General Information
Opening Hours – Contact Information
The Canadian War Museum's Military History Research Centre houses, in one convenient location, the George Metcalf Archival Collection and the Hartland Molson Library. These extensive national collections of primary and secondary research material document Canada's military history from the pre-contact period to the present.
The George Metcalf Archival Collection contains unique archival documents and photographic materials, and is especially strong on First and Second World Wars. The archival collection, consisting of approximately 413 metres of documentation, includes original letters, diaries, scrapbooks, logbooks, maps, 3-D maps, blueprints, postcards, sheet music, records, oral history tapes and other printed material. The photographic portion of the collection holds approximately 65,000 items including original photographic prints in black and white and colour, negatives, glass slides, daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, stereoscopic slides, hand-tinted portraits, film reels and videos.
The Hartland Molson Library Collection has approximately 55,000 volumes including regimental histories, published personal memoirs, periodicals and newspapers, wartime pamphlets, military technical and field manuals, multi-media, and 5,000 rare books. The Hamilton Spectator newspaper collection which includes 144,000 Second World War newspaper clippings is available electronically with fulltext searching capabilities at the Democracy at War website.
Opening Hours
Public access to the Archives, Image Archives, and Rare Books collections is by appointment only. Please contact 819 776-8652 or vimy.biblio@warmuseum.ca in advance of your visit.
(Closed on week-ends and statutory holidays.)
Military History Research Centre
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| May 1, 2010 to October 11, 2010 | 9:00 a.m.
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4:30 p.m. | 9:00 a.m.
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4:30 p.m. | 9:00 a.m.
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4:30 p.m. | 9:00 a.m.
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4:30 p.m. | 9:00 a.m.
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4:30 p.m. | Closed | Closed |
| October 12, 2010 to April 30, 2011 | Closed | 9:00 a.m.
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4:30 p.m. | 9:00 a.m.
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4:30 p.m. | 9:00 a.m.
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4:30 p.m. | 9:00 a.m.
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4:30 p.m. | Closed | Closed |
Contact Information
Military History Research Centre
Canadian War Museum
1 Vimy Place
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada K1A 0M8
General inquiries: (819) 776-8652
vimy.biblio@warmuseum.ca
Image Reproduction Services or Permissions : (819) 776-8686 or (819) 776-8655
imageservices@warmuseum.ca
Archives related inquiries : vimy.archives@warmuseum.ca
Fax: (819) 776-8623
