• Two Whitchurch-Stouffville Museum events are planned for Nov. 1 and 2 ahead of Remembrance Day.
  • Warrant Officer (Ret’d) Ryan Mitchell and Canadian Tank Museum curator Sam Richardson will lead a discussion on the Museum’s Worthy exhibition on Saturday morning.
  • Worthy explores the history of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps and displays artifacts from Mitchell’s military career.
  • The Where They Walked guided tour highlights the new Veteran Banner Project along Main Street.
  • Recently updated, the banners honour local service members who made the ultimate sacrifice.
  • More information on the events, as well as ticket details, can be found online.

 

As Remembrance Day approaches, the Whitchurch-Stouffville Museum and Community Centre is inviting residents to reflect on both the municipality’s and Canada’s military history through two weekend programs.

On Saturday, Nov. 1, retired Warrant Officer Ryan Mitchell and Canadian Tank Museum Curator Sam Richardson will lead a morning discussion tied to the Museum’s feature exhibition, Worthy: The History of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps. The exhibit, which traces the evolution of Canada’s armoured forces from the First World War to Afghanistan, includes several artifacts donated by Mitchell.

According to the Museum, Mitchell will share the stories behind a selection of his displayed items and experiences as a Commander. Richardson will expand on the broader history of the Armoured Corps and offer insights into how the exhibition’s interpretive panels were developed.

The talk begins at 10 a.m. at the Whitchurch-Stouffville Museum and will include a Q&A with both speakers. Attendees can also enjoy light refreshments and see the exhibit’s collection of equipment, uniforms, and photographs.

On Sunday, Nov. 2, the Museum will host Where They Walked: Stouffville’s Veteran Stories, a guided walking tour along Main Street beginning at 19 on the Park. The two-hour event starts at 11 a.m. and will explore Stouffville’s Veteran Banner Project, which honours local service members who gave their lives in wartime and peacekeeping missions.

Whitchurch-Stouffville Museum staff will lead the tour with support from the Museum’s Volunteer Working Group. “The walk will be a meaningful exploration of just a handful of local contributions, and will conclude with placing a poppy on the Clock Tower,” the Museum said.

The banner initiative forms part of a larger regional effort to mark the centennial of the Aurora Whitchurch King War Memorial. Stouffville’s expanded program reflects on the lives and sacrifices of 57 local service members identified by a community panel and includes one banner symbolically dedicated to the unknown soldier.

Stouffville has also created the We Remember website, a digital portal into the Museum’s work with biographies for local service members identified through the Banner Project. More information and tickets for this weekend’s events, which are free but required, can also be obtained through the site.