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The General's Chair
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This chair belonged to General E.L.M. (Tommy) Burns, Commander (from 1956-1959) of the first United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF) better known today as the United Nations Peacekeeping Force. This unit, developed from an idea by Canadian diplomat and later Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, was created and deployed for the first time in 1956 following the Suez Crisis.
Liberated
This chair was acquired by General Burns in Alexandria, Egypt during his term as UNEF Commander and it remained with the UNEF Forces following his departure in 1959. In 1972, Major Jack Davis ‘liberated’ the chair and sent it to his home in Aylmer (east of St. Thomas) from which it has come to our museum following the passing of Major Davis.
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General E.L.M. Burns
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Although born in Westmount, Quebec (in 1897), General Burns family was originally from St. Thomas and he spent much of his youth here, attending both Wellington St. Public School and later St. Thomas Collegiate (STCI) before going on to Royal Military College in Kingston. He served in the First World War, receiving the Military Cross in 1916 for conspicuous bravery repairing communications lines under fire. During the Second World War, he held various staff positions, including the command of the 5th Canadian Armoured Division in Italy, and the 1st Canadian Corps during their action in the Liri Valley and along the Adriatic coast of Italy.
General Burns continued in the military following the war and he was later transferred to the Department of External (Foreign) Affairs as a special advisor. It was from this position he went on to serve with the United Nations in a number of roles. |
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Like Father Like Son
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Above left, Cadet Officer Joseph Midgley (left) and Cadet Officer Eedson Burns (right), the first Commanding Officers of Cadet Corps No. 7, St. Thomas Collegiate Institute. This corps is considered to be either the first or second oldest Corps in continuous operation in Canada. The Corps demanded the highest academic standards in order to participate.
On the right, Cadet E.L.M. (Tommy) Burns, son of Eedson, in the uniform of the Royal Military College in 1914.
On the right, Cadet E.L.M. (Tommy) Burns, son of Eedson, in the uniform of the Royal Military College in 1914.