Kitchener’s Wood: the letters of Sgt. Charles Herbert Peck
“The hardest thing that I have saw is a young fellow from Annapolis valley. I took a liking to him in Valcartier and keep him with me up to the […]
Author Archives
Jakealoo
The Men Behind the Flag
Efforts are now underway to raise the funds necessary to ensure the historic Red Cross flag remains in Australia and you’ll find details on how you can help later in this […]
Remembering Pte. Frederick V. Webber, 54th Battalion CEF
Recently I was contacted by David Webber, the grandson of Private Frederick Vickery Webber who served with the 54th Battalion CEF during the First World War. David recognized his grandfather […]
Vimy Ridge: “But I Would Not Have Missed It For Anything”
On June 1st 1917 Private Guy Edmund Smith (#153485) wrote a letter from a convalescent camp in Boulogne to his good friend Richard Brooker in Winnipeg. The 24-year old Private […]
Last Rites: 879 soldiers who died at No. 1 Canadian C.C.S.
Volunteers from the British Isles Family History Society of Greater Ottawa have created a very helpful database listing 879 Great War soldiers, mostly British and Canadian, who died at No. 1 Canadian […]
Going Home: Repatriating a First World War flag
In December 2013 I wrote about an Australian First World War Red Cross flag that I was surprised to find for sale in a shop in my hometown of Victoria, British […]
Remembering Pte’s George & Robert Duff who died at Gretna
Last month I was contacted by Ian Marshall, the grandson of Private George Duff (#2227) and the great-nephew of Private Robert Duff (#2776). The Duff brothers enlisted with the 7th […]
Forty Winks at Fleurbaix
This is the tenth in a series of articles highlighting photos and ephemera from a scrapbook compiled by Private John Denholm of the 16th Battalion (Canadian Scottish) during the First World War. The 16th Battalion arrived in […]
On the lookout for your Soldier
Today I’m launching my Military and Family History Research service! It’s the newest addition to Doing Our Bit, a blog that began nearly five years ago as a way for me to share […]
Remembering Pte. Percy Fisher
In May 1918 George Fisher wrote a letter to the editor of the Signal newspaper in Goderich Ontario regarding the death of his younger brother Percy in March of that year. […]
Doing Our Bit 