CEF Study Group - List of Recommended Great War Websites - November 2022 Edition

[Borden Battery]

Hello Everyone
11 October 2022

I have begun the detailed process of reviewing and updating the “List of Recommended Great War Websites” and intend to have the List fully complete on or before 11 November 2022. We have been producing this List since 2005. The most current List is dated 20 December 2020 and included about 750 website examples and amounts to about 220 pages in smaller font.

With only 59 broken URL links out of some 750 websites – this number (7.8%) is far lower than I was expecting given both the COVID period and a 2-year hiatus in updating. As a result, I have gone through the whole list as of late last week and will now go back to see of these broken links indicate a lost website or just a change in the URL address. A goodly number are government websites – most likely the constant need to re-organize and then update the URL addresses to comply with some policy. These constant URL changes are a very real headache for the many webmasters.

A quick glance at the broken URL links suggests we did not lose very many of the key Great War websites – perhaps 10 websites with one of the late Richard Laughton sites likely removed by his family. I have removed another 10 which were stale and/or have not been updated for several years – we call it “pruning”. Further, I have already added an additional twenty (20) websites and will likely add slightly to this list as I go through some of the linkages within several of the Listed websites. Several of them look promising as future contacts. If members have any recommendations, please post them on this thread. Any accepted recommendations will acknowledge the contributor.

It is my intention to use the release of this List as a modest marketing tool to (1) attract more active members to the CEF Study Group discussion forum and the Great War Forum, and (2) to also support the traffic towards the hundreds of webmasters who have collectively created this unique “open source” internet community resource.

Naturally, this List is available at no charge to the members of the CEF Study Group and the Great War Forum members and we would encourage you to share this List with others interested in the Great War - and especially with any webmasters you may interact with. Ideally, we want these webmasters to include a link to the CEF Study Group and Great War Forum discussion forums.

The function of the CEF Study Group List of Recommended Great War Websites (circa 2005) is to serve as a directory for the reader of the Great War. These websites have been vetted and grouped into 31 logical sections. Each abstract, in general, attempts to provide a "key word" search to find websites of immediate interest. Surfing this List is one of the objectives. And finally; and perhaps most importantly - this List is also dedicated to the many Webmasters and assistants who are creating an “Open Source” medium whereby the documentation, cataloguing and dissemination of cooperative research on the Great War is enabled by sharing. There are hundreds of thousands of hours of volunteer work invested to create this "community of information". As you visit and utilize the information on these websites, remember to provide suggestions and factual input to these webmasters - a thank you to these webmasters would also be appreciated. Please feel free to forward this List to other persons and groups interested in the Great War. Webmasters of all Great War websites have permission to use this List.

The new List will become available at no charge on or about 11 November 2022.

Regards
Borden Battery / aka Dwight Mercer (Regina, SK)

[Borden Battery]

The 11 November 2022 edition of the Recommended Great War Websites by the Canadian Expeditionary Force Study Group is part of the CEF Study Group internet discussion forum dedicated to the study, sharing of information and discussion related to the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) in the Great War – in an “Open Source” mode. This List is intended to assist the reader in their research of a specific Great War theme with emphasis on the Canadian experience. Further, this recommended List of Great War websites is intended to compliment the active discourse on the Forum by its members.  The CEF Study Group originated with the "Canadian Pals" who first met and remain members of the Great War Forum.

In Q4 of 2020, background organizational steps were taken to form a partnership between the CEF Study Group and the Central Ontario Branch – Western Front Association.

The function of the CEF Study Group List of Recommended Great War Websites (circa 2005) is to serve as a directory for the reader of the Great War. These websites have been vetted and grouped into logical sections. Each abstract, in general, attempts to provide a "key word" search to find websites of immediate interest. Surfing this List is one of the objectives.

All aspects of the Canadian Expeditionary Force are open to examination. Emphasis is on coordinated study, information exchange, civil and constructive critiquing of postings and general mutual support in the research and study of the CEF. Wherever possible, we ask that members provide a reference source for any information posted. This will enable future readers to build upon the work of earlier researchers.  Naturally, there are many overlaps with the BEF and other forces engaged in the Great War.

If you have a recommendation of a website related to either the Canadian Expeditionary Force and/or the Great War in general, or to report a broken website link, please forward a short note and URL address to “Borden Battery”. Many website abstracts include the name of the person who referred a good or unique website to this List. New websites are being assessed and stale and/or defunct website are now being culled on a regular basis. Exceptional websites have two or three asterisks.

