McMaster Digital Archive temporarily offline
Some of you may have noticed that the Digital Archive at McMaster University, including it’s extensive military map and aerial photo collection, has been offline for quite some time. I […]
Underage and Overeager
Eighteen Canadian Soldiers Who Died Before Their 16th Birthday An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 underage boys served for Canada and Newfoundland during the First World War. “Old Enough to Fight” […]
Free Digital Downloads from The National Archives
The saying goes that every dark cloud has a silver lining and that is certainly the case with The National Archives at Kew. COVID19 has forced them to close their […]
Free e-Books from Osprey Publishing (Limited Offer)
UK-based Osprey Publishing is offering up 5 free e-Books each week to fans of military history. It is a limited time offer lasting four weeks only. I just recently became aware of it and missed out on week 1 however I did download the titles for week 2 and so […]
Mystery Photograph: Do You Recognize this Soldier?
Can you help identify the soldier in this photograph? It was treasured by its original owner and is now in the possession of her granddaughter. All that is known […]
Remembering Private Marc Edward Berton (1899-1916)
A recent article in a local newspaper told the story of a 17-year old Canadian soldier killed in action during the First World War and his name, Marc Edward Berton, was […]
Remembering Anthony Baker, Woolwich Arsenal Mechanic
Anthony Baker was a “turner” by trade, fashioning metal parts for use in machinery, a skill that would be in great demand during the world’s first mechanized war. Born in […]
Canadian WW2 Service Files Part 2: Died (1948-present)
Part 1 of my two-part series on obtaining Canadian Second World War service files dealt with records belonging to those who died in service between 1939 and 1947. Part 2 […]
Canadian WW2 Service Files: Part 1 – War Dead (1939-1947)
*Updated January 21, 2019* Over the past year I’ve received an increasing number of requests for information on Canadians who served during the Second World War. Obtaining their service file […]
My Family’s Deadly Encounter with ‘The Spanish Lady’ in 1918
Just over 60,000 Canadian servicemen and women died during four years of fighting in the First World War however the death toll from the Spanish Flu pandemic that spread across […]