An introduction to on-line resources relating to Canadian military service records

Provide an outline of some on-line resources for pre- First World War military records, First and Second World Records and other websites. Knowing even a little about the individual you are researching helps and a good starting point is family documents. The next step is Th e Library and Archives Canada’s Genealogy Centre (LAC).

Prior to the First World War the service records were not detailed and often consisted of muster or pay lists or medal rolls. LAC holds copies of these if the individual served in Canada and this website explains what is available: e.html?PHPSESSID=m0nf9jd6bci6jgek3paj1ba0t1 LAC has also scanned all the service files for those who served in the South African War war/ e.php If the person served in the British Military outside of Canada then The National Archives (TNA) near London, England, is a great source of records

Captain George Piers was born on 7 February 1830 in Nova Scotia an died of influenza in Halifax on 29 October 1910 at the age of 80. His father was born in Nova Scotia and his mother in England. A Wesleyan Methodist, and a merchant by trade, he was married to Emily Ann (who passed away in Halifax on 15 May 1919 at the age of 82 of pneumonia) and the father of six children: Edith, Ada, Annie, Temple Foster, William and Emily Alberta. He was a company commander in the Halifax Volunteer Battalion, and in 1866 was called out on active service to protect the border against Fenian invasion. Both George and Emily were buried in the Camp Hill Cemetery, Halifax.

Military service files are available from LAC and are searchable from their on-line database called “Soldiers of the First World War database”, e.php The navy and air force are not on-line but are available upon request. Also available on-line are battalion war diaries 2_e.html

The Canadian War Museum’s Military History Research Centre holds dozens of unit histories, published memoirs, nominal rolls and general histories. Their catalogue can be searched from home at catalogue.warmuseum.ca. The Centre is open Monday to Friday, 9 am to 4:30 pm and while they don’t lend directly to individuals, many of the books are available through an inter-library loan with your local library.

Unfortunately most of the Second World personnel records are closed for the life of the individual plus 20 years, BUT if you can prove that someone has been gone for 20 years or more you can order a copy of their file: e.html The files for casualties are available: dead/ e.php

Information on casualties is easier to find because their files are open and they are commemorated on websites such as: The Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Canadian Virtual War Memorial The Maple Leaf Legacy Project

Honours awarded to the RCN during the Second World War rcnvr.com Royal Canadian Legion Last Post RCAF Honours and Awards airforce.ca/honours-awards/search-awards-database The Canadian War Museum has a collection of 144,000 newspaper clippings from the Second World War called “Democracy at war”. This has been digitized and is fully searchable on-line e.shtml LAC has a selection of First World War records digitized and on-line.

The London Gazette, search on names to see when someone was promoted, mentioned in despatches or awarded medals and honours The National Archives in the US Canadian Military Heritage Project For Newfoundland soldiers ngb.chebucto.org/NFREG/index1.shtml Ancestry is an excellent resource as is Find My Past with links to various census Provincial vital statistics websites such as or archives.gnb.ca/Archives/Default.aspx?culture=en-CA

A list of recipients of the French Croix de Guerre The Canada Gazette gazette/ e.php A British military genealogy website The LAC’s Genealogy Centre A British genealogy website An American Genealogy website usgenweb.org/

The Red Cross in Great Britain and-archives/Resources-for-researchers/Volunteers-and- personnel-records Holocaust survivors The National Archives in the UK has excellent on-line resources