Since the last edition (18 December 2020) and pre-COVID 19, the webmasters and some 750 website locations have been surprising robust. Only 59 broken links (7.8% over 2 years) and under 15 actual websites lost and or taken down – most were minor sites. Government websites, with their perpetual re-organizing, remain the largest source of broken links. A few weaker websites have also been pruned to made space for new websites with good information to the members of the CEF Study Group.

This List may be shared with any other interested parties; however, it is recommended it be retained intact for both continuity, completeness and reference to the CEF Study Group.

And finally; and perhaps most importantly - this List is also dedicated to the many Webmasters and assistants who are creating an “Open Source” medium whereby the documentation, cataloguing and dissemination of cooperative research on the Great War is enabled by sharing. There are hundreds of thousands of hours of volunteer work invested to create this "community of information". As you visit and utilize the information on these websites, remember to provide suggestions and factual input to these webmasters - a thank you to these webmasters would also be appreciated. Please feel free to forward this List to other persons and groups interested in the Great War. Webmasters of all Great War websites have permission to use this List.

The CEF Study Group Discussion Forum can be accessed at the following URL address:

http://cefresearch.ca/phpBB3/


New additions for 11 November 2022 edition are in BROWN font.

[Borden Battery]

-   Table of Contents   -

CEF Study Group Recommended Great War Websites

Quick Guide for Researching a Great War Soldier

Recommended Great War Books and Book Reviews

 

CEF - General Research Websites - Part 1

CEF - Canadian Government Websites - Part 2

 

General Great War Websites

·      CEF - General Websites - Part 3(a)

·      BEF - General Websites - Part 3(b)

·      AIF - General Websites - Part 3(c)

·      AEF, French & Other General Websites - Part 3(d)

·      General Research Websites - Part 3(e)

 

Individual Great War Soldier Websites/Videos - Part 4

CEF Battalion & Regimental Websites - Part 5

Newfoundland, Allied Battalion & Regimental Websites - Part 6

Great War Discussion Forums - Part 7

 

Miscellaneous Great War Websites - Part 8

Great War Weapons & Railway Websites - Part 9

Great War Photographic & Mapping Websites - Part 10

Great War Art and Paintings Websites - Part 11

 

General Great War Nominal Roll Websites - Part 12

Great War Air Force Websites - Part 13

General Medical Websites - Part 14

Great War Honour Websites - Part 15

 

Great War Reference Book Websites - Part 16

Great War Documents Websites - Part 17

General Great War Naval Websites - Part 18

General Great War - Eastern Front - Part 19

 

General Great War Artillery - Part 20

Great War Medals & Collections - Part 21

General Great War Middle East - Part 22

Chemical Warfare Websites - Part 23

 

German & Austrian Great War Websites - Part 24

Belgium General Great War Websites - Part 25

Great War Blog Sites - Part 26

Great War Document Download Websites - Part 27

 

Great War Poetry - Part 28

Internet YouTube/Lecture Websites on Great War - Part 29

Great War Academic - Part 30

List of the 260 Canadian Battalions of the Great War – Part 31

[Borden Battery]

Quick Guide for Researching a Great War Soldier

_________________________________________________________________________

 

The following short list of recommended websites (***) and a couple introductory books should provide a new Great War researcher a quick and distilled introduction to researching a Canadian soldier from the Canadian Expeditionary Force from the Great War.  While there are many common denominators regarding the experiences of the 620,000 soldiers who served, each soldier also has a unique story and the specific research often takes one on a separate path.  For this reason, a wide range of additional websites are often required to fill in many "blanks".

Naturally, becoming a member of the CEF Study Group connects you with over 900 other individuals with a similar interest and a huge discussion group database of earlier postings.

