Currie Hall is a hall within the Currie Building, which is an annex to the Mackenzie Building at the
Royal Military College of Canada
'')
, established = 1876
, type = Military academy
, chancellor = Anita Anand ('' la, ex officio, label=none'' as Defence Minister)
, principal = Harry Kowal
, head_label ...
in
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between Toro ...
. It was built in 1922, and is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building.
The hall was designed by
Percy Erskine Nobbs
Percy Erskine Nobbs (August 11, 1875 – November 5, 1964) was a Canadian architect who was born in Haddington, East Lothian, and trained in the United Kingdom. Educated at the Edinburgh Collegiate School and Edinburgh University, he spent ...
and built just after the end of the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
by Sir
Archibald Cameron Macdonell
Sir Archibald Cameron Macdonell, (6 October 1864 – 23 December 1941) was a Canadian police officer and soldier.
Education
He was born in Windsor, Canada West. He was educated at Trinity College School, Port Hope, Ontario, and graduated from ...
while he was commandant of the Royal Military College of Canada. It was built as a memorial to the
Canadian Corps
The Canadian Corps was a World War I corps formed from the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1915 after the arrival of the 2nd Canadian Division in France. The corps was expanded by the addition of the 3rd Canadian Division in December ...
of the
Canadian Expeditionary Force
The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry division ...
. It plays a prominent role in the life of the University. During special events, invited speakers and dignitaries may address the university population or general public from the Great Hall. Many conferences held in Kingston, Ontario may book the halls for lectures or presentations.
The Currie building also houses the Language Centre, administrative offices and Otter Squadron - University Training Plan Non Commissioned Members (UTNCM). The building was named in honour of Lieutenant-General Sir
Arthur Currie
General Sir Arthur William Currie, (5 December 187530 November 1933) was a senior officer of the Canadian Army who fought during World War I. He had the unique distinction of starting his military career on the very bottom rung as a pre-war ...
, who is a National Historic Person of Canada.
Currie Hall is decorated with the crests and battle colours of every unit that fought in France during World War I.
History
At the official opening of Currie Hall at Royal Military College on 17 May 1922, General Sir Arthur Currie remarked:
Under the supervision of
Eleanor Milne
Rose Eleanor Milne (May 14, 1925 – May 17, 2014) was a Canadian sculptor best known for her work as the Dominion Sculptor of Canada, a position that she held from 1961 until her retirement in 1993.
Early life
Milne was born on May 14, 1925, in ...
, then Official Sculptor of Canada (1962–93),
Maurice Joanisse Maurice may refer to:
People
*Saint Maurice (died 287), Roman legionary and Christian martyr
*Maurice (emperor) or Flavius Mauricius Tiberius Augustus (539–602), Byzantine emperor
*Maurice (bishop of London) (died 1107), Lord Chancellor and Lo ...
, then an apprentice carver, sculpted the Royal Coat of
Arms of Canada
The Arms of Canada (french: Armoiries du Canada, links=no), also known as the Royal Coat of Arms of Canada (french: armoiries royales du Canada, links=no) or formally as the Arms of His Majesty the King in Right of Canada (french: Armoiries de Sa M ...
and Canada's motto, ''Ad mare usque ad mare'' (English: From Sea to Sea; French: ''D'un ocean à l'autre''), over the main entrance to the building. Joanisse also sculpted the arms of Sir
Archibald Cameron Macdonell
Sir Archibald Cameron Macdonell, (6 October 1864 – 23 December 1941) was a Canadian police officer and soldier.
Education
He was born in Windsor, Canada West. He was educated at Trinity College School, Port Hope, Ontario, and graduated from ...
and General Currie over the main entrance. Joanisse later served as Official Sculptor of Canada 1993 to 2006.
File:Lt-Gen Sir A C Macdonell Arms @ Currie Building, Royal Military College of Canada.jpg, Lt General Sir Archibald Cameron Macdonell
Sir Archibald Cameron Macdonell, (6 October 1864 – 23 December 1941) was a Canadian police officer and soldier.
Education
He was born in Windsor, Canada West. He was educated at Trinity College School, Port Hope, Ontario, and graduated from ...
's arms
File:Gen Sir Arthur William Currie arms, Currie Building, Royal Military College of Canada.jpg, General Sir Arthur William Currie's
Decorations
![Royal Military College of Canada's Currie Hall](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a4/Royal_Military_College_of_Canada%27s_Currie_Hall.jpg)
Major Stuart Forbes offered to paint the insignia as a gift to the College. General Macdonnell said that "no greater incentive or inspiration could be given to the Gentlemen Cadets of the Royal Military College of Canada than the sight of the emblems worn by the Canadian Corps."
