Museums

In Canada, the Canadian War Museum (warmuseum.ca) is an incredible institution that emphasizes the human experience of war. The website describes its collection of “…rare vehicles, artillery, uniforms, medals, personal memoirs” and war art. There is a research centre, an archive, and a library.

There are many museums in Europe dedicated to explaining and remembering the wars. I have not been to them all, but here is a list of the ones I have been to and have used for my research:

World War One

• The Visitor Centre at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in Givenchy-en-Gohelle, France
• The Visitor Centre at the Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial in Auchonvillers, France
• In Flanders Fields Museum in Ieper (Ypres), Belgium
• Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 in Zonnebeke, Belgium
• The Visitor Centre at Tyne Cot Cemetery and Memorial to the Missing
• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission Information Centre in Ieper, Belgium. (Note: The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has a new Visitor Centre south of Arras in Beaurains, France.)

World War Two

• The Visitor Centre at the Juno Beach Centre in Courseulles-sur-Mer, France
• The Memorial Museum of the Battle of Normandy, in Bayeux, France
• The Arromanches 360 Circular Cinema in Arromanches, France is an immersive film experience with images projected on nine screens from UK, Canadian and other archives.
• The Arromanches D-Day Museum (Musée du Débarquement) was the first museum about the landings. It is located at Gold Beach, where you can still see the remains of the artificial harbour.
• Liberators Museum – Normandy 1944 has a unique collection of uniforms and items from the Battle of Normandy donated by veterans.