Royal Canadian Legion Paris Branch #29 is hosting an open house event to celebrate its 100th anniversary from Monday, September 28, to Friday, October 2, 2026.
The open house features “Stitches, Steel and Strength: Holding the Line at Home – Women and WWII,” an exhibit highlighting the work and civilian lives of women in Paris and Brant County during the Second World War. Many items, as well as documents, have been put together in collaboration with the Paris Museum and Historical Society, the Canadian Military Heritage Museum, local libraries and others.
Cheryl Humphrey, a member of the Legion’s 100th anniversary committee, said that as the war blurred traditional boundaries between the battlefield and the home front, entire societies, not just military forces, were mobilized for the war effort. Women and children played an important role in that effort by keeping households running, working in the factories and fields, and contributing to the broader civilian effort through fundraising campaigns, buying war bonds and sending supplies to soldiers overseas.
“The everyday, common housewife had a role to play and so the display mainly focuses on the women in the Paris and Brant County area, and how they contributed to the war effort,” she said. “World War Two was described as a total war because it affected day-to-day life, both overseas and at home. You couldn’t just throw a scrap of paper, or the fat and bones from meat away because they could be collected and put to use, and even old nylons were sent to make various things. The war affected every aspect of their lives, so the exhibit focuses on how women handled those situations.”
From homemade cosmetics and 1940s food items to kitchen and household wares, bathroom essentials, laundry tools, vintage games, Victory Bonds, rationing, mending clothes, knitting and care packages, the “Stitches, Steel and Strength” display covers a range of aspects of everyday life on the home front.
The exhibit also features information on how milkweed seeds were collected and used to supply lightweight, buoyant fibre for life jackets and other floatation devices, when kapok became difficult to obtain following Japan’s occupation of parts of Southeast Asia.
“There was a lot of propaganda encouraging people, especially schoolchildren to help save a life by collecting milkweed for lifejackets, so there was a real psychological effect on them. It made the children aware that they were very much part of the war effort,” said Humphrey.
“Stitches, Steel and Strength” also includes information about Annie Broughton from the Paris Museum and Historical Society. The Paris resident was known to send care packages to soldiers through the Overseas League (Canada) Tobacco and Hamper Fund.
“Annie would send out letters to the soldiers, first sending them cigarettes because that was a big, big thing,” said Humphrey. “They had to respond with a postcard to say thank you, and then she would just keep corresponding with them. So, the Paris Museum has over 700 letters in their possession, and we have some here.”
Given that knitting, sewing, and quilting were all a large part of Canada’s home-front war effort, the display also features countless examples of how women in the area would repurpose and make everything from socks to sweaters, mittens, caps, other pieces of clothing and blankets to help keep soldiers warm.
For those who are interested in checking out “Stitches, Steel and Strength: Holding the Line at Home – Women and WWII,” the Legion’s open house will be open from now until Thursday, October 1, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Friday, October 2, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“I’ve learned so much and have talked to so many fantastic people who contributed to this display,” said Humphrey. “The support from the community has been wonderful, and we really appreciate that. I hope people will come out and gain a different perspective on what women did during the Second World War and how it was a total war that affected so many people.”
There’s also a meet and greet on Sunday, October 4, from 1 to 4 p.m., giving visitors the chance to meet the Legion’s executives and learn more about its programs and services.
All are free to attend, though the Legion will gratefully be accepting donations to put towards maintaining its aging building and supporting various community efforts.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