*** Researching Canadian Soldiers of the First World War - By Michael O'Leary; The Regimental Rogue

The following element from the main Regimental Rogue website provides a brief but very clear introduction to researching Canadian soldiers of the First World. It is highly recommended as one of the first websites to consider when starting your research - especially for someone new to the Great War.  The material represents many hours of planning by the author and will save the reader, many more hours in their initial research on the soldier under review.  Experienced researchers will also benefit from this organized topic treatment. The following layout (hot URL links per part) will take the reader on an organized research path. This part of the newly parent website (http://regimentalrogue.com/ from Part 8 of this List). [CEF Study Group - Sept 2022]

• Part 1: Find your Man (or Woman)

• Part 2: The Service Record

• Part 3: Court Martial Records

• Part 4: War Diaries and Unit Histories

• Part 5: Casualties

• Part 6: Researching Honours and Awards

• Part 7: Deciphering Battlefield Location Information

• Part 8: More Mapping Information

• Part 9: Matching Battlefield Locations to the Modern Map

• Part 10: Service Numbers; More than meets the eye

• Part 11: Rank, no simple progression

• Part 12: Medals; Pip, Squeak, Wilfred and the whole gang

• Part 13: Evacuation to Hospital

• Part 14: The Wounded and Sick

• Part 15: Crime …

• Part 16: … and Punishment

• Part 17: Battalions and Brigades, Companies and Corps

• Part 18: Photo Forensics: Badges and Patches

• Part 19: Veterans Death Cards

• Part 20: The Vimy Pilgrims (1936)

                Note: the above volumes have live hyperlinks in the text.

http://regimentalrogue.com/misc/researching_first_world_war_soldiers_part1.htm

 

*** Canadian Great War Project – University of Victoria Version

This massive database and reference website was first created by Marc Leroux and assisted by a band of dedicated contributors[1] over the years.  Nevertheless, recently the University of Victoria has assumed custodial duties going forward to provide a more lasting residence for the catalogued material.  This website enables one to research Canadians who participated in the Great War – perhaps the first place to begin any serious research. The website is very extensive and the features are beyond a short abstract - the reader should allocate several hours to fully appreciate it. At present there are over 189,700 database records of individual soldiers in the database with more being added on a regular basis by volunteers – this represents about 30 percent of the total enlistment.  In addition, a significant data base of some Nominal Rolls has also been developed. Not all entries have full details but these are being built up soldier by soldier. In addition, there is a “GrandsonMicheal” section which greatly facilitates the access and reading of many of the digitized CEF war diaries and now a section of BEF war diaries. Marc Leroux is always looking for a few dedicated volunteers to assist in expanding the records base.  One of the premier websites on the List – an alternative to the Library and Archives Canada website.   [CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]

http://www.canadiangreatwarproject.com

Extra Search Engine Option https://cgwp.uvic.ca/

This additional element from the Canadian Great War Project.  “Welcome to the largest fully searchable database dedicated to the Canadian men and woman that served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) during the Great War (1914-1919). This site, like any site on the Great War, relies heavily on the documents database of Library and Archives Canada and other government agencies. What distinguishes this project is the transcription of those records and the normalization of their data elements by the tireless work of our members, students and supporters. Whether you want to look at data on farmers from Ontario or bakers from British Columbia you can rely on stable HISCO mapping of the entries reported on attestation forms. This site evolved from the personal research work of Marc Leroux into the story of his grandfather in the Great War. That search expanded to the soldiers from his town, and then to soldiers from the area. Over time, a host of other researchers with similar interests joined in and, thanks to Marc’s technical skill, the Canadian Great War Project came to life. Over the following twelve years, contributors from across Canada and around the world continued to transcribe attestation papers, war diaries and other primary source documents. Site members added letters and images and eagerly shared information with any who asked. Linkages were developed to a wide range of other Great War sites.

 

As the centennial of the Great War approached, it became apparent that over the long term, a permanent home was needed to preserve this growing national treasure house of data. That home would need to demonstrate both a strong commitment to the history of Canada in the Great War, and the technical expertise to continue to improve the usefulness of the site the community of users. The Library of the University of Victoria and the Department of History proved a good match.”

[CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]

 

 

 

***Battle Honours and Honorary Distinctions

Battle honours and honorary distinctions are awarded to provide public recognition of and to record a combatant unit's active participation in battle against a formed and armed enemy. Combatant units are those whose purpose is to close with and defeat, neutralize or destroy the enemy as an effective fighting force. The Canadian battle honours system accommodates the different heritage and employment in war of sea, land, air, and special forces.  The following links lead to individual battle honours and honorary distinction honours awarded to Canadian military units past and present. These are broken down chronologically and listed in numeric-alphabetical orders within each category.  Only the Great War section is included in this list here.  Each battle listed includes a distilled summary – useful for readers to gain a better grasp.  Access the links via the main URL link below.  [CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]

