During the pandemic, virtual tours have been launched at the Saskatoon Museum of Military Artifacts.
Julie Hicks with the SMOMA says with less visitors to the museum, the virtual tours will be aimed towards school groups, senior groups or other community groups. She says those with a virtual video account, like ZOOM, will get an interactive tour with History Squad founder and British veteran, Kevin Hicks.
Kevin Hicks says the online tours have allowed him to go through various cabinets which haven’t been opened for years. He explains as well as doing the normal army and Canadian navy portions of the tour, he wants to share personal items and their stories, so people will get more out of the tour than they might normally. Hicks adds these items include things like various World War 1 weapons that were brought back as war trophies, or a steel helmet that was found in a Holland trench in the 2nd World War.
Julie Hicks says the tours are a unique resource for anyone wanting to build their knowledge of local and world history in a safe way. Tours can last up to an hour and are available by contacting the museum. The SMOMA museum is run mostly by volunteers and is open between 1pm and 3:30 p.m. on Thursdays.
