A West Coast Cadet: Remembering E. R. Shearman
In hindsight it’s easy to forget that not every soldier who wanted to do his bit in the First World War had the opportunity to do so. In 1914, and in […]
Update: Canadian Massed Regimental Bands
In the summer I wrote about an impressive framed photograph that I found in a local shop. I had presumed the photograph had been taken in Canada but this was […]
Remembering Lt. John Keith Bousfield, Holzminden P.O.W.
Victoria BC has been home to expatriates from across the Empire since it’s earliest days. Despite knowing this I must admit I was nonetheless surprised to discover that an officer, one of 29 […]
Who Goes There? Unknown Trench Poet pens “O Canada!”
On the weekend I acquired a small and curious collection of First World War ephemera that included a handful of poems written by at least two different soldiers. One of these […]
Remembering Pte John Fleming, C.A.S.C – Part 1 of 3
This is the first in a three-part series remembering John Fleming who served as a driver and mechanic in the First World War. Part 1 focuses on his early life […]
Who Goes There? Massed Regimental Bands
I recently acquired this 14″ x 21″ First World War photograph of massed Regimental Bands. It was scanned in four pieces and stitched together so I apologize for the patchwork […]
Remembering Lt. Frederick J.C. Ball and a gift for son Edmund
Not long ago I was in a shop and was drawn to a book sitting alone atop a small table. The first thing I saw when I opened it up […]
Madame Guérin and the Poppy Campaign: July 4, 1921
Earlier this week I was contacted by Heather Johnson who kindly provided me with a photograph (©/courtesy of Linda Ryma Photography) and description of a plaque that commemorates a significant date […]
Remembering Sgt. John Reid Cunningham, 7th Royal Scots
A couple of years ago I purchased three postcards showing Musselburgh soldiers from the 1/7th Royal Scots. I’ve published several articles about these men and the Quintinshill rail disaster that claimed so […]
Canadians in the BEF: Imperial War Service Gratuities records
In April of this year Ancestry made available “Canada, Imperial War Service Gratuities, 1919-1921“, a dataset containing 17,702 records on Canadians who served in the B.E.F., British Navy, Royal Air Force and Nursing […]