    Albert (Beaumont Hamel), 1916

    Amiens

    Ancre 1916

    Ancre Heights

    Arleux

    Arras, 1917

    Arras, 1918

    Avre

    Bailleul

    Bapaume, 1918

    Bazentin

    Beaurevoir

    Bellewaarde

    Broodseinde

    Cambrai, 1917

    Cambrai, 1918

    Canal du Nord

    Courtrai

    Drocourt–Quéant

    Egypt

    Épehy

    Festubert, 1915

    Flers-Courcelette

    France and Flanders

    Frezenberg

    Gallipoli

    Gravenstafel

    Hill 70

    Hindenburg Line

    Kemmel

    Langemarck, 1917

    Lys

    Menin Road

    Mount Sorrel

    Passchendaele

    Pilckem

    Poelcappelle

    Polygon Wood

    Pozières

    Pursuit to Mons

    Rosières

    Sambre

    Scarpe, 1917

    Scarpe, 1918

    Selle

    Siberia

    Somme, 1916

    Somme, 1918

    St. Julien

    St. Quentin

    St. Quentin Canal

    The Great War

    Thiepval

    Valenciennes

    Vimy, 1917

    Ypres, 1915

    Ypres, 1917

    Ypres, 1918

https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/military-history/history-heritage/battle-honours-honorary-distinctions.html

 

*** The Canadian Virtual War Memorial

This site 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 up to present-day.  All Canadian soldiers are listed on this virtual memorial. A daily posting of an Honour Roll is featured.

[CEF Study Group - July 2022]

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial

 

 

---

 

[1] See the contributors from this URL: http://www.canadiangreatwarproject.com/general/acknowledgements.asp

 

[Borden Battery]

*** Library and Archives Canada - Soldiers of the First World War (1914-1918)

A total of 622,290 Canadians enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) during the First World War (1914-1918). The CEF database is an index to those personnel files which are held by Library and Archives Canada. As of 15 August 2018, all the files have been digitally scanned and placed online. This material can now be downloaded at no charge.  From this basic information a researcher can also acquire the full military file of a Great War soldier.  The process and cost to research a Canadian soldier is now greatly simplified – no other country has this level of digitization. [CEF Study Group - July 2022]

https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/personnel-records/Pages/personnel-records.aspx

                NOTE:   The University of Victoria “mirror” website is often less buggy and easier to use.

                                https://canadiangreatwarproject.com/search.php

 

 

*** Library and Archives Canada - War Diaries of the First World War

This database contains the digitized 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 a historical record of a unit’s administration, operations and activities during the First World War. However, at times this “new and improved” government website can be “flaky” and painfully slow.  Hopefully, the next upgrade will be better. In the short-term, readers may do better by using the search features found in the Canadian Great War Project Website found on page 8 of this List. [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/Pages/war-diaries.aspx

                NOTE:   The University of Victoria “mirror” website is often less buggy and easier to use.

                                https://canadiangreatwarproject.com/diaries/

 

 

*** Library and Archives Canada – Military Medals, Honours and Awards, 1812-1969

A simple database search website. The names and details were entered in the database as they appear in the actual documents. Many of these records contain only an initial, not the full given name.

  [CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]

http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/military-medals-1812-1969/Pages/search.aspx

 

 

*** Canadian Book of Remembrance

The Books of Remembrance contain the names of Canadians who fought in wars and died either during or after them. All the books are kept in the Memorial Chamber located in the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill. The purpose of creating a site that displays these books on the Internet is to make them more accessible to the public. Quite aptly named are these testaments to Canada's past, for by their very title they remind us to never forget the foundations of courage on which Canada is built.  [CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/books

 

 

Guide(s) to Sources Relating to Units of the Canadian Expeditionary Force
These URL links by category below provide a overall directory to the Canadian Archives file descriptors of these units and provides an organized listing of the various units.   Click on each item and the system will download the Adobe pdf file specific to this topic area.  For persons new to military organizations, this first source may provide you with and overall context of the structure and organization of the military.   

