Juno Beach Centre | Canada in WWII
  Virtual Tour
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Canada goes to war: war abroad, war at home
Canada Declares War on Germany September 10th, 1939

Step into a Canadian living room from 1939. A series of Antique radios bring you news of the impending war. Hear His Majesty, King George VI reassure his subjects. Hear French Prime Minister Edouard Daladier inform the French Republic of the dreadful conflict. Hear Adolf Hitler rally his nation to advance eastward against a hapless Poland. Hear the Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King end a long, tense week of speculation by declaring war against Germany on September 10th, 1939. Imagine how your family would have gathered around the radio to hear the fate of the world.

Over the next six years, one million Canadian men and women enlisted to serve with the Canadian Armed Forces. That was nearly ten percent of the country’s population at the time! Sit down with Peter and Madeleine and enter into their world to hear about the causes of the war with a short film. View the exhibits located on the outside wall and follow Canadians as they travel abroad. You will see texts, photos, films, and artefacts. Join the young Canadian troops as they set sail for training camps in England. Follow the Royal Canadian Navy and the Merchant Navy in the war at sea. Discover the role of the Royal Canadian Air Force in the Battle of Britain. Join the trials of the Army in their early battles at Hong Kong and Dieppe. Then, along the inside wall you will get a glimpse of life in Canada on the home front. Men, women and children participated in the battle from large munitions factories to small businesses right into the family home. Join the debate on conscription. Learn about the British Commonwealth Air Training plan. Experience the daily life of Canadians taking on new challenges for the cause of the war.