A couple in Fredericton has brought their collection of military artifacts to one of the city’s busiest street corners. Madison Morell and Calum Murray both work at Guardian Ross Drug on the corner of Queen and York Street and have accumulated a number of artifacts from the Canadian Armed Forces in the store’s two front windows. “I would probably need a third window to display everything,” says Madison. The collection includes uniforms, medals, and posters spanning Canadian military history since the beginning of the 20th century. “I wanted to tell a story about the two ends of what we would consider Remembrance Day, from the First World War to Afghanistan,” says Murray. “My father is a veteran, he served in the 8th Hussars in the 1980s and my uncle is a veteran too, he served in Afghanistan. Growing up, there were always bits and pieces from their military service. So that kind of sparked an interest.” Morell says she wanted to focus part of the display on the service of women in the military. “I have a uniform from the RCAF women’s division from the Second World War, and the Canadian Women’s Army Corp.,” says Morell, who also serves as first vice-president of Fredericton Legion Branch No. 4 – making her one of the youngest Legion executives in the country. “My great grandmother was president of our branch and also of the provincial branch in the 1960s, as well as my great grandfather being president of our branch as well,” she says. “I hope people are taking away just how important it is to remember, especially since we’re coming up to the time when the Second World War generation is almost gone. Those stories, if we don’t ask questions will be gone, and we won’t be able to get those memories back.” For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
