Canadian War Museum

Canadian War Museum Canada’s national museum for military history. Visit our website. Since its opening in 2005, the Museum has welcomed approximately 500,000 visitors every year.
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Canada’s national museum of military history and one of the world’s most respected museums for the study and understanding of armed conflict. Pour notre page Française : http://www.facebook.com/museedelaguerre

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The Museum traces its origins back to 1880, when it consisted primarily of a collection of militia artifacts. The Museum opened at its new location on the LeBreton

Flats site in downtown Ottawa on May 8, 2005. Its opening not only marked the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe (V-E Day) but also the 125th anniversary of the Museum itself. The Museum’s exhibition galleries and public programs have been designed to emphasize the human experience of war. The Canadian Experience Galleries present the military history of Canada from earliest times to present day, as well as Canada’s history of honouring and remembrance. Each gallery highlights defining moments in Canada’s military history and the ways in which past events have shaped the nation. The Museum’s collections are among the finest military holdings in the world, including rare vehicles, artillery, uniforms, medals, personal memoirs and 14,000 works in the Beaverbrook Collection of War Art. In total, the collection comprises more than 3 million artifacts, specimens, works of art, written documents and sound and visual recordings. The Military History Research Centre houses the George Metcalf Archival Collection and the Hartland Molson Library. These extensive collections of primary and secondary research material document Canada’s rich military history.

Watching the skies from deep underground. 🖥️This operator console was used at the Canadian Forces Base North Bay Undergr...
06/03/2026

Watching the skies from deep underground. 🖥️

This operator console was used at the Canadian Forces Base North Bay Underground Complex to monitor Canadian airspace. From 1963 to 2006, radar data flowed through systems like this, helping detect unknown or potentially hostile aircraft.

Hidden within the Canadian Shield, the facility was built to keep operating even during a nuclear attack.

AN/FYQ-93 Operator Console
CWM 20110104-001

Three figures. One moment of reflection. 🕊️In 1990, a national competition called for a monument honouring Canadian peac...
06/01/2026

Three figures. One moment of reflection. 🕊️

In 1990, a national competition called for a monument honouring Canadian peacekeepers. Artist Jack Kenneth Harman’s winning design, The Reconciliation, was unveiled in Ottawa in 1992.

This mock-up shows the original concept. The figures stand alert, reflecting the reality that peacekeeping is often dangerous work.

Mock-up – Jack Kenneth Harman
CWM 19960036-001

Shrapnel that once filled the air over Vimy Ridge. 💥During the First World War, these shells burst above the ground, sca...
05/30/2026

Shrapnel that once filled the air over Vimy Ridge. 💥

During the First World War, these shells burst above the ground, scattering metal balls called shrapnel across advancing infantry. This fragment, still holding some shrapnel balls, was recovered at Vimy in 1986.

A small piece of a devastating weapon.

CWM 19870249-001

Now Open! 🎉Close to Conflict – Canada and the American Civil War is an exhibition that explores the ways that the Americ...
05/29/2026

Now Open! 🎉

Close to Conflict – Canada and the American Civil War is an exhibition that explores the ways that the American Civil War (1861-1865) shaped Canadian society, politics and military ― and why its legacies still matter today.

📅 On view until February 28, 2027

Plan your visit 👉 https://www.warmuseum.ca/plan-your-visit

Asian Heritage Month is a time to share stories of service.Arthur Jung, seen here at right, joined the Royal Canadian Ai...
05/28/2026

Asian Heritage Month is a time to share stories of service.

Arthur Jung, seen here at right, joined the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1942 and trained as a bomber pilot. Based in England, he flew 30 operations over enemy territory during the Second World War.

After the war, he continued flying as a commercial pilot. His story reflects the contributions of Canadians of Asian descent, both in service and beyond. ✈️

George Metcalf Archival Collection
CWM 19650071-029_UK19314

Join us for the exhibition opening of Close to Conflict – Canada and the American Civil War.📅 Thursday, May 28, 2026🕒 5:...
05/27/2026

Join us for the exhibition opening of Close to Conflict – Canada and the American Civil War.

📅 Thursday, May 28, 2026
🕒 5:30 pm – 8 pm

The exhibition offers a fresh, contemporary look at how the War shaped Canadian society, politics and military — and why its legacies still matter today.

Evening highlights:
Meet the exhibition team 👋
Enjoy Civil War-era music performed by The Folksmen 🎶
Watch a portrait of Mary Ann Shadd — one of the exhibition’s key inspiring figures — come to life as local artist Allan André paints live throughout the evening 🖼️
Start or end your evening with dinner and refreshments at the Museum’s Café ☕

Admission is free, but registration is required: https://www.warmuseum.ca/events/canada-and-the-american-civil-war-exhibition-opening

Jewish Heritage Month is a time to share stories of service.In early March 1945, Sergeant Leonard Silver wrote home to h...
05/26/2026

Jewish Heritage Month is a time to share stories of service.

In early March 1945, Sergeant Leonard Silver wrote home to his mother in Montréal, describing advancing Canadian forces and the welcome they received from newly liberated Dutch civilians. Serving with the 5th Field Regiment, Royal Canadian Artillery, he had been in uniform since 1940.

Silver was Mentioned in Despatches for his devotion to duty, and even after being wounded in 1945, he remained on duty. ✉️

Sergeant Leonard Silver
CWM 20090056-002_1
George Metcalf Archival Collection

Built in Windsor for speed and stealth. 🚗This Lynx Mk II scout car, Canada’s version of the British Dingo, was designed ...
05/25/2026

Built in Windsor for speed and stealth. 🚗

This Lynx Mk II scout car, Canada’s version of the British Dingo, was designed for short-range reconnaissance. Lightly armed and armoured, it relied on a low profile and speed to avoid direct combat.

More than 3,200 were produced by Ford of Canada, including this one used by Canadian soldiers in Italy.

CWM 19810943-002

Heads up, visitors! 🏃🚧    Are you planning to visit the Canadian War Museum on Sunday, May 24? There will be road closur...
05/23/2026

Heads up, visitors! 🏃🚧

Are you planning to visit the Canadian War Museum on Sunday, May 24? There will be road closures around the Museum owing to Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend. The Museum will remain open during its regular hours of operation, and underground parking will remain accessible — but access to the garage will be limited from 6 to 11:15 am. Pedestrians and cyclists can access the site with minimal delays, and police will be on hand to help.

Plan ahead and check interactive maps at runottawa.ca. For full details on impacts to the Museum, visit our website 👉 warmuseum.ca/plan-your-visit/community-activities-road-closures

“Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth.” ✈️Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee, an American serving with the Royal ...
05/22/2026

“Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth.” ✈️

Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee, an American serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force, wrote High Flight after a high-altitude test flight in a Spitfire. The poem would go on to become an enduring anthem for aviators.

Magee sent it to his parents’ months before he was killed in a mid-air collision in 1941. He was 19.

Sketch of John Magee Jr by Jere Wickwire
CWM 20120002-001

Address

1 Vimy Place
Ottawa, ON
K1A0M8

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 7pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+18005555621

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