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War Posters
The Ivan Melhuish Collection of WWII Posters
When WWII broke out, Ivan Melhuish was employed by Canada Packers, Ltd. in Toronto. Certified as medically unfit for enlistment, he was very interested in the progression of the war. A self-confessed pack-rat, he collected newspaper clippings, magazines, programs, letters and other items connected to the war effort in Canada, his native England and beyond. His first poster came from the bulletin board at Canada Packers, and was joined by 295 others, many sent to him from friends overseas and by groups with which Melhuish corresponded.
Regarding Brampton during the war years, Melhuish recalled:
"The whole town was a noise of excitement. Residents were all involved in one way or another with the war effort, through volunteer work with the Red Cross, or at the Maple Leaf Club, in Victory Bond Drives, or by working in essential war industries."
Melhuish continued to work for Canada Packers, a major supplier of meat to the armed forces, and also became a member of the Civil Defence Corps for Brampton. In later years, Melhuish considered his collection as a small contribution to the war, and in 1979, he donated it to the Region of Peel Archives. Ivan Melhuish died in the early 1990s.
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