Kakabeka Legion

Issued: May 6, 2005

The Canadian War Museum celebrated its grand opening on the weekend of May 8, 2005. A special date for Canadian veterans, the opening ceremony marked the 60th anniversary of VE Day (Victory in Europe) towards the end of the Second World War.

The Canadian War Museum (CWM), an affiliated museum of the Canadian Museum of Civilization, is our national military history museum. It serves as a living memorial to those who served Canada's armed forces - ensuring that new generations of Canadians remember the sacrifices made by those who served – and preserves the artifacts of our military experience for present and future generations. After almost three years of construction, the state-of-the-art museum will house one of the biggest military collections in the world - comprising more than 500,000 artifacts including vehicles, artillery, uniforms, medals, memoirs, works of art and an extensive military archive.

Canada's military history has touched the life of every Canadian, whether in war or in peace support operations, and in the development of our democratic society. Every visitor to the Canadian War Museum will gain an understanding of not only the history that has been preserved here, but of the sacrifices made by so many Canadians. This stamp will help spread this important message across Canada.

The stamp was designed by Tiit Telmet and Marko Barac, of Toronto's Telmet Design Associates. "The human aspect was key," said veteran stamp designer Telmet. "We felt it was important to find symbols that would let viewers put themselves into the image, because viewers to the museum respond to its call for remembrance in very personal ways." The central image of the stamp is the Memorial Cross GRV (Silver Cross), awarded to wives and mothers of fallen servicemen. The handwritten letter in the background represents the private experience of war, while the candle signifies remembrance. A silhouette of a man and child represent how individuals must keep memories alive by educating young people about our history. Other elements portrayed on the stamp were carefully chosen to represent a range of history. The lines of Morse code, which run along the top and bottom edges of the stamp, repeat a significant architectural feature of the new building where some windows are shaped and positioned to display in Morse code the phrase "Lest we forget / N'oublions jamais."