Look around the walls of the St. Albert branch of the Royal Canadian Legion and you feel a goose-bumpy sense of pride. Almost every conflict that Canadian soldiers have ever served in since the Boer War is represented in some way. Some military personnel, who lost their lives in battle, have their memorial photos and medals on the wall. That space is shared with mementos from the men and women who went to war and came home to help build their hometown into the city it is today. The art lining the legion's walls tells a poignant story about St. Albert's contribution, but the collection is so vast it's hard at first glance to tie it all together.
"What you see here was not necessarily donated in honour of men who fought and died in the wars. Some things are donated by family members; some were donated by organizations such as the Youville Home in recognition of the contributions of the legion itself and what it has done for the community and some were donated by soldiers who remember being there," said legion member Bill Dickson.
A few years ago Dickson took a stab at making an inventory of the collection, but got bogged down. Items are constantly donated by families after their father dies, and so the collection is always growing.
Photos and medals are hung beside each other so that the living are honoured along with the dead. Memorabilia from Vimy Ridge, in the First World War, may be found near a ship's bell from the Second World War and not far away there's a photo of a tank in the desert in Afghanistan.
Dieppe flag
Some artifacts, such as the Red Ensign flag shown beside an undated photo of Rocky Wilkins and Lord Mountbatten, leave you wishing to know more of the story. According to the plaque beside the flag, Wilkins, who was a member of a South Saskatchewan regiment, took it from Dieppe Beach. In 1986, Wilkins presented the flag and his photo with Lord Mountbatten to the St. Albert Legion. It's a curious thing that raises questions, not the least of which is how Wilkins and Mountbatten, who was killed in 1979, came to be together for a photo. Those answers aren't to be found at the legion.
"Most legions are like this," Dickson said. "There's a tremendous amount of history in this conglomeration."
Some things are fun and show the depth of the legion, which has always been a meeting place for those who served. A trophy case represents all the prizes awarded at countless dart and cribbage tournaments. In a back room there is a photo of St. Albert curling champion Hec Gervais. Legion badges and ribbons from all over Canada are featured on a large strip of wall near the banquet room.
"I brought some ribbons from other legions and most members do the same. When we go to other legions, we take our ribbons to them," Dickson said.
Dickson also loaned three paintings to the legion.
"These paintings are by Roger Chabot. He is still in the Vandoos," said Dickson, who is most proud of a painting titled Vimy, because his grandfather fought in that battle.
Another painting depicts a monument to the First Canadian Parachute Battalion and to D-Day. The monument was dedicated in 2000 by then-Lt.-Gov. Lois Hole at Siffleur Falls on the David Thompson Highway.
"Every year on D-Day a number of us still go to that location to pay tribute to those who fought on D-Day," Dickson explained, but how the dedication in 2000 came about and why it involved Lt.-Gov. Hole is unclear for anyone who simply looks at the painting.
In the end, it's apparent that if Canada serves in any more conflicts, they might have to build a new legion because every inch of wall space has been used. From the newspaper articles that announce the end of the Second World War to the gas mask on the wall in the dart room to the multiple photos of various wartime aircraft, to Rocky Wilkins' Dieppe flag and photo and to the various needlework presentations made by Ladies Auxiliary members, the legion's art depicts a little piece of every local soldier's story and service to Canada. Collectively they show the love and caring of an entire population for its soldiers and they honour the contributions they made to their country.
Dickson doesn't mind the mixing and matching of every story. To him they represent a way of giving thanks for the peace and camaraderie he feels inside the legion.
"For me, it was important to donate artifacts to the legion in thanks for all that the legion has done for me," said Dickson.
