Royal Military College of Canada Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Royal Military College of Canada Museum

Established	1962
Location	Fort Frederick 4 Passchendale Dr. on the campus of the Royal Military College of Canada Kingston, Ontario Ontario East
Type	military history

The Royal Military College of Canada Museum is a cool place to learn about military history! It opened in 1962 and is located inside an old stone tower called Fort Frederick. This fort is on the campus of the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) in Kingston, Ontario. The college itself runs the museum.

For many years, you could visit the museum for free during the summer. They even offered tours in English and French. If you were curious about college history or former students, they could help you with research too. However, in 2016, Fort Frederick started getting some important repairs. Because of this, the museum had to move out of the tower. Now, it doesn't have a special public space for showing off its collections. But don't worry, you can still explore some of the museum's history online through the Virtual Museum!

The old tower where the museum used to be is a Martello tower. These are strong, round forts. This one was built around 1790 and is mostly made of earth, with a stone wall on one side. It's listed as a historic place in Canada. Fort Frederick is one of four Martello towers built between 1846 and 1848 to help protect Kingston. It was named after Frederick, Prince of Wales.

What the Museum Does

The museum's main job is to find, keep, study, and show off items and records. These items tell the story of the RMC, what its graduates have achieved, and the naval history of the area. This includes the Kingston Royal Naval Dockyard, which used to be at Point Frederick.

Amazing Collections to Explore

The museum has a huge collection of military items and about 7,000 other things! This includes weapons from the 1500s to the 1900s, uniforms, flags, military art, and special trophies.

The Leinster Plate, a collection of silverware from the Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment.

This is a storage area for the museum's collections at Fort Haldimand.

The Royal Military College and other military groups started collecting items after the Great War (World War I). In 1918, the college's leader wanted to create a museum at RMC. They asked for "War Trophies" – items captured during the war. One leader, Major-General Sir Archibald Macdonell, said it would be "fitting and right" for the college to get some trophies because of the great record of its former students.

In 1922, a special army group met at RMC to see if Fort Frederick could become a museum. They thought it was a good idea! By 1926, the army headquarters wanted the RMC museum to be the main place for all kinds of military relics. An inventory from that time listed hundreds of small arms, bayonets, swords, machine guns, grenades, clothing, and more. Many of these were from 1914-1918 and had been captured from the Germans.

For many years, the collections were just weapons and military items gathered by individuals. There wasn't a clear story being told. But things changed! In 1947, Lady Lee gave the museum a silver-headed walking stick that her late husband, Arthur Lee, 1st Viscount Lee of Fareham, used when he was at RMC. She also gave three photos of him.

Today, the museum shows off many cool things. For example, the Douglas Arms Collection has over 400 guns that once belonged to Mexican President, General Porfirio Diaz. Another important collection is the Leinster Plate, which is a set of beautiful silverware from the Prince of Wales's Leinster Regiment. The Nanton Arms Collection includes Indian daggers and other weapons given to a former student by the Maharajah of Cooch Behar.

In 2008, a model of the huge 112-gun ship, HMS St Lawrence (1814), was donated. The bottom floor of the Martello tower has displays about the War of 1812 and the fort's old dockyard. The main floor tells the story of the college and shows personal items from the "Old Eighteen," who were the very first students in 1876. At the top of the tower, you can see the original cannons on a gun platform. The museum also keeps old maps, drawings, handwritten papers, and photographs.

The museum also looks after a collection of Canadian landscape and military art. These paintings, sculptures, and stained glass windows are displayed around the college, especially in Currie Hall and Yeo Hall.

Art Collection Highlights

This is a sculpture of Air Commodore Leonard Birchall by André Gauthier.

Since 2010, the Royal Military College of Canada Museum has been in charge of the college's art collection. This collection has over 1,000 flat artworks like paintings, prints, and drawings. It also includes 3D artworks such as sculptures and stained glass. About 20% of the art is on display at the college, and the rest is stored safely in Fort Haldimand.

The art collection includes works by famous artists like Admiral Henry Wolsey Bayfield, Charles Comfort, Lawren Philip Harris, and C.W. Jefferys. Many artworks were given to the college by former students or graduating classes. For example, the Class of 1974 gave 60 military sculptures and bas reliefs (sculptures that stick out from a flat surface) by Col (Ret’d) André Gauthier. These include one of a Royal Military College of Canada Cadet.

Museum Connections

The museum is part of several important groups. It is a member of the Canadian Museums Association and the Organization of Military Museums of Canada Inc. It is also recognized by the Canadian Forces Museum System. The museum works with the Canadian Heritage Information Network and the Virtual Museum of Canada. There's even a group of friends who help the museum with its projects! The Parks Canada Agency often works with the museum on programs and provides support.

War Trophies and Monuments

The museum's curator also looks after the war trophies and memorials around the college grounds. These are like outdoor exhibits!

This is an 88mm gun monument at the Royal Military College of Canada.

These are the guns from HMCS Huron (G24) at the Royal Military College of Canada.

A Bailey bridge at Royal Military College of Canada, built in 2004 to celebrate 100 years of the Engineering Branch.

An F-86 Sabre jet monument at the Royal Military College of Canada.

Special Memorials

The college grounds also feature many memorials and special items, often donated by past graduating classes.

See also

• Military history of Canada
• History of the Canadian Army