A trench bridge (World War I 1914-1918 British Press photograph collection, BC_1763_0955)
If you weren’t able to join us for RBSC’s Remembrance Day speaker series, you’re in luck! Thanks to the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, the talks are now available to watch online:
Tragic Bravery: Canada and the Battle of Hong Kong
Cameron Cathcart, President of the Royal United Services Institute – Vancouver Society (RUSI) and director of Vancouver’s Remembrance Day ceremonies at Victory Square
When asked if he thought the British Colony of Hong Kong could be defended against an invasion by the Japanese in 1941, Winston Churchill replied, “not the slightest chance”. This prediction forms the background to the fatal decision by Ottawa 75 years ago to send Canadian troops into the maelstrom that became known as the Battle of Hong Kong. As the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Hong Kong approaches, Cameron Cathcart will provide an overview of the battle, its aftermath, and delve into the personal lives of the brave Canadians whose lives were changed forever. Watch the talk here:
http://ikblc.ubc.ca/cameron-cathcart-battle-of-hong-kong-during-wwii/
Canada’s Secret Sailors: Asian Crewmen and Canadian Vessels in the Indo-Pacific Theatre
Clifford J. Pereira, FRGS, Independent researcher, curator, and museum consultant
Based on research gathered over the last two years from national, provincial, and naval archives in Canada, Australia, and the U.K, Clifford J. Pereira will tell the forgotten story of hundreds of non-resident Asian seamen on vessels of the Canadian Pacific Railway deployed by the British Admiralty in the Pacific and Indian Oceans during the First World War. Watch the talk here:
http://ikblc.ubc.ca/clifford-pereira-canadian-secret-sailors/
Remembering the Great War with Canadian Writers and Artists
Sherrill Grace, OC, FRSC, Professor Emerita of English and University Killam Professor
While Canada has been surprisingly low key about commemorating the Great War since 2014, we do have a wealth of artistic material that does important work in reconstructing and remembering the war. Dr. Sherrill Grace will consider how Canada remembers the war, and why it is important to do so, focusing on works by Canadians writing about the war from a late-20th century perspective. Watch the talk here:
http://ikblc.ubc.ca/sherrill-grace-landscapes-of-war-and-memory/
We hope you enjoy these compelling, affecting, and beautifully researched talks as much as we did!