Canadian War Museum marking 75th anniversary of D-Day with the exhibition Invasion! – Canadians and the Battle of Normandy, 1944

MEDIA RELEASE

Ottawa, Ontario, June 6, 2019 — The Canadian War Museum is pleased to present a special exhibition to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day. Invasion! – Canadians and the Battle of Normandy, 1944 pairs 12 powerful black-and-white photographs of key events with reproduced archival items to showcase seven personal stories, and explains who participated, the objectives and why this event is still so significant to Canadians.

“This exhibition marks a crucial campaign that helped to end the Second World War,” said James Whitham, Acting Director General of the Canadian War Museum. “Seventy-five years after Canadian soldiers landed on the beaches of Normandy, we still remember their legacy and their contributions to the Allied victory against Fascism.”

The Allied invasion of Europe was the most complex military operation in human history, and the Battle of Normandy contributed to the beginning of the end of the Second World War. Some 150,000 soldiers — including almost 15,000 Canadians from around the country — stormed the beaches of Normandy or parachuted into France on June 6, 1944. Many never returned to their families and loved ones.

To further mark the anniversary, the Museum is pleased to present a special lecture, “75 Years Ago: D-Day and the Battle of Normandy,” at 7:30 p.m. in the Barney Danson Theatre. Tim Cook and Jeff Noakes, two of Canada’s foremost military historians, will share their insights about the D-Day landings and the Normandy Campaign, as well as about their enduring legacy over 75 years. The lecture is part of the War Museum’s World at War – International Speaker Series.

This special exhibition, Invasion! – Canadians and the Battle of Normandy, 1944, will be displayed on the Portrait Wall in the Museum Lobby from June 6 to November 24, 2019.

The Canadian War Museum is Canada’s national museum of military history. Its mission is to promote public understanding of Canada’s military history in its personal, national, and international dimensions. Work of the Canadian War Museum is made possible in part through financial support of the Government of Canada.

– 30 –

Media contacts:

Avra Gibbs Lamey
Senior Communications and Media Relations Officer
Canadian War Museum
Telephone: 819-776-8607
avra.gibbs-lamey@warmuseum.ca

Patricia Lynch
Acting Director, Corporate Affairs
Canadian War Museum
Telephone: 819-776-8666
patricia.lynch@warmuseum.ca