A Remembrance Day display at the local archives will be extended until the end of year, local heritage society director Marlene Markle said.
The society has managed to include several war-time documents, medals and clothing in the display. Of particular interest are items belonging to World War II veteran Leonard McIntosh and his wife Lyla. The couple were married after the war and lived in Minto where Leonard McIntosh was born in 1919. He passed away in 1996 and his war memorabilia was taken over by Cheryl Edwards, of Mount Forest, who donated it to the society for the display.
“He put all his war-time memorabilia in a box he made and put it in the attic and it was never opened until Cheryl got it,” Markle said of the items.
Other items donated include Leonard McIntosh’s army-issued bible, war records, and ration coupons donated by residents who lived through the war at home.
Leonard McIntosh enlisted in the army in 1941 and became a gunner before being discharged in 1945. He was involved in the Normandy invasion and the display includes pictures of when he was in training and post cards from France. Coincidentally the display also includes the Soldiers Official Documentation of Irwin Archibald (Bing) Lytle the only invasion casualty from Mount Forest.
The war artifacts are part of a historical collection with some 4,000 items on display. They include cemetery records, family histories, photographs and historic memorabilia from schools, service clubs and Sports teams. Volunteers provide support through on-line searches, photocopying and assisting in requests.
Located in an architectural landmark, the Old Post Office, the archives can be found at the corner of Main and Wellington streets. It is a fully accessible building.
The collection also includes interviews done by local students with war brides about their recollections.
Another interactive collection includes war posters done by artist Charles Hilder and donated by his son David, Markle said.
She believes Hilder worked as a graphic artist for a Montreal-based advertising company and created the posters to promote the war effort, including the sale of war bonds. David Hilder has also sent a copy of the disk containing the images to the war museum in Ottawa.
“There’s some images that are rough sketches for the posters so you can see the images in progress,” Markle said.
The society moved into the building when it was officially formed in 2004 under the guidance of local historian and school librarian Jean Weber. Weber, who died in 2010, is considered the driving force behind the society and its place in the Old Post Office. The war collection also includes a picture of her father William John Thompson, a member of the 124th Battalion of Canada in World War I.
Also included in the collection is a “Dead Man’s Penny,” a four-and-a-half inch brass medallion sent to surviving family members of soldiers killed in action. A story about the medallion by war veteran and Arthur historian John Walsh accompanies the medallion. There are also community pictures, including one of the original war cenotaph taken around 1930.
Markle said the society is proud of the items assembled for the Remembrance Day exhibit.
“It will all stay out until the end of the year and that gives people time to see it and they don’t have to rush in,” she said.
