The assignment was an interesting one -- not only did it require me to familiarize myself with a number of wonderful archival and genealogical resources on the web, but it also forced me to work on the rather difficult and little utilized skill of technical writing. I had to focus my usually long-winded writing style in order to be clear, concise, orderly and informative. I must admit, writing for a technical purpose is much harder than it sounds. I definitely have a whole new appreciation for those that write How-To manuals after this assignment!
Although it's text heavy, I've decided to post the finished result of my assignment here in the hopes that it might be useful to someone out there in their search for information about their ancestors.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
WWI Military Records Pathfinder
This genealogy pathfinder has been created to help make the search for the WWI military records of your loved ones easier. It will help you to understand where to look and what information is available in the archives and on the web concerning the military records of those who served as part of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) from 1914-1918.
A great place to begin any genealogical search is through the Canadian Genealogy Centre available via Library and Archives Canada (LAC) (their homepage can be found here).
For WWI military records you will want to consult the First World War topic within the Military section of this website. Here you will find the personnel records of more than 600,000 Canadians who enlisted and served as nurses, chaplains and soldiers during the Great War (1914-1918) as either part of the Canadian Expeditionary Forces or the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and Newfoundland Forestry Corps.
Under the section marked “Canadian Expeditionary Forces” click on the Soldiers of the First World War database and search by surname, given name(s) or regimental numbers. This database is indexed to the personnel records of CEF soldiers and contains copies of nearly 800,000 Attestation papers that have been digitized and made available for viewing online. Once you have located the desired soldier, you can access their full service record either on-site at LAC in Ottawa or by ordering a copy of the complete service file to be shipped to you (further details about both of these options can be found here).
According to the LAC website, a soldier’s full service record should include the following documents: his attestation paper, record of service, casualty form, discharge certificate, war service gratuity, hospital cards, medical history sheet, medical case sheet, temperature chart, last pay certificate, dental history sheet and medical examination certificate upon leaving the service. For help with interpreting these documents and others, please see the How To Read a Record of Service or Casualty Form, How to Read a Memorial Cross Card and How to Read a Medal Card guides available under the Canadian Expeditionary Force section of the website.
Once you have more information about your desired WWI soldier, you may want to revisit the Military section of the Canadian Genealogy Centre’s website and consult the sections on Military Medals, War Diaries and War Graves to check for applicable resources and/or details.
LAC Pathway Recap: Library and Archives Canada --> Canadian Genealogy Centre --> Military --> First World War --> (Canadian Expeditionary Force) Soldiers of the First World War --> Search
A second resource that you may wish to consult when looking for military records is Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) (their homepage came be found here). Under the VAC sidebar you will find a link for Canada Remembers which is a program that aims to “keep alive the achievements and sacrifices made by those who served Canada in times of war and peace.” This program provides a wealth of background information about various wars and battles Canada has been involved in, links to archival documents and film footage, and a number of VAC remembrance initiatives. Those links most applicable to the majority of genealogical searches are the Canadian Virtual War Memorial and the Books of Remembrance.
The Canada Virtual War Memorial contains information about the graves and memorials of 116,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders who lost their lives serving their country. This database is searchable by surname, given name(s), initials and/or year of death. A soldier’s record in the CVWM will provide information concerning their military service (service number, age, force, unit and division) and additional information including date of birth, family connections, hometown, a link to view the page on which they have been memorialized in the First World War Book of Remembrance (1914-1922), and any available digital images (including copies of obituaries, photographs, etc.). The CVWM also provides burial information where it is known (often courtesy of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission).
VAC Pathway Recap 1: Veterans Affairs Canada --> Canada Remembers --> The Canadian Virtual War Memorial --> Books of Remembrance --> First World War
VAC Pathway Recap 2: Veterans Affairs Canada --> Canada Remembers --> The Canadian Virtual War Memorial --> Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Finally, you may wish to consult the Canadian Military Heritage Project (homepage found here) which contains a large section on Canada in World War I, including a How to Find Your WWI Soldier pathfinder and a link to the CEF Nominal Rolls (which are available for viewing online or download via Archive.org). CEF Nominal Rolls are lists of soldiers that are part of a unit on a particular date (thus they are broken down by battalion and year). The first page of any nominal roll contains a list of officers, arranged in order of rank. Enlisted soldiers are listed on succeeding pages (arranged alphabetically). Nominal rolls show a soldier’s full name, rank, and regimental number. Most of the nominal rolls found on Archive.org can be viewed in a searchable PDF format.
The Canadian Military Heritage Project also contains links to the Courts-Martial of the First World War database (via LAC) and a large list of WWI databases available in partner with The Canadian Great War Homepage.
CMHP Pathway Recap 1: Canadian Military Heritage Project --> CEF Nominal Rolls --> Archive.org
CMHP Pathway Recap 2: Canadian Military Heritage Project --> (Find Military Ancestors) Courts-Martial of the First World War
CMH Project Pathway Recap 3: Canadian Military Heritage Project --> (Quick Links) The Canadian Great War Homepage
Nice work, Catherine! As I'm currently working on a pathfinder/subject guide for my Advanced Reference class, I'd say (and this is meant as a compliment) this is worthy of a librarian!
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha! Thanks Sandra! I DO take that as a compliment. Obviously there's a few things on it that I had to compromise on in order to fit the parameters of the assignment and formatting issues don't translate well from Vista to Blogger, but, I figure it's enough to get the point across. :) What's your pathfinder about?
ReplyDelete