It was luck alone that brought back a piece of our history.
After searching around the Galt Museum archive for old building plans, executive director, Susan Burrows-Johnson, came across a rare find. She found 38 original World War I postcards by a Canadian artist that fought in France during that time.
“There just really engaging. The images from the First World War. There the lighter side of being a soldier,” she said.
The postcards were bought by soldiers who were fighting in battle, as a way for them to communicate with their families back home in Canada. The images were meant to be humorous, a way to provide comedic relief during a grave time in history.
Andrew Chernevych is an archivist at the museum. He says the theme that seems to be prevalent throughout the postcards is the expectations of the soldiers versus their reality.
“It was a way to cope with what they experienced there, death and stress, danger and the fear, so this is a way to preserve their sanity.”
The postcards couldn’t have been found at a better time, as the museum prepares for the 100th anniversary of the Great War. They’re reproducing the cards for people to collect and pay tribute. They will be available to the public for purchase as of August 4th at the Galt Museum.
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