[CEF Study Group – Sept 2022 [Recommended by ejwalshe].  Use main URL to access sub-categories.

https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/first-world-war/pages/units-canadian-expeditionary-force.aspx

Artillery
Canadian Army Medical Corps
Army Troop Companies, Canadian Engineers
Field Companies and Battalions, Canadian Engineers
Miscellaneous Units, Canadian Engineers
Pontoon Bridging Transport Units, Canadian Engineers
Signal Service, Canadian Engineers
Tramways Companies, Canadian Engineers

Canadian Forestry Corps
Canadian Garrison Regiment
Canadian Mounted Rifles
Canadian Ordnance Corps
Canadian Railway Troops
Calvary
Cyclist
Depot Battalions

Divisional Ammunition Columns
Employment Companies
Entrenching Battalions
Infantry Works Companies
Infantry Battalions
Labour Battalions
Machine Gun Units
Miscellaneous Infantry Units

Miscellaneous
Pioneer Battalions
Reserve Battalions
Trench Mortar Batteries and Groups
Tunnelling Companies and Canadian Engineers
Canadian Army Veterinary Corps
Lest We Forget Information Package First World War

Recommended Great War Books and Book Reviews – 1 September 2022

_________________________________________________________________________

The following books provide an introduction to the Great War from a Canadian perspective.  It should be noted there are many other books on this subject – more will be added in the future.

Marching to Armageddon - Canada and the Great War 1914-1919

Desmond Morton and J. L. Granatstein, Lester & Orpen Dennys (1989)

- provides a good initial overview of the conflict from a CEF perspective

- out of print but sometimes available from used book websites

 

When Your Numbers Up - The Canadian Soldier in the First World War

Desmond Morton, Random House of Canada (1993)

- details training and life of a typical Canadian soldier

- provides a first overview of life from a soldier’s perspective

 

The Journal of Private Fraser - Canadian Expeditionary Force 1914-1918

CEF Books, Edited by Reginald Roy (1998)

- personal journal on one man's direct experiences

- articulates one man’s observations and experiences – captures the tenor of the event

 

The Secret History of Soldiers - How Canadians Survived the Great War

Tim Cook, Publisher, Allen Lane (2018)

- how soldiers found entertainment, solace, relief, and distraction from the relentless slaughter

 

Great War Commands: Historical Perspectives on Canadian Army Leadership 1914-1918

Kingston: Canadian Defence Academy Press, 2010. Edited by Major Andrew B. Godefroy, PhD

- free downloadable eBook; in-depth study of the senior leadership of the CEF

http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2010/forces/D2-259-2-2010-eng.pdf

 

The Embattled General - Sir Richard Turner VC

Bill Stewart, Publisher McGill-Queen’s University Press (2015)

- a modern day re-assessment of this forgotten, gifted officer of the Canadian Corps

- outlines the organizational strengths of the man after Sir Sam Hughes

 

Canadians on the Somme - The Neglected Campaign

Bill Stewart, Publisher Helion & Company August (2017)

- a meticulous examination of the CEF at the Somme and resulting later esprit corps

- a distilled textbook complimented by a separate map booklet

 

The Canadian Experience of the Great War: A Guide to Memoirs

Brian Douglas, Published by Scarecrow Press (2013) [Sable Chief recommendation]

- a detailed book, out of print but warrants consideration for a large bibliography

 

At the Sharp End - Canadians Fighting in the Great War 1914-1918

Tim Cook, Viking Canada (2007). 

- a required reference text for any student of the Canadian Expeditionary Force

 

Shock Troops - Canadians Fighting in the Great War 1917-1918

Tim Cook, Viking Canada (2008). 

- a required reference text for any student of the Canadian Expeditionary Force

 

No Place to Run - The Canadian Corps and Gas Warfare in the First World War

Tim Cook, UBC Press (1999). 

- documents poison gas by and on the CEF - will become a classic reference text

 

Shock Army of the British Empire - The Canadian Corps in the Last 100 Days

Shane B. Schreiber, Vanwell Publishing Ltd. (2004/1997)

 - well written account by an active Canadian military officer of the Corps and reasons for its success

 

Stormtroop Tactics:  Innovation in the German Army, 1914-1918

Bruce I. Gudmundsson, Praeger - Westport, Connecticut, London (1989)

- describes the transformation in German Infantry tactics during World War I - stormtroopers

 

Poilu – The World War I Notebooks of Corporal Louis Barthas

Yale University Press (English 2014) Translated by Edward M. Strauss

- a first hand account of experiences in the French Army – similar to the Journal of Private Fraser

 

Canadian Airmen and the First World War - Official History of the Royal Canadian Air Force, V1

S.F. Wise, University of Toronto Press (1980)

- a required history reference text for any student of Canadians in the air war of the Great War

- book is part of a trilogy on the Canadian Air Force and later the RCAF

- segmented digital book scan available via the following LINK

 

                Filling the Ranks – Manpower in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1914-1918

Richard Holt with Foreword by Tim Cook and J. L. Granatstein

- book based on Holt’s PhD thesis, its detailed and best used as a reference text

- Lt. Col. Holt passed away shortly after his book was published in 2017

 

In the coming years, a new chapter will be added to this List of websites; recommended books on the Great

War.  Members of the CEF Study Group are welcome to recommend specific books for consideration under the topic area within the main discussion board index.  Ideally, a book summary or abstract should be provided along with the author’s name and the publisher.