His Excellency
John Ralston Saul
John Ralston Saul (born June 19, 1947) is a Canadian writer, political philosopher, and public intellectual. Saul is most widely known for his writings on the nature of individualism, citizenship and the public good; the failures of manager-l ...
(February 2004) described the Currie Hall decorations,
The initials of
Canada Corps
Canada Corps was a program created by the Canadian Government with the purpose of improving good governance and institution building in developing and unstable countries. The programme was administered by the Canadian International Development A ...
commanders General Sir Arthur Currie; Sir
Edwin Alderson
Lieutenant General Sir Edwin Alfred Hervey Alderson, KCB (8 April 1859 – 14 December 1927) was a senior British Army officer who served in several campaigns of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. From 1915 to 1916 during the Fir ...
(1915–16), and Sir
Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy
Field Marshal Julian Hedworth George Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy, (11 September 1862 – 6 June 1935) was a British Army officer who served as Governor General of Canada, the 12th since the Canadian Confederation.
Known to friends as "Bung ...
(1916–17) are emblazoned on the ceiling of Currie Hall as are the initials of Sir
Henry Edward Burstall
Lieutenant General Sir Henry Edward Burstall, (26 August 1870 – 8 February 1945) was a Canadian general.
Born at Domaine Cataraqui, Sillery, Quebec, the son of the wealthy merchant John B. Burstall (1832–1896) and Fanny Bell Forsyth, da ...
,
Garnet Hughes
Major General Garnet Burk Hughes (22 April 1880 – 13 April 1937) was a Canadian military officer during the First World War. Although he had shown promise as a cadet officer and was politically well-connected, he was judged not to be an able co ...
, General Macdonell,
Louis Lipsett
Major-General Louis James Lipsett (14 June 1874 – 14 October 1918), was a senior officer in the British Army and Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. He commanded the 3rd Canadian Division during some of the bitterest ...
,
Frederick Oscar Warren Loomis
Major General Sir Frederick Oscar Warren Loomis (February 1, 1870 – February 15, 1937) was a Canadian soldier who fought in the First World War.
Military career
He enlisted as a private in the Canadian Militia in 1886 with the 53rd Sherbroo ...
,
M. S. Mercer,
Sam Steele
Major General Sir Samuel Benfield Steele (5 January 1848 – 30 January 1919) was a distinguished Canadian soldier and police official. He was an officer of the North-West Mounted Police, most famously as head of the Yukon detachment during the ...
,
R. E. W. Turner, and
David Watson.
File:Cadet roll of honour, Currie Hall, Currie Building, Royal Military College of Canada 2011.jpg, Royal Military College of Canada Gentlemen cadets Roll of Honour, Currie Hall, Currie Building, Royal Military College of Canada 2011
File:Battle list Canadian Troops on the Western Front plaque in Currie Hall, Royal Military College of Canada.JPG, Battle list Canadian Troops on the Western Front plaque in Currie Hall, Royal Military College of Canada
The badges and battle patches belonging to the units of the
1st,
2nd
A second is the base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI).
Second, Seconds or 2nd may also refer to:
Mathematics
* 2 (number), as an ordinal (also written as ''2nd'' or ''2d'')
* Second of arc, an angular measurement unit ...
,
3rd
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (d ...
,
4th, and
5th Canadian Division
The 5th Canadian Division is a formation of the Canadian Army responsible for the command and mobilization of most army units in the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador; as well as some unit ...
s of the Canada Corps and the cavalry brigade adorn 132 oak panels on the face of the gallery.
Coats of arms
![Grandes Armes de Paris](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Grandes_Armes_de_Paris.svg)
Nineteen coats of arms tell the story of Canada's experience during the First World War. The first four brigades of the Canada Corps trained in
Valcartier
Canadian Forces Base Valcartier (CFB Valcartier), now re-designated 2 Canadian Division Support Base Valcartier (2 CDSB Valcartier), is a Canadian Forces base located in the municipality of Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, north northwest of Quebec ...
and
Quebec City
Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...
. The Corps landed in
Devonport, Devon
Devonport ( ), formerly named Plymouth Dock or just Dock, is a district of Plymouth in the English county of Devon, although it was, at one time, the more important settlement. It became a county borough in 1889. Devonport was originally one o ...
