Commemorating the First and Second World Wars

Halifax Citadel National Historic Site

Discover Halifax in wartime. Halifax played an important role during the World Wars as an assembly point for supply convoys and troops heading overseas. During the First World War, Halifax was the last bit of Canadian soil on which many troops would tread, and the first when they returned. During the Second World War, the Halifax Citadel served as a transit barracks, the headquarters for the city’s anti-aircraft defences, and a depot for the Canadian Women’s Army Corps. The Halifax Defence Complex was also active in coastal defence.

Special travelling exhibition: Forget-Us-Not

Remembrance in the wake of the First World War

From June to August, 2026, a special travelling exhibition from the Canadian Centre for the Great War will be on display at the Halifax Citadel.

Through original stories, artifacts and creative works, the Forget-Us-Not travelling exhibition explores how Canadians remembered the First World War in the years that followed. The exhibition traces how remembrance took shape across the country from the “Books of Remembrance” and the poppy, to community monuments, personal letters, poetry and evolving forms of commemoration. It traces how collective memory is preserved, passed down and reinterpreted across generations, offering a reflection on both the past and the contemporary relevance of remembrance.

Location: Anteroom next to the Information Centre

More information: greatwarcentre.com/forget-us-not/