The Terrace Mutiny Book is Out!

We are excited to present our completed publication, The Terrace Mutiny. This book is the culmination of a federally funded project to bring attention to the longest-lasting, most significant mutiny in Canadian history, which occurred in Terrace during the Second World War as a result of tensions relating to conscription.

In November of 1944, in the isolated village of Terrace, hundreds and then thousands of conscripted Home Defence soldiers took up arms to protest the Canadian government’s decision to send them overseas, despite assurances they would only patrol national borders. This startling breach of discipline lasted for a week. It was largely censored in the media and by the government, and many of the facts have only recently come to light. The Terrace and District Museum Society was able to explore how and why the mutiny came about, through oral histories from local residents, war diaries, and declassified military documents.

The Terrace and District Museum Society received $33,000 from the Department of Canadian Heritage through their World War Commemorations Community Fund to complete the project. The money was used to have various museum staff members update an unpublished manuscript on the Terrace Mutiny prepared by the District of Terrace’s summer student, Karen Kuechle, in 1983 and 1984. The project also included the creation of a website (terracemutiny.com) with information about the Terrace Mutiny, and the preparation of accompanying lesson plans, which can be used by teachers in the region and across Canada. The lesson plans are freely available on the website.

The Terrace Mutiny will be for sale at Misty River Books and at Heritage Park in late February or early March, as soon as copies of the books have been distributed to all project participants. See terracemutiny.com for more information about the mutiny.

'Down with Conscription.' November 1944. Terrace Standard Collection at Heritage Park Museum.

‘Down with Conscription.’ November 1944. Terrace Standard Collection at Heritage Park Museum.