Grenadier Militaria – Remember Our Fallen Heroes – Nov 11
Remembering our War vets and their sacrifices for us is something that should always be part of our lives. We now have a mini museum right in our midst for you to peruse and to honor their achievements by learning about their lives
Grenadier Militaria is a business involved with the study and presentation of Canadian military history in World War I. There are three parts to the organization: a private collection of World War I memorabilia, a military bookstore and a reference library.
Mark Cahill has been collecting war related items for thirty years, gradually focusing on World War One and elements related to Trench Warfare, so expect to find helmets, rifles, jackets, caps, flags, firearms and even trench art and frightened letters home.
Head to the upper floor to check out the medals, uniforms, mess kits, miniatures, war posters, etc. Cahill especially likes to collect items which tell stories of individual soldiers, so he buys personal items about them, such as their medals, uniforms, badges, cigarette cases, lighters, medallions, photographs and diaries – which make viewing his collection much more poignant and personal. It reminds us that the awfulness of War is really a human individual experience.
Posters, paintings, silverware and porcelain tableware related to the war effort helps us remember that World War I was experienced right here at home, as well as in the muck and blood-filled trenches of Passchendaele. This is one of the largest First World War collections in Canada.
To shop in the Grenadier Military Bookstore, you can browse their online catalogue to check out the rare and out-of-print books and buy online, or go to the bookstore. When you subscribe to their mailing list, you receive a free printed catalogue.
If you wish to sell a collection related to military history of WWI, they are interested in buying. All you need to do is send them a list of what you have and they will look through it and get back to you about it.
For their Reference Library, Grenadier Militaria is trying to obtain a copy of each Canadian regimental history relating to WWI; they have about 200 so far. If you are interested in finding out about an ancestor who fought for Canada during the First World War or you are a student who needs to do some research, or even if you are just interested in learning more about this period of Canadian history, you are welcome here. You can be doing genealogy research or trying to obtain military information on certain Battalions which fought during WWI. The reference library is more for regimental research, since it is hard to get specific information on a particular soldier. For that information, you would go to the Canadian War Records Service.
If you are wondering where to obtain the war records of your Canadian relatives who fought in either the First or Second World War, you can fill out a form on their web site and they do the rest of the work for you. Please note that a Canadian soldier who fought in WWII will have to be deceased for twenty years or more to obtain the records; they also require proof of death.
With the 100th anniversary of World War One quickly approaching, Cahill and his team are proudly preparing to play an important role in the global commemoration of this horrendous yet unforgettable event.
Location: 5524-202 St-Patrick St. Montreal QC H4E 1A8
corner: boul Monk
Tel: 514-788-6007
Hours: Mon-Fri 9-5, Sat appts.
FREE admission
www.grenadiermilitaria.com