 

 

Book Reviews on the Great War:

Capturing Hill 70: Canada’s Forgotten Battle of the First World War

by Douglas E. Delaney and Serge Marc Durflinger (Eds), Vancouver: UBC Press, 2016, 273 pages

ISBN: 9780774833592

http://www.journal.forces.gc.ca/Vol17/no1/page84-eng.asp

 

Vimy: The Battle and the Legend

by Tim Cook. Toronto: Random House, 2017, 512 pages, ISBN: 978-0735233164

http://www.journal.forces.gc.ca/vol18/no1/page74-eng.asp

 

Sister Soldiers of the Great War: The Nurses of the Canadian Army Medical Corps.  By Cynthia Toman

Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press, 2016. Pp. 312.By Eliza Richardson, Wilfrid Laurier University

This review appears in Canadian Military History Vol. 27 No. 1 (2018)

 

No Free Man: Canada, the Great War, and the Enemy Alien Experience. By Bohdan S. Kordan.

Montreal & Kingston: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2016. Pp. 394. By Richard Roy, Independent Researcher This review appears in Canadian Military History Vol. 27 No. 2 (2018)

 

Brian D. McInnes. Sounding Thunder: The Stories of Francis Pegahmagabow.

Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 2015. Pp. 221

Laurier Centre for Military, Strategic and Disarmament Studies

 

Brock Millman. Polarity, Patriotism, and Dissent in Great War Canada, 1914-1919.

Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2016. Pp. 336.

Laurier Centre for Military, Strategic and Disarmament Studies

 

J.L. Granatstein and J.M. Hitsman. Broken Promises: A History of Conscription in Canada.

Revised edition. Oakville, ON: Rock’s Mills Press, 2015. Pp. 282.

Laurier Centre for Military, Strategic and Disarmament Studies

 

Review of Isabel V. Hull, A Scrap of Paper: Breaking and Making International Law during the Great War (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 2014). Pp. 368

Laurier Centre for Military, Strategic and Disarmament Studies

 

Review of Paul Jankowski, Verdun: The Longest Battle of The Great War

(New York: Oxford University Press, 2014), Pp. 324.

Laurier Centre for Military, Strategic and Disarmament Studies

 

Review of Alan Bowker, A Time Such as There Never Was Before: Canada After the Great War.

(Toronto: Dundurn, 2014). Pp. 438. Laurier Centre for Military, Strategic and Disarmament Studies

 

More books on the Great War and book reviews will be added in future editions.  Eventually, a separate chapter may be created within this List. Suggestions are welcome and will be hosted on the CEF Study Group discussion forum prior to insertion on this List.

[Borden Battery]

Books Published by authors associated with the CEF Study Group:

 

Fabric of War, Canadian Army Cloth Insignia c1900-1970

Written and complied by Bill Alexander.  Published by Friesen Press 2019.

Hard cover, 513 pages, on gloss paper. Over 1000 images and tables.  Full colour images capture the true colours of the insignia. Retail price is $175.00 CAD Plus shipping.  CEF Study Group members can contact Bill directly by Private Message to arrange for a purchase.

                http://www.marway-militaria.com/shop.php

 

The Embattled General - Sir Richard Turner VC

Bill Stewart, Publisher McGill-Queen’s University Press (2015)

- a modern day re-assessment of this forgotten, gifted officer of the Canadian Corps

 

Canadians on the Somme - The Neglected Campaign

Bill Stewart, Publisher Helion & Company August (2017)

- a meticulous examination of the CEF at the Somme and resulting later esprit corps

 

Ordinary Heroes - History of the 21st Battalion (2^nd Edition)

                Steve Nichol, a military history researcher.

