Taking a break
Three members of the Royal Flying Corps take a break in a park during the First World War. All three are wearing “Maternity” style tunics, the name given to the […]
Dockside departure
Artillery men, likely from the 5th Regiment Canadian Garrison Artillery, pose for a photo on the CPR docks in Victoria, BC. The steamships would transport the troops to Vancouver where […]
Remembrance Day in the early 1930’s
A wonderful photograph of the Remembrance Day ceremonies at Victoria’s Inner Harbour in the early 1930’s. The photograph was likely taken from the steps of Victoria’s War Memorial which was […]
A letter to Remember
This clipping from a British newspaper in 1917 contains the final words of a son to his mother and father. Lieutenant Herbert Frederick Bolton of the 103rd Machine Gun Corps […]
First Canadian Contingent photos by J.A. Millar
I found this excellent collection of WW1 photos from 1914 while conducting research into the First Canadian Contingent, one of several online collections from the University of Victoria. This photo […]
Remembrance Day 2012
I’m reposting my 2011 Remembrance Day tribute to the 620,000 Canadians from across the country who “did their bit” during the Great War and to the nearly 67,000 who never made it home. “Doing Our Bit” features photographs of recruits from Victoria, BC marching through the streets of the city […]
The Canadian Scottish Regiment – 100 years of Service
Congratulations to The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary’s) who celebrate 100 years this weekend! The 16th Battalion C.E.F was formed in August 1914 from four Canadian militia regiments, the: 50th […]
Lt. William Lea Cook (1891-1917)
William Lea Cook was born in St. Helen’s, Lancashire in 1892, the fifth child of Robert Cook and Selina Lea’s seven children. William’s father died in 1908 and early the […]
Convalescent Hospitals
On my recent trip to the UK I picked up this small collection of real photo postcards showing soldiers recovering at British convalescent hospitals. The postcard pictured here, and one […]
Blog Standard
Last week I made the decision to switch On Active Service from a website to a blog. I maintain four other WordPress blogs and so standardizing on this format should make it easier and less time-consuming to add the many letters and photos that are waiting in the wings. All […]
Doing Our Bit 