War Veterans - Sources for more information

We researched the names of those who served in World War 1 and World War 2 to determine who had died in that war. The following sources were used to establish that and to find more information about these men. Information was cross checked between the sources to provide a high degree of assurance that it is about each individual.  When additional information was located in other sources it is provided in Notes at the end of the tables.

CANADIAN VIRTUAL WAR MEMORIAL

This site, maintained by Veterans Affairs Canada, contains a registry of information about the graves and memorials of more than 116,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders who served valiantly and gave their lives for their country. Included on this site are the memorials of more than 1500 soldiers who died in service to Canada since the Korean War, including peacekeeping and other operations. The site also contains digital images of photographs and personal memorabilia about individual Canadians. The purpose of the Canadian Virtual War Memorial is to recognize and keep alive the memory of the achievements and sacrifices made by those who served Canada in the defence of freedom and so have contributed to the development of Canada as a nation.

The data includes: Full name, Service number, force, unit, division, date and place of birth, date and place of enlistment, information about parents, siblings and/or next of kin, obituaries, photographs and burial information.

COMMONWEALTH WAR GRAVES COMMISSION

The "Debt of Honour Register" is the Commission's database listing the 1.7 million men and women of the Commonwealth forces who died during the two world wars and the 23,000 cemeteries, memorials and other locations worldwide where they are commemorated. The register can also be searched for details of the 67,000 Commonwealth civilians who died as a result of enemy action in the Second World War. Not all of the men are recorded as “Canadian”.

The data includes: Name, service number, rank, regiment/service, unit, date of death, age, casualty type, memorial location, cemetery and information about parents or next of kin.

CANADIAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE – SOLDIERS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR

This site, maintained by Library and Archives Canada, is an index to the service files of the 620,000 men and women who enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) during the First World War (1914-1918) as soldiers, nurses and chaplains. In addition, scanned images of most of the Attestation papers are available in the database. The site also contains a link to the War Diaries, which provide a history of the various battalions and service units, and instructions on how to obtain or view the complete service record of the people.

The data includes: Name, service number, attestation papers (which includes full name and address, date and place of birth, name and address of NOK, marital status, trade, previous military service, signature, age, height, girth, complexion, eye and hair colour, distinguishing marks, religion).

SECOND WORLD WAR SERVICE FILES: CANADIAN ARMED FORCES WAR DEAD

This site, maintained by Library and Archives Canada, is an index to the service files for the following individuals who died between 1939 and 1947. It includes those killed in action; those who subsequently died of injuries related to service; and those who died as a result of accident or illness while in service.  To be included the name must appear either in the Books of Remembrance in Canada and Newfoundland or in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Debt of Honour Register.

The actual files can be ordered from Library and Archives Canada.  The data in the index includes: Name, Age, Date of Birth, Date of Death, RAnk, Unit, Force, Service Number and additional information about family members.  It also provides a reference if one wishes to order the file or an extract from it.

B C ARCHIVES VITAL RECORDS

This site contains indexes to the vital records at the Archives of British Columbia. It records Baptisms (1836-1888), Births (1872-1903), Marriages (1872-1934), Deaths (1872-1989) and Colonial Marriages (1859-1872). Information was found in Birth, Death and Marriage indexes.

The data includes: Date and place of birth, death or marriage and gender of individual; name of spouse in marriage; registration number and microfilm numbers;

1911 CENSUS INDEX

This site is an index to the 1911 census of British Columbia. All districts were checked for the names, and names were filtered, where necessary, using the date of birth given on the soldiers’ attestation papers.

The data includes: Name, age, others in same household, relationship to head of household (if any) and a link to 1901 census.