General Archives | The Verdun Auditorium: A Source of Pride

Direct relief for Verdunites

Many unemployed Verdunites found employment thanks to direct relief in addition to roadwork and building construction projects set up by the municipalities and the various levels of government. […]

A quick but difficult construction!

This photo gives the impression of a peaceful work site. Don’t be fooled! The construction of the Auditorium, although quick, was difficult at times. Financial assistance from the […]

The Auditorium’s twin

In the city of Shawinigan, Québec is a building that strangely resembles the Verdun Auditorium. Built in 1937, so one year before Verdun’s, this building housed for a […]

Mythical seats

The seats at the Verdun Auditorium are one of its famous features. Despite the renovations over the years, the slatted wooden seats have been kept and are still […]

George Beurling’s speech

Your worship… (inaudible)… And all you people here (laughter and applause). This is no place for me. I’m a fighter pilot, not a speechmaker. Uh, when I started […]

Barbara Ann Scott’s speech

(Barbara Ann Scott) Ladies and gentlemen, I’m so happy to be in Montreal. It was a grand feeling to win the World Championship and the European Championship, but […]

A patriotic or capitalist agreement?

It took several months of negotiations and bargaining to reach an agreement between the City of Verdun and Canada’s Department of National Defence on the use of the […]

A nearby collection centre

During World War II, Verdun citizens took part in a number of committees to stimulate the war effort. Among the measures implemented was the organization of campaigns to collect […]

A few rare opportunities for the public to access the Auditorium

On July 23, 1941, the date when the Canadian Army officially took possession of the arena, all sports and cultural activities came to a halt. Over the next […]

A Verdun hero

George Frederick “Buzz” Beurling was born in Verdun on December 6, 1921. From a very young age, he had only one passion: airplanes. He learned how to fly at […]

An extraordinary propaganda activity

The ceremony paying tribute to Verdun pilot George Frederick Beurling at the Auditorium was hailed as the “Event of 1942 in Verdun” in The Guardian newspaper. It was […]

Fundraisers in the colours of hockey

In the 1980s and 1990s, the Auditorium hosted the Old Timers, a hockey team of former players from the National Hockey League. They played against amateur teams to […]