Army Medical Corps display.
Thompson also encourages visitors to check out the WWI Trench Experience exhibit which is in its final visitor season.
He says it is a full-sized simulated trench that was constructed in 2015 for visitors to experience aspects of life in the trenches during WWI.
“We did the research, we had a lot of photographs and plans and everything, and we decided to make it our own in-house project,” he says. “People come out of it and they are in tears sometimes they are so moved by it.”
Thompson says there will as well be a cooking demonstration.
“It's not as bad as you might think,” he says laughing. “They were well fed in the western front.”
According to Thompson, the road to peace in 1918 began at Amiens, France on August 8, which is known as the “black day of the German Army.” He says it led to Mons in Belgium on November 11.
