Since the Canadian Military Heritage Museum of Brant County opened its doors to the public over thirty years ago, it has played an important role in preserving the legacy and contributions that Brantford, Brant County, and Six Nations have had to Canada’s military history.
Bob Ion, who has been the director for 20 years, explained the significance of the museum.
“It’s a real gem for the community…it’s a really unique museum because it’s all run by volunteers…the city owns the building, and we’ve got a wonderful lease. They’ve been really good with us, and we have a great relationship with them. We have got tours booked all the time [and have] popular events going on,” Ion said. “But, most importantly…it’s a place where we honour the men and the women from Brantford, Brant County, and Six Nations who served, and the ones that sacrificed and the ones that are still serving…there’s so many stories to tell, and it’s our obligation [as well as] part of our mandate to tell those stories.”
Ion recalled a recent interview with a veteran, as well as reflecting on preserving these stories.
“Just last year, we had Roger Duck come in and do an interview with Len Hill, one of our founding members and a Korean veteran. Len was just a young kid when he went to fight in Korea and became a really important part of getting the museum going right from the start…sitting and listening to that interview with Len talking about his experiences was very moving, and it really brought it to a personal level,” described Ion. “I find that a lot of the veterans…like those from World War II never wanted to tell their stories, especially to their families. But some of them have told their stories to me [because] they want to tell them before they go and they feel better when they do. And that’s an important thing. It’s part of our history and our heritage. And Brantford, Brant County, and Six nations, has one of the richest military heritages in Canada.”
Nevertheless, the museum’s founding was made possible by an important member who has since passed.
“Without Derek Pite, there wouldn’t be a Canadian military heritage museum. He was a veteran of World War II, and landed in D-Day, and he was in the intelligence corps. He was a wonderful man and volunteered with the museum for many years,” he said. “Derek was a driving force, and he gave years of his life to getting this museum going. He made a commitment through his time and his efforts, and he was absolutely dedicated to that. Along with Derek and a small group of historians, volunteers, military veterans…made this museum possible.”
However, Ion went on to discuss the various exhibits the museum has, along with several popular events.
“One in which I recall very vividly is the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, and the liberation of the Netherlands. That exhibit was five years ago…we did a display on the liberation of the Netherlands which was a very special event. We had the Dutch community come in and in great numbers and saw the wonderful displays that we had there. But the trouble was, when we wanted to have it in for the 75th anniversary, COVID came, so we were closed for a year and a half. We kept that display up for almost three years,” he said. “This year’s display focuses on men and women of the Royal Canadian Navy and the importance that women had, who are called the Rens. And we’ve got a special event coming up…where we have what’s really the social event of the year, the High Tea which recognizes women in the in the Royal Canadian Navy during the Second World War. We also have displays on the South African war, or the Boer War, as it’s known. The monument that’s outside the armories recognizes three soldiers from Brantford who were killed in the Boer War (1899 to 1902.) We also have another unique display of children’s toys, puzzles and books that they would have played with and used during war time…many people have either donated these items or they were given to us by families and veterans, and every one of those artifacts has a story to tell.”
Ion, who was himself in the newspaper business for 35 years, has always been interested in military history, especially with several of his family members being involved in the two great wars.
“When I retired early, I was looking for someplace to spend my spare time, which is all of my time now. I just love being here and sharing our rich military history. My grandfather was in the 56-field regiment [and] my sister’s godfather was the commanding officer of the 56th and my wife’s father was in the Toronto Scottish and landed at Normandy,” he explained. “And my great grandfather, John Partridge was in the First World War… he was gassed at Vimy and died just before the start of the Second World War. And that’s really what got me going…researching the First World War especially on the people here.”
However, the museum continues to thrive by continually fostering important partnerships.
“It’s a real treasure for the community. And it’s a place where when people first come in [they are] overwhelmed and amazed that we have such a museum in Brantford…it houses some of the most marvelous treasures [compared to] any museum around…recently, we formed an informal partnership with the 56-field Regiment Association that’s a group that assists and supports the 56 regiment, which is our local regiment,” explained Ion. “They’ve got members over in Latvia right now and several of the members just left for the ceremony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of the Netherlands, and we will host events and provide the venue for them…it’s a logical partnership. We’ve had speakers come in. We’ve also got a great relationship with the Brant County Museum and Archives downtown…and it’s important to have these types of relationships in order to strengthen the community.”
Going forward, Ion and the board, will be looking to continue to appeal to people to visit the museum.
“It’s just enlightening to share our wonderful museum to not only the community, but the County, the province, and all of Canada. It’s a lot of work keeping up the website and promoting the museum, but its worth it…because this is something that everyone needs to experience,” he said. “We have had people from all over the world visit us when they are in the area…people from South America and Europe…and we get local visitors from Toronto and Mississauga and recently we had a tour group of children come in from a school in Chatham. We’ve had over 700 people come through the doors in tours and weekend traffic since March Break. It’s a real success story for the community as well as [showing and preserving] a part of our rich heritage which should be seen.”
