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I am looking for
information about the actions for which someone was awarded the Victoria
Cross (VC), Distinguished Service Order (DSO), Distinguished Conduct Medal
(DCM), Military Cross (MC), Military Medal (MM), or was Mentioned in Despatches
(MID).
Generally, there
is little specific information about these awards in the War Diaries,
because decorations were normally granted long after the action for
which they were awarded. Without a copy of the citation for the award,
it is difficult to know the date on which the actions took place. This
date is needed in order to search the War Diaries. However, numerous
published sources list those decorated for gallantry and may include
citations.
Abbink, Harry,
and Cindy Abbink.The Military Medal: Canadian Recipients, 1916-1922.
Calgary: Alison Pub. Co., ca.1987.
Bishop, William
Arthur, Our Bravest and Our Best: The Stories of Canada's Victoria
Cross Winners. Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1995.
Riddle, David
K, and Donald G. Mitchell. The Distinguished Service Order to the
Canadian Expeditionary Force and Canadians in the Royal Naval Air
Service, Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force, 1915-1920. Winnipeg:
Kirkby-Marlton Press, ca. 1991.
Riddle, David
K, and Donald G. Mitchell. The Military Cross Awarded to the Canadian
Expeditionary Force, 1915-1921. Winnipeg: Kirkby-Marlton Press,
1991.
Swettenham, John.
Valiant Men; Canada's Victoria Cross and George Cross Winners.
Toronto: Hakkert, 1973.
I am looking for
a particular person.
War Diaries are
not personal diaries. However, if you know the unit to which a particular
person belonged, you can use the War Diaries to trace how and where
he or she served. In some instances you may find individuals identified
by name in War Dairies, but this is not true in all cases.
Why are there no
French-language War Diaries?
Though a number
of Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) units, most famously the 22nd
Battalion, were composed of French-speaking officers and men, they operated
within a Canadian and Imperial military hierarchy whose working language
was English. The men in these units spoke French amongst themselves,
but they used English when communicating with other units and with higher-level
commanders. Similarly, the War Diaries of these French-speaking units
were written in English because they were initially submitted to British
authorities, and after 1916, to the Canadian War Records Office, which
was based in London, England and operated in English.
I cannot find the
War Diary of a particular unit.
Not all of the Canadian
Expeditionary Force (CEF) War Diaries held by Library and Archives Canada
have been digitized for this project. The vast majority of War Diaries
have been digitized and we plan to add those of the remaining units
in the future. In the meantime, microfilm copies of all the CEF War
Diaries held by Library and Archives Canada are available at our Ottawa
location, or through the inter-library loans department of your local
library.
Can I print the
War Diaries on this site and are they subject to copyright restrictions?
Reproduction of
archival material is subject to the terms and conditions of the Copyright
Act. The War Diaries remain under crown copyright, however, they
can be freely reproduced for academic and personal research and use,
but not for commercial or revenue-generating uses.
In the case of commercial
or revenue-generating uses, researchers are responsible for obtaining
permission to publish or use any copyrighted materials. It is recommended
that researchers consult the Copyright Act and seek legal advice
where questions regarding the interpretation of copyright arise. It
is not the role of Library and Archives Canada to interpret the Copyright
Act for researchers, and researchers must accept responsibility
for determining any copyright obligations. Researchers should allow
adequate lead time for researching ownership and obtaining permission
to copy or publish.
You may consult
the Copyright Act online at: http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/C-42/index.html
How did battles
get their names and dates?
Names for the Canadian
battles of the First World War were standardized in 1921 by the Battles
Nomenclature Committee. This committee was appointed by British authorities
and included three Canadian representatives. Generally, battles were
named after nearby towns or geographical features. The Committee used
military records to determine the official dates for each battle. To
learn more about this committee through Library and Archives Canada,
consult file RG 24 volume 447, file 54-21-1-201.
Why are some personal
names followed by a series of numbers?
At enlistment,
every man, apart from commissioned officers, was assigned an individual
regimental number. This was the principal means by which the Army identified
a particular soldier and which distinguished him from all other men
with the same name in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF). More than
600,000 men served in the CEF between 1914 and 1919 and so keeping track
of them accurately was a tremendous administrative challenge. For instance,
more than 500 men named John Smith served in the CEF. Without individual
regimental numbers, it would have been difficult for administrators
to tell them apart. Regimental numbers identified each person in much
the same way as an individual Social Insurance Number identifies people
today. Officers were not assigned regimental numbers and were identified
only by name and rank. Similarly, very few nursing sisters received
individual regimental numbers. They too were identified only by name
and rank.
Why don't all War
Diaries look the same or contain the same type of information?
Every Canadian
Expeditionary Force (CEF) unit interpreted the requirement to compile
a War Diary somewhat differently. For instance, though the majority
of units typed their diaries, some were written by hand. The extent
of the information compiled and the number of appendices included also
varied from diary to diary. The Canadian War Records Office instructed
units in how to write their War Diaries in an attempt to standardize
them, but this was only partially successful.
Why are there so
few diaries for the periods during which units were in Canada or Britain?
Canadian Expeditionary
Force (CEF) units were only required to keep War Diaries while they
were at the front. Nevertheless, some units also kept diaries while
in Britain.
How do I know the
meaning of acronyms and abbreviations?
The glossaries
for this site explain the most commonly occurring acronyms and abbreviations
used in the War Diaries.
Does Library and
Archives Canada hold any other First World War records?
Library and Archives
Canada holds the world's most comprehensive collection of First World
War records. These records document everything from the organization
and deployment of individual fighting and support units, to the highest
levels of command. Especially important are the Canadian Expeditionary
Force (CEF) military service files, which are the basic records of an
individual's wartime service. A portion of each CEF member's military
service file is being digitized. You can search these records on the
Library and Archives Canada Web site at http://www.collectionscanada.ca/archivianet/cef/index-e.html.
A substantial collection of private papers, diaries and journals written
by members of the CEF is also held by Library and Archives Canada. These
textual records are complemented by extensive photographic, film and
art collections from the war.
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