Remembering in black and white: Wartime photographs just released in Ingenium’s Digital Archives

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Nov 9, 2020

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By: Adele Torrance

Ingenium

Marcia Mordfield

Ingenium - Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation

Image is a black-and-white photograph showing the first Canadian contingent of troops standing at attention before a train car.

Photo Credit

CSTM Archives/Archives MSTC CN 41993

War record - transportation and embarkation – first Canadian contingent.

On the occasion of Remembrance Day, Ingenium’s archivists would like to share some newly released photographs in the Digital Archives. The photographs were taken by Canadian National’s corporate photographers, and depict scenes on the homefront during the Second World War. There are images of crowds gathered around train cars to send off departing soldiers, and images showing returning soldiers being welcomed home. There are images depicting the chilling orderliness of Canada’s weaponry manufacturing, with line after line of shells produced for use overseas. The photographs bear witness to scale of war mobilization in Canada. They also show the resilience of those at home during the war years, and the hope embodied by the war brides who came to the country after Armistice. See the gallery below to view some of these images.

Image is a black-and-white photograph showing a train car where a crowd of Navy personnel in uniform are waiting by the side of the tracks, saying goodbye to those colleagues who have already boarded and are looking out the car windows.

Photo Credit

CSTM Archives/Archives MSTC CN 42784-1

War record - Navy units - Bonaventure Station - September 1941

Image is a black-and-white photograph showing a large crowd of soldiers on a train platform at Bonaventure Station in Montreal.

Photo Credit

CSTM Archives/Archives MSTC CN 43143-4

War record - trainees - transferring from camp to camp at Bonaventure Station - June 1942

Image is a black-and-white photograph showing beds stacked two high on either side of a new train car.

Photo Credit

CSTM Archives/Archives MSTC CN 43950-1

War record - interior of new hospital car - utility room and bedroom - May 1944

Image is a black-and-white photograph showing a train car completely full of shells lined up on the floor

Photo Credit

CSTM Archives/Archives MSTC CN 42704

War record - 26 inch shells - Sherbrooke

Image is a black-and-white photograph of a woman cleaning the outside of a train car with a long mop.

Photo Credit

CSTM Archives/Archives MSTC CN 43232-8

War record - women working in C.N. service, roundhouse, cars, etc. at Toronto – August 1942

Image is a black-and-white photograph of a woman in uniform. She has just opened a door she is about to walk through, and she is holding a telegram in one hand.

Photo Credit

CSTM Archives/Archives MSTC CN 44309-1

Telegraphs (messengerette) in various poses

Image is a black-and-white photograph showing workers standing on or around a locomotive to promote buying Victory bonds.

Photo Credit

CSTM Archives/Archives MSTC CN 44121

Turcot workers on locomotive 6061-Victory Loan promotional shot

Image is a black–and-white photograph showing a crowd of returning service men at a train station.

Photo Credit

CSTM Archives/Archives MSTC CN 44416

War record - Winnipeg Section - crowd of returning service men - May 1945

Image is a black-and-white photograph of a woman holding a child on her knee.

Photo Credit

CSTM Archives/Archives MSTC CN 44829-5

War record - British war brides at Halifax - February 10, 1946

Author(s)

Adele Torrance

Adele Torrance is the Archivist at Ingenium - Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation.

Marcia Mordfield

Marcia Mordfield is Assistant Archivist at Ingenium. She has worked for the corporation for the last 20 years, primarily with the archival photograph collections. Marcia holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Carleton University, and a Certificate in Archives and Records Management from Algonquin College. A highlight in her archival studies was participating in a placement at the Natural History Museum in London, England.