, in
Plymouth Sound
Plymouth Sound, or locally just The Sound, is a deep inlet or sound in the English Channel near Plymouth in England.
Description
Its southwest and southeast corners are Penlee Point in Cornwall and Wembury Point in Devon, a distance of abo ...
. After spending the winter on the
Salisbury Plain
Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in the south western part of central southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies wi ...
, they crossed to
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. Major battles fought by the corps were the following:
Battle of Mount Sorrel
The Battle of Mont Sorrel (''Battle of Mount Sorrel'', ''Battle of Hill 62'') was a local operation in World War I by three divisions of the British Second Army and three divisions of the German 4th Army in the Ypres Salient, near Ypres, Bel ...
;
Battle of Flers-Courcelette
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
;
Battle of Morval
The Battle of Morval, 25–28 September 1916, was an attack during the Battle of the Somme by the British Fourth Army (United Kingdom), Fourth Army on the villages of Morval, Pas-de-Calais, Morval, Gueudecourt and Lesboeufs, Lesbœufs held by th ...
;
Battle of Thiepval
The Battle of Thiepval Ridge was the first large offensive of the Reserve Army (Lieutenant General Hubert Gough), during the Battle of the Somme on the Western Front during the First World War. The attack was intended to benefit from the Four ...
;
Battle of Le Transloy
The Battle of Le Transloy was the last big attack by the Fourth Army of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in the 1916 Battle of the Somme in France, during the First World War. The battle was fought in conjunction with attacks by the Frenc ...
;
Battle of the Ancre Heights
The Battle of the Ancre Heights (1 October – 11 November 1916), is the name given to the continuation of British attacks after the Battle of Thiepval Ridge from during the Battle of the Somme. The battle was conducted by the Reserve Army (re ...
;
Battle of Vimy Ridge
The Battle of Vimy Ridge was part of the Battle of Arras, in the Pas-de-Calais department of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in the First Army, against three divisions o ...
;
Battle of Arleux
The Battle of Arras (also known as the Second Battle of Arras) was a British offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British troops attacked German defences near the French city of Arras on the W ...
;
Third Battle of the Scarpe Scarpe may refer to:
* Scarpe river, in France
*Battle of the Scarpe (disambiguation), four Battles of the Scarpe were fought during World War I
*USS Scarpe (SP-713), a United States Navy ship
*Scarpe Mountain Scarpe may refer to:
* Scarpe river, ...
;
Battle of Hill 70
The Battle of Hill 70 took place in the First World War between the Canadian Corps and five divisions of the German 6th Army. The battle took place along the Western Front on the outskirts of Lens in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France b ...
;
Second Battle of Passchendaele
The Second Battle of Passchendaele was the culminating attack during the Third Battle of Ypres of the First World War. The battle took place in the Ypres Salient area of the Western Front, in and around the Belgian village of Passchendaele, be ...
;
Battle of Cambrai (1917)
The Battle of Cambrai (Battle of Cambrai, 1917, First Battle of Cambrai and ''Schlacht von Cambrai'') was a British attack in the First World War, followed by the biggest German counter-attack against the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) sinc ...
;
Battle of Amiens;
Second Battle of the Somme
The Second Battle of the Somme of 1918 was fought during the First World War on the Western Front from late August to early September, in the basin of the River Somme. It was part of a series of successful counter-offensives in response to th ...
;
Battle of the Canal du Nord
The Battle of Canal du Nord was part of the Hundred Days Offensive of the First World War by the Allies against German positions on the Western Front. The battle took place in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France, along an incomplete portion of ...
(including the capture of
Bourlon Wood
The Bourlon Wood Memorial, near Bourlon, France, is a Canadian war memorial that commemorates the actions of the Canadian Corps during the final months of the First World War; a period also known as Canada's Hundred Days, part of the Hundred D ...
);
Battle of Cambrai: October 8–9 (including the Capture of
Cambrai
Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department and in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, regio ...
). The corps returned to Canada through the ports of
Boulogne-sur-Mer
Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...
,
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
and
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.
[
]
Provincial Shields
Edwin Tappan Adney, who had served as engineering officer at the Royal Military College of Canada 1916-1919, created a set of three-dimensional shields of the Canadian provinces that adorn Currie Hall.
