The 100th anniversary of the first World War has many people looking at their family members who were involved in the conflict. Grande Prairie was a new town at that time, in fact celebrations are under way to celebrate it’s 100th anniversary as well. To make researching soldiers from the South Peace easier here is a list of resources that we have as well as other resources we think you would find helpful.
1. At South peace Regional Archives we have created a database of soldiers from the South Peace. We have tried to make this list as complete as possible but if we have missed someone please do not hesitate to let us know. Directory of WWI & WWII Soldiers
2. If you know your ancestor was involved in WWI and you would like to research further the Library and Archives website has a database that you can search on-line. Once you locate your ancestor’s record you can order his/her service file from them. They have plans to digitize all the service files and make them available on-line but that project may take a few years.
3. Also at the Library and Archives website you can find War Diaries, these are helpful if you know what company your ancestor served under, you can then discover what conflicts and other things of note that were written down by the officer in charge. Here is the description from LAC website -” This database contains the digitised War Diaries of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) units. From the start of the First World War, CEF units were required to maintain a daily account of their “Actions in the Field.” This log was called a War Diary. The War Diaries are not personal diaries, rather they are a historical record of a unit’s administration, operations and activities during the First World War.”
4. Court Martial from WWI – this is another resource from LAC you can explore in searching for your ancestor.
5. A Canadian Timeline for WWI.
6. Veterans Affairs Canada has a great website that explores the conflicts and Canada’s involvement.
7. A website that is collecting information and stories about Canadian WWI soldiers. The Memory Project
5. Lives of the First World War is a project collecting information on ALL soldiers who were involved in WWI.
WWI was a big adventure for many boys from the Peace Country and Canada. The belief was that the War would quickly end and with that in mind many left their homesteads, families and friends to do their part. Too many didn’t come back.
RIP.
