Currie Hall

Currie Building
National Historic Site of Canada
Coat of arms of Canada on Currie Hall Mackenzie Building Royal Military College of Canada
Province	Ontario
Architect	Percy Erskine Nobbs
Established	1922
Year built	1922
Architectural style	Gothic Revival
Website	Official website

Currie Hall, is a hall within the Currie Building, which is an annex to the Mackenzie Building at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario. It was built in 1922, and is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building.^[1]

The hall was designed by Percy Erskine Nobbs and built just after the end of the First World War by Sir Archibald Cameron Macdonell while he was commandant of the Royal Military College of Canada. It was built as a memorial to the Canadian Corps of the Canadian Expeditionary Force. It plays a prominent role in the life of the University. During special events, invited speakers and dignitaries may address the university population or general public from the Great Hall. Many conferences held in Kingston, Ontario may book the halls for lectures or presentations.

The Currie building also houses the Language Centre, administrative offices and Otter Squadron - University Training Plan Non Commissioned Members (UTNCM). The building was named in honour of Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Currie, who is a National Historic Person of Canada.

Currie Hall is decorated with the crests and battle colours of every unit that fought in France during World War I.

History

At the official opening of Currie Hall at Royal Military College on 17 May 1922, General Sir Arthur Currie remarked: "I cannot tell you how utterly embarrassed and yet how inexpressibly proud I am to witness this ceremony, and to be present when this hall is officially opened. This hall is to commemorate the deeds of our fellow comrades whom it was my great honour and privilege to command during the latter years of the War. It is a pleasure to look around and see the crests and battle colours of every unit that fought in France; and they remind me of the supreme effort of Canada, and they tell something of how Canada responded to the call to arms.” ^[2]

Under the supervision of Eleanor Milne, then Official Sculptor of Canada (1962-93) Maurice Joanisse, then an apprentice carver sculpted the Royal Coat of Arms of Canada and Canada's motto, Ad mare usque ad mare (English: From Sea to Sea; French: D'un ocean à l'autre), over the main entrance to the Currie Building at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario. Maurice Joanisse sculpted the arms of Sir Archibald Cameron Macdonell and Gen Sir Arthur William Currie over the main entrance. Maurice Joanisse later served as Official Sculptor of Canada 1993 to 2006. ^[3]

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  Lt Gen Sir Archibald Cameron Macdonell arms, Currie Building, Royal Military College of Canada

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  Gen Sir Arthur William Currie arms, Currie Building, Royal Military College of Canada

Decorations

Currie Hall, Currie Building, Royal Military College of Canada

Royal Military College of Canada Gentlemen cadets Roll of Honour, Currie Hall, Currie Building, Royal Military College of Canada 2011

Currie Hall, Currie Building, Royal Military College of Canada

Major Stuart Forbes offered to paint the insignia as a gift to the College. Major General Sir Archibald Cameron Macdonnell said that "no greater incentive or inspiration could be given to the Gentlemen Cadets of the Royal Military College of Canada than the sight of the emblems worn by the Canadian Corps." ^[4]

His Excellency John Ralston Saul (February 2004) described the Currie Hall decorations, "This is an astonishing hall in which to speak. If you gaze up at the initials on the ceiling and at the paintings and the painted insignia around the walls, you are reminded that Canada is not a new country."... "Militarily speaking, we have been at it for a long time. This hall is a conceptualisation of our participation in the First World War. All of that grandeur and tragedy is pulled together here in a remarkable way. I'm not sure that we could reproduce a hall of this sort to describe our military experiences of the last half century." ^[5]

The initials of Canada Corps commanders General Sir Arthur Currie (1915-1916); Sir Edwin Alderson (1915-16), and Sir Julian Byng, 1st Viscount Byng of Vimy (1916-17) are emblazoned on the ceiling of Currie Hall. In addition the initials of prominent figures such as Sir Henry Edward Burstall, Garnet Hughes, Archibald Cameron Macdonell, Louis Lipsett , Frederick Loomis, M. S. Mercer, Sam Steele, R. E. W. Turner, and David Watson are emblazoned on the ceiling of Currie Hall.

