The Royal Canadian Regiment Museum Exhibition

In 2015, The Royal Canadian Regiment Museum accessioned over 50 new donations and accepted two permanent loans consisting of over 600 individual items overall. Among these are significant artifacts that help tell the storied history of The Royal Canadian Regiment including rare insignia, uniforms, weapons, archival documents, photographs, Second World War era propaganda, publications and artifacts, as well as the personal effects of distinguished former serving members of the regiment, including the late MGen Dan G. Loomis and the late LGen Jonathan “Jack” E. Vance.

As part of a donation received from MGen (Ret’d) Walter Holmes, The Royal Canadian Regiment Museum accepted a pair of Second World War liberation clogs into its collection. The clogs were carved and painted by hand and were given to his father, Master Warrant Officer Frederick Holmes, as a gesture of gratitude for his role and participation in the Liberation of the Netherlands while serving with The Royal Canadian Regiment during the Second World War. By happenstance, the clogs were donated to the museum the same week the 70^th anniversaries of the Liberation of the Netherlands and Victory in Europe Day were being commemorated.

Another important acquisition included the unique medal set awarded to the late Major-General Dan G. Loomis. The set was purchased by The RCR Trust and is now on permanent loan to the museum. Loomis contributed significantly to the modern organization of The Royal Canadian Regiment and was the former Commanding Officer of the 1^st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment. He was the chief of staff in West Quebec during the FLQ crisis in the 1970s, served in Korea and assisted various UN peacekeeping missions. Throughout his distinguished career as a military officer, Major-General Loomis was awarded the following service medals: Military Cross, Order of Military Merit, Korea Medal 1950-1953, Canadian Volunteer Service Medal, Special Service Medal, Canadian Peacekeeping Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal (Korea), United Nations Service Medal (UNFICYP), International Commission of Control Supervision Medal, Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee Medal (Canada) and the Canadian Forces' Decoration.

Finally, a portion of the museum's budget is reserved every year to proactively collect new artifacts. In 2015, the museum purchased rare insignia representative of The Royal Canadian Regiment’s formative years and early militia units perpetuated by the regiment. This acquisition includes badges, shoulder titles and helmet plates from the Infantry School Corps, the Oxford Rifles and the 7^th Fusiliers, dating from 1860 to 1954.