Joining this Group

Why so much advertising?

MSN kindly provides this web space at no cost in exchange for placing their advertising banners. This group has no connection with the advertising and receives no compensation for the ads.

Why do you need to join?

This is set within MSN's software and cannot be changed. It allows a problem individual to be banned from posting on the boards. The joining process is very simple, but....

Before you join, please...

Include a short line in the application to indicate why you are interested in WWI. This is not because I wish to make things difficult, this is simply to stop automated spammers from joining and then harvesting the email addresses off the boards to send spam. Just a quick line is all that is necessary.

(1) On the application please ensure your email address is hidden - this will be one of the questions on the application. Otherwise, your email address will be visible when you participate on the message board. If you want to have people contact you personally, you can always post the email within a message, and delete it later.

(2) IMPORTANT!!!!! Please do not indicate on the application that you want all new messages that appear on the general message board to be delivered to your inbox. I understand that individuals may want to track the responses they get to their own posting, but the issue with MSN's software is that it means that ALL the messages posted will end up in your inbox. You may receive more emails than you can handle and they won't always be on a topic you are interested in. If you want to track a specific topic, you can do so when you create your posting. If you have already signed up in this manner, you can always change your settings at a later date.

Posting your Photos

Photos from members are greatly appreciated. You should have space for about 30 regular sized photographs included with your MSN passport. Please ensure your photos relate to Canada & WWI, and that you put them in the appropriate photo album.

Finding your WWI Relative

Post the info about your relative on the message board. Someone who might have more information may eventually "google" the posting, or someone on the board might possibly have a few tips. Read through the website where you will find information on how to look for your WWI ancestor. Start by locating your relative on the Canadian National Archives and by ordering your relative's full file (30-60 pages). This will not contain information about battles, however, this can be pieced together by looking at unit histories and the war diaries (these are online at the NA).

Places to look:

LIBRARY
Most local newspapers covered soldiers from their own town. Check newspapers on microfilm surrounding your relative's death (if he/she died during the war). Casualties from the battlefield did not generally appear till around 4-6 weeks after the event, however, in some cases, if the person was well connected, a telegram to the family was sent within days. Check the paper for at least two months after the date of wounding or death. You may find short articles similar to those posted within this website.

CITY ARCHIVES
Toronto has her own archives on 255 Spadina Rd. (near Casa Loma). Other major Canadian cities also have their own archives. The archives are useful in that you can consult resources such as information on local schools, employers, etc. If your relative attended a private school or university, most of these organizations produced an Honour Roll book with photographs and biographies. School honour rolls (high schools) were often posted in the newspapers. If your relative belonged to a major company, they may have had a staff newsletter or Roll of Honour/Service, that was created during the war years. For example, the Canadian Bank of Commerce put together two books made up from the original staff newsletters. These included the letters the men sent back from the front. Many organizations, especially local churches, kept these Rolls of Service which listed the name of every man/woman from the church who had enlisted. If the church is long gone, the documents may still be at the archives. There were also other organizations such as the Sons of England who prepared honour rolls.

CHURCHES
After the war (by about 1920), most churches commissioned a bronze or brass memorial tablet listing the Roll of Honour (those who died as a result of their service), and these are usually contained within the church. You will not generally find much more on these tablets than a name, and sometimes a date of death, however, they are interesting pieces of information to add to your research project. Also, check the walls of the church for individual memorial plaques that were placed by surviving family members. Churches often put out Anniversary publications, such as for the 50th Anniversary of the church. You may be able to find these in the "local history" section of your library. In this way I was able to find a photo of a soldier who was listed on a church memorial plaque. You should also check for publications from before the war. Churches at that time often had social clubs, and sometimes group portraits of the social club members would be shown in a church publication (ie. Young Mens' Bible Class).

CEMETERIES
You may have already discovered from the Canadian Virtual Memorial that your relative is buried in France, England or Belgium. However, in many cases the family inscribed a memorial with details relating to a son who died in the war. In some cases a grave with monument was placed in a local Canadian cemetery, even though the soldier was buried elsewhere.

LOCAL WAR MEMORIAL
Your relative may be listed on a local war memorial. In some cases a name was missed that should have been included on this war memorial. These memorials and memorial plaques for schools/churches generally advertised in the newspaper or through an internal bulletin to look for relatives to come forward. If a relative did not come forward, the name was missed. Local memorials are usually limited in the information provided because of the cost of inscribing names in stone or bronze.

START A WEBSITE
Consider starting a small website where you outline what you know about your relative. Include photos and a chronology. You may attract viewers who are specialists on your soldier's unit, and they may be able to contact you with more information. You will also be honouring your military relative's memory.

Keep at it!

By thoroughly researching the war years you will eventually be able to put your WWI relative into context, and find new avenues for your research.