Skip to main content

Category: The 1940s

George Beurling’s speech

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’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?

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

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

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

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

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 […]
Cab Calloway’s for the very first time in Verdun

Cab Calloway’s for the very first time in Verdun

Cab Calloway was a very popular African-American jazz singer and orchestra leader during the 1930s and 1940s. He rised to stardom through his performances at the famous Cotton […]