The badges and battle patches belonging to the units of the 1st Canadian Division, 2nd Canadian Division, 3rd Canadian Division, 4th Canadian Division and 5th Canadian Division of the Canada Corps and the cavalry brigade at the moment of the First World War armistice adorn 132 oak panels on the face of the gallery. The units in England consisted of: Director of Supplies and Transport in London; C.A.S.C. Depot in Borden; C.A.S.C. Detachments at Bordon, Witley, Bramshott, Seaford, East Sussex and Shorncliffe, Kent; Canadian Salvage Corps Detachments at Witley, Bramshott, Seaford, East Sussex and Shorncliffe, Kent. The units in France consisted of: HQ Canadian Base HT and Supply Company; HQ, Canadian Base MT Detachment; Nos. 1 and 2 Canadian Army Auxiliary HT Company; C.A.S.C. Reinforcing Pool; Nos. 1 to 3 Canadian Railhead Supply Detachments; 1st Divisional Train (Nos. 1 to 4 Companies); 2nd Divisional Train (Nos. 5 to 8 Companies); 3rd Divisional Train (Nos. 9 to 12 Companies); 5th Divisional Train Detachment; Canadian Corps Troops MT Company; 1st to 4th Canadian Divisional MT Company; Canadian Engineers MT Company 8th Army CFA Bde Park Section; Nos. 1 to 3 Canadian Field Butchery; Nos. 1 to 4 Canadian Field Bakery; and Nos. 1 to 15 Depot Units of Supply. The units of the Canadian Siberian Expeditionary Force Vladovostok consisted of: No.1 Divisional Train Company; Nos. 16 and 17 Depot Units of Supply; 5th Field Bakery; 5th Field Butchery and the MT Section. ^[6]

Coats of arms

Nineteen coats of arms tell the story of Canada’s experience during the First World War. The first four brigades of the Canada Corps trained in Valcartier and Quebec City. The Corps landed in Devonport, Devon, in Plymouth Sound. After spending the winter on the Salisbury Plain, they crossed to France. Major battles fought by the corps were the following: Battle of Mount Sorrel; Battle of Flers-Courcelette; Battle of Morval; Battle of Thiepval; Battle of Le Transloy; Battle of the Ancre Heights; Battle of Vimy Ridge; Battle of Arleux; Third Battle of the Scarpe; Battle of Hill 70; Second Battle of Passchendaele; Battle of Cambrai (1917); Battle of Amiens; Second Battle of the Somme; Battle of the Canal du Nord (including the capture of Bourlon Wood); Battle of Cambrai: October 8–9 (including the Capture of Cambrai). The corps returned to Canada through the ports of Boulogne-sur-Mer, Paris and London. ^[7]

Provincial Shields

Edwin Tappan Adney, who had served as engineering officer at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario 1916 - 1919, created a set of three-dimensional shields of the Canadian provinces that adorn Currie Memorial Hall at Royal Military College of Canada.

Artwork

In 1947, Emily Warren's two large canvasses 6'6" x 11'6", entitled "Canada's Tribute," were hung in the Sir Arthur Currie Memorial Hall at RMC. The paintings depict the 52 sets of Colours, standards and guidons being placed for safekeeping on the Wolfe Monument in Westminster Abbey. The paintings were initially hung in the Parliament Buildings (Canada). In 2010, thirty one paintings of Canadian war memorials by F.A. (Tex) Dawson were unveiled outside Currie Hall.

Memorial staircase

Memorial stairwell, Mackenzie Building, Royal Military College of Canada

As you enter the Mackenzie Building, which is connected to the Currie Building, you immediately see a stair case which was designated the memorial stairway after the First World War by 151 Sir Archibald Cameron Macdonell, RMC Commandant 1919-25. The staircase is decorated with the photographs of 358 alumni including Captain Nichola Goddard who had died on military service.

Memorial and Commemorative Stained Glass windows

Outside Currie Hall, stained glass windows feature images of the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, Navy League Cadet Corps (Canada) and Navy League Wrennette Corp. In memory of David H. Gibson, C.B.E. National President, Navy League of Canada, 1938-1952 a stained glass window features images of a young sailor and God behind the ships' wheel. The window is dedicated to Canadians who in defence of the country went down to the sea in ships. The window includes a poem by H.R. Gillarm: "Proudly in ships they sailed to sea. Ahead their goal, perhaps eternity. But with God as their pilot they had no fear facing all danger as their course was clear. Their cargo? The record of their life. Some good, some bad, some peace, some strife." ^[8] Outside Currie Hall, on the first floor, 2 stained glass windows feature images of a military saint holding a staff and a shield and a military saint with a horse and three angels. The subject of the middle window is Truth Duty Valour, Royal Military College of Canada with the College shield and armour. ^[8]

