Digging out on the Home Front
This week marks the 100th anniversary of a snowstorm that paralyzed Victoria BC in the first week of February 1916. The snow began falling on the 1st of the month and […]
Crowdsource: Valcartier 1914
First World War panoramic photographs are not unusual but this image, captured at Valcartier Camp at the end of August 1914, is exceptional in both its size and subject matter. In what […]
Who Goes There? Hospital Blues in Walthamstow, 1916
Back in 1911 I had family living on Waverley Road in Walthamstow and nearly a century later I remember riding the Victoria line to its northernmost stop to visit the area […]
Paying Respect: a Pilgrimage to France and Belgium in 1926
In the aftermath of the Great War many families made a pilgrimage to the battlefields and cemeteries of France and Belgium, including the family of Rev. A.P. Gower-Rees, a former Deputy Assistant Chaplain-General and an out-spoken […]
Remembering Rev. A.P. Gower-Rees MC: the “Football Parson”
Rev. Albert Phillip Gower-Rees MC served his God, his King and his parishioners on two continents and through two world wars. Born in Carmarthen in 1880 Albert was a keen sportsman […]
My Estimate of when your CEF Service File will be Digitized
The digitization of Canadian First World War Services Files by Library and Archives Canada is the Government’s most significant contribution to the centenary of the First World War. The work began in the […]
Made-to-order: Valentine’s Post-War Christmas Dinner
While most Officers did their best to provide their men with a filling Christmas dinner there was no substitute for family and a home-cooked meal. In this article I’m featuring two letters […]
Christmas at the Front – Merry Xmas from Giessen Dec. 1915
As a Prisoner of War in the Giessen P.O.W. camp Sergeant Thomas Bramah Diplock was nearly 300 miles behind enemy lines when he posted this Christmas card 100 years ago. It was […]
Remembering Pte John Fleming, C.A.S.C – Part 2 of 3
When 27-year old husband and father of two John Fleming attested in Winnipeg on December 13, 1915 he brought with him mechanical skills and driving experience that made him a natural […]
Victoria’s Bay Street Armoury Celebrates 100 Years
The Bay Street Armoury has been part of our community for 100 years and on Sunday it celebrated by opening its doors to the public. The event was very well attended […]
Doing Our Bit 