The Military Museums

W.A. Howard Library & Arthur J.E. Child Archives

Satisfy your curiosity and answer your questions, whether for personal interest, school assignments, university study or anything in between. Our military history collections document everything from the history of warfare to peacekeeping operations to training and weaponry.

The Military Museums Library and Archives is managed through the University of Calgary through a partnership established in 2000. The library has over 20,000 books and periodicals on Canadian and general military subjects.

Regular Library Hours: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

Access to Archival Materials: Please note that appointments are required in advance for use of Archival materials (unpublished personal memorabilia), including diaries, maps and photographs and other items related to Canadian military history.
Please call 403-974-2882 to set up an appointment with a Library archivist.

Donations: TMM Library and Archives welcomes donations of items for our collection. Please contact us at (403) 974-2831 if you are interested in making a donation.

Chicksands Collection

Named after a 12th Century Gilbertine monastery, RAF Chicksands was a Royal Air Force station in Bedfordshire, England that opened in 1936 and served as a signals intelligence site during the Second World War.

During later years, the station was also used as a storage center for books and documents received from various foreign offices and British embassies from around the world. With the closing of the base in 1997, a new home needed to be found for this collection. After several years of negotiations, staff at The Military Museums received word from the UK Ministry of Defence that the entire collection would be donated to the University of Calgary, and stored at The Military Museums Library and Archives.

Beginning in early 2011, library staff began the enormous task of identifying and cataloguing the estimated 50,000 books, manuscripts and manuals stored in over one thousand boxes that have since been received. For those interested in following the progress of this unique and exciting project, please click the link above.

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