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  Memorial Stained Glass window, 2770 LCol KL Jefferson, Royal Military College of Canada

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  Memorial Stained Glass Window, Douglass Burr Plumb, Memorial Stairwell, Mackenzie Building, Royal Military College of Canada

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  Memorial Stained Glass, Yeo Hall, Chapel, Royal Military College of Canada 4954 Peter Robinson

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  Memorial Stained Glass, Class of 29, Royal Military College of Canada

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  Memorial Stained Glass window, Class of 1933, Royal Military College of Canada

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  Memorial Stained Glass window, Class of 1934, Royal Military College of Canada

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  Memorial Stained Glass window, Class of 1938, Royal Military College of Canada

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  Memorial Stained Glass window, Class of 1942, Royal Military College of Canada

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  Memorial Stained Glass window, Class of 1958, Royal Military College of Canada

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  Memorial Stained Glass, Yeo Hall, Royal Military College of Canada Club Montreal branch 1965

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  Memorial Stained Glass, Yeo Hall, Royal Military College of Canada Club Toronto branch 1964

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  Navy League Cadet Corps (Canada) Navy League Wrennette Corp Navy League Cadet Corps (Canada) Royal Canadian Sea Cadets Memorial Stained Glass Window, Currie Hall, Currie Building, Royal Military College of Canada

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  Navy League Wrennette Corp Navy League Cadet Corps (Canada) Royal Canadian Sea Cadets Memorial Stained Glass Window, Currie Hall, Currie Building, Royal Military College of Canada

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  Memorial Stained Glass Window to Arthur Smith depicts angels and Sir Galahad, Memorial Stairwell, Mackenzie Building, Royal Military College of Canada by Alfred Lord Tennyson “My strength is as the strength of ten because my heart is pure.”

Memorial Stained Glass Windows

Location	Date	Description	Manufacturer	Inscription
Sir Arthur Currie Hall	1973	1 light Oak tree and crest	Robert McCausland Limited
Sir Arthur Currie Hall	1970	1 light Royal Canadian Dragoons	Robert McCausland Limited
Sir Arthur Currie Hall	1967	1 light Antique window navy league	Robert McCausland Limited	In memory of David H. Gibson, C.B.E. National President, Navy League of Canada, 1938-1952
Sir Arthur Currie Hall	1969	1 light Royal Canadian Horse Artillery Crest	Robert McCausland Limited
Sir Arthur Currie Hall	1967	1 light Coronation flag and crest	Robert McCausland Limited
Sir Arthur Currie Hall	1973	1 light Royal Canadian Engineers Crest	Robert McCausland Limited
Sir Arthur Currie Hall	1932	1 light Emblem Royal Military College of Canada crest	Robert McCausland Limited
Sir Arthur Currie Hall	1973	1 light Royal Canadian Engineers Crest	Robert McCausland Limited
Sir Arthur Currie Hall	1966	1 light Royal Horse Guards and family crest	Robert McCausland Limited

References

1. ^ Currie building Registry of Historic Places of Canada
2. ^ Mitchell Kryzanowski, Currie Hall: Memorial to the Canadian Corps (Kingston: Hewson and White, 1989), p. 9.
3. ^ http://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/comm/vedette-features/2010-11-16-00-eng.html Official Sculptor of Canada
4. ^ Richard Preston ``Canada's RMC: A History of the Royal Military College (Toronto: 1969)
5. ^ His Excellency John Ralston Saul J.D. Young Memorial Lecture “A New Era Of Irregular Warfare?” Lecture Delivered To Faculty And Cadets Royal Military College Kingston, Ontario
6. ^ http://rcasc.org/rcasc_hist_units_02.html CASC/RCASC Units and Locations
7. ^ Currie Hall
8. ^ ^{a b} 6647 Major (Ret) Mitchell Kryzanowski (RMC 1965), 'Currie Hall: Memorial to the Canadian Corps' (Kingston: Hewson and White, 1989)

Coordinates: 44°13′49″N 76°28′04″W / 44.23030°N 76.46790°W / 44.23030; -76.46790