File:Major Percy Esrskine Nobbs plaque @ Currie Hall Royal Military College of Canada.JPG, Major Percy Erskine Nobbs
Percy Erskine Nobbs (August 11, 1875 – November 5, 1964) was a Canadian architect who was born in Haddington, East Lothian, and trained in the United Kingdom. Educated at the Edinburgh Collegiate School and Edinburgh University, he spent ...
plaque
File:Maj Stuart Forbes plaque in Currie Hall Royal Military College of Canada.JPG, Maj Stuart Forbes plaque
Artwork
![Painting by Emily Warren in Currie Hall Royal Military College of Canada](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/Painting_by_Emily_Warren_in_Currie_Hall_Royal_Military_College_of_Canada.JPG)
In 1947,
Emily Warren
Emily Warren Schwartz (born August 25, 1992) is an American singer and songwriter signed to the label Prescription Songs. She is best known for the songs she has written for several high-profile pop artists, including Backstreet Boys, The Chai ...
's two large, , canvasses entitled ''Canada's Tribute, The Great War 1914–1919'' and ''Placing the Canadian Colours on
Wolf
The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...
's Monument in
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...
''. Canada's Tribute was hung in the Currie Memorial Hall at RMC. The paintings depict the 52 sets of
colours, standards and guidons
In military organizations, the practice of carrying colours (or colors), standards, flags, or guidons, both to act as a rallying point for troops and to mark the location of the commander, is thought to have originated in Ancient Egypt some ...
being placed for safekeeping on the Wolfe Monument in
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...
. The paintings were initially hung in the
Canadian Parliament Buildings
The Canadian Parliament Buildings are the parliament buildings housing the Parliament of Canada, located on Parliament Hill, Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa ...
. In 2010, thirty one paintings of
Canadian war memorials
Canadian war memorials are buildings, monuments, and statues that commemorate the armed actions in the territory encompassing modern Canada, the role of the Canadian military in conflicts and peacekeeping operations, and Canadians who died or wer ...
by F.A. (Tex) Dawson were unveiled outside Currie Hall.
Memorial staircase
![Royal Military College of Canada Memorial stairwell](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Royal_Military_College_of_Canada_Memorial_stairwell.jpg)
As you enter the Mackenzie Building, which is connected to the Currie Building, you immediately see a staircase which was designated the memorial stairway after the First World War by RMC Cadet #151 Sir Archibald Cameron Macdonell, RMC Commandant 1919-1925. The staircase is decorated with the photographs of 358 alumni including Captain
Nichola Goddard
Captain Nichola Kathleen Sarah Goddard, MSM (May 2, 1980 – May 17, 2006) was the first female Canadian combat soldier killed in combat, and the 16th Canadian soldier killed in Canadian operations in Afghanistan.
Profile
Born to British and ...
who had died in military service.
Memorial and Commemorative Stained Glass windows
Outside Currie Hall, stained glass windows feature images of the
Royal Canadian Sea Cadets
The Royal Canadian Sea Cadets (RCSC; french: links=no, Cadets de la Marine royale du Canada) is a Canadian national youth program sponsored by the Canadian Armed Forces and the civilian Navy League of Canada. Administered by the Canadian Forces, t ...
,
Navy League Cadet Corps (Canada)
The Navy League Cadet Corps (French: ''Corps de cadets de la Ligue navale'') was created by the Navy League of Canada for boys in 1948, and the Navy League Wrennette Corps was formed for girls in 1950. The Wrennette program no longer exists, since ...
and
Navy League Wrennette Corp
The Navy League Wrennette Corps was formed by the Navy League of Canada in 1950 as a cadet organisation for girls to complement the Navy League Cadet Corps of Canada.
It had similar objectives to the boys' organisation, and taught girls seamanshi ...
. In memory of David H. Gibson, C.B.E. National President, Navy League of Canada, 1938-1952 a stained glass window features images of a young sailor and God behind the ships' wheel. The window is dedicated to Canadians who in defence of the country went down to the sea in ships. The window includes a poem by H.R. Gillarm:
Outside Currie Hall, on the first floor, two stained glass windows feature images of a military saint holding a staff and a shield and a military saint with a horse and three angels. The subject of the middle window is Truth Duty Valour, Royal Military College of Canada with the College shield and armour.
References
Stained glass in the Royal Military College of Canada Currie Hall
{{coord, 44.23030, N, 76.46790, W, display=title
Heritage sites in Ontario
Buildings and structures in Kingston, Ontario
Royal Military College of Canada
Percy Erskine Nobbs buildings