N.B. collector's Vimy, Ypres lithographs to go on display at Canadian Embassy

As Canadians gather to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge next month, New Brunswick art collector Ray Adams says he's helping the Canadian Embassy in Washington mark the event by shipping six of his rare First World War lithographs for an exhibition.

The works were produced by soldier and official war artist Frederick Thwaites Bush, who completed the lithographs in 1917 around Ypres in Belgium and Vimy Ridge in France as part of the War Memorial Program.

• Trudeaucabinet OK's new coins to honour Stanley Cup,VimyRidge
• Snow sculpture salutes100thanniversary of Battle ofVimyRidge

Bush, who was also an architect,came to Canada from England before the First World War but wound up going back across the Atlanticto fight the Germans when he enlisted with the 29thbattalion in Vancouver in August 1914. In addition to creating the lithographs, Adams says Bush also painted camouflage to protect Allied soldiers.

The embassy exhibition of Bush's lithographsis significantbecause Adams believesit's the first time all sixhave been displayed in public.

Adams' collection

The retired businessman and former teacher and administrator says he developed an appreciation for art years ago but only made aforay into collecting itlater on.

Adams started his collection of Bush's lithographs with one, but his collection soon expanded. When the opportunity came to get all six of Bush's works, Adamsjumped at it.

"I never dreamed that I'd have the opportunity to buy all six," he added. "It took me five minutes to buy them. I made my decision that quickly."

The lithographs will make their way to the Canadian Embassy through Adams'sson, a lieutenant-colonelin the Canadian Army who is stationed at the embassy.

For Adams, the exhibition next month is a way to share his collection and his love of art with the public as well as do his part to preserve military history through art.

"This exhibition at the Canadian Embassy is going to honour Canadian soldiers, men and women, who signed up and went to war," he said. "It also honours the people who signed up and stayed in Canada. It's a way of saying thank you."