Computer and Library Learning (Archived)

Canadas Veteran's affairs web site is an invaluable resource for Canadians
who want to learn more about the men and women who have served in our military.

One striking feature I had never looked at before is the digitized Books of Remembrance. These list the fallen from Canada and Newfoundland in the course of our merged histories.  The original illuminated books reside in the memorial chamber under the Peace Tower in Ottawa. 

    By accessing the digitized versions online, you can immediately see how costly this war was and how quickly the death toll ballooned to staggering proportions.  For example the combined fatalities of Canadians who served in the British Empire Forces and the Canadian Expeditionary Force for 1914 is nearly 200. This number, though already higher than that of all Canadians killed in the current Afghan conflict, is only from the first few months of the war. From 1915 onward, these figures would be counted not in hundreds but in tens of thousands. 

There are seven books in all reflecting the many theatres and services in which Canadians and Newfoundlanders served.   

You can also try using the Virtual War Memorial.  Even if the only information you have regarding a fallen individual is a last name, you will be given a list of soldiers and can see some of their vital information, the units they served with, and in some cases, digital photographs  of the grave markers.  A page reference in the book of remembrance with a link to the digitized page is also provided.

There is a Youth Corner with links to virtual tours of Vimy Ridge and a Kids Zone as well with more resources including accounts of how animals served in war.

There is also a section of teacher resources including 50 ways to remember, quick facts, as well as more in-depth resources.