                Product of 12 years of research detailing the service details of the nearly 5,000 men who passed through the battalion from November 1914 until its demobilisation in May of   1919. The price is $75.00 Cdn per copy plus shipping. For ordering, please email 21stbattalion@kos.net .  [Al Lloyd]

                Keeping the Old Flag Flying – Memoir of Kenneth Foyster, 7th Canadian Battalion (1st British Columbia)

                Mike Richardson, Publisher: Spiderwize (2019), ISBN 978-1-912694-39-6

                During the First World War, thousands of captured Allied combatants were dispatched to neutral                 countries to await the end of the conflict.

 

                Winning the Second Battle: Canadian Veterans and the Return to Civilian Life, 1915-1930. UTP, 1987

                Part of a discussion thread on the CEF Study Group Discussion Forum

The book lays out efforts between 1915 and 1930 to devise, implement, and administer a system to help veterans reintegrate into Canadian society. The creation and administration of the Pension Commission, the Military Hospitals Commission, the Department of Soldiers’ Civil Re-establishment, and the Department of Pensions and National Health predominate in this largely administrative and institutional history. The veteran experience is not overlooked, being handled mainly through veterans’ advocacy groups, especially the Great War Veterans’ Association and the Canadian Legion. Key players on the policy side include J. L. Todd, the long-serving Ernest Scammell, and Walter Segsworth. Leading veterans’ advocates, such as Harry Flynn and Grant MacNeil, get coverage too. Reports produced by government agencies (Pensions, MHC, DSCR, etc.), the findings of royal commissions and similar investigations, including testimonies delivered (Ralston, Hyndman, etc.), and publications like the GWVA’s The Veteran, form the bulk of the source material.  Review by JonathanS.  CEF Study Group)

                https://cefresearch.ca/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=16351

[Borden Battery]

*** Edward Walshe – Sample Panning Videos of Great War Cemeteries
There are a series of websites and YouTube sites to visit regarding the presentation of this material – beginning with; https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHmflF ... 7wA/videos . In addition, several video of Great War cemeteries have also been completed and are best summarized by the words of the author: “I've visited over 300 Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) cemeteries, and dozens of Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e.V. (counterpart to the CWGC) cemeteries in the Western Front, and they all hold two things in common for me - they are uniquely beautiful, and they never cease to move me. It is both a profoundly disturbing and rewarding experience to be surrounded by so many souls whose lives were cut way too short, in all too often horrifying circumstances. If you never get the chance to visit these cemeteries in person, I hope your virtual-visit gives you an appreciation for the manner in which these men and women are cared for, in perpetuity by representatives of the CWGC and volunteers of the humanitarian organization Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge e.V... We Will Remember Them.”

Ingoyghem Military Cemetery Video
Kortrijk St Jan Communal Cemetery Video
Brookwood Military Cemetery, UK
Warvillers Churchyard Extension Video
Givenchy Road Canadian Cemetery Video
Zouave Valley Cemetery Video

Givenchy-en-Gohelle Canadian Cemetery
Grand Seraucourt British Cemetery Video
La Chaudiere Military Cemetery
Mons (Bergen) Communal Cemetery Video
La Chaudiere Military Cemetery Video
Berguette Churchyard Video

Bajus Churchyard Video
Bray Military Cemetery Video
Warnant Communal Cemetery Video
Pernes British Cemetery Video
Abbeville Communal Cemetery Video
Ypres Reservoir Cemetery Video

Antheit Communal Cemetery Video
Hotton War Cemetery Video
Euskirchen New Town Cemetery Video
Dochy Farm New British Cemetery Video
Leopoldsburg War Cemetery Video
St Pol Communal Cemetery Extension Video

Avesnes-le-Comte Communal Cemetery Extension Video
Valkensward War Cemetery Video
Lillers Communal Cemetery and Extension Video
Uden War Cemetery Video
Deutscher Soldatenfriedhof Ysselsteyn Video
Vimy Communal Cemetery Video

Coming World Remember Me (CWRM) Project Video
Les Baraques Military Cemetery Video

Finally, the remainder of these aesthetic videos can be accessed from the CEF Study Group discussion forum sub-site [War Memorials & Cemeteries] at http://www.cefresearch.ca/phpBB3/viewforum.php?f=39
[CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]

[Borden Battery]

**ActiveHistory.ca

A Canadian general history website with publications, podcasts and essays that connects the work of historians with the wider public and the importance of the past to current events.  Although not specifically Great War related – a search of the website does provide a good list of Great War articles. Active History is a project open to contributions from all historians seeking to publish short essays that align with their mandate. As an entirely volunteer-run organization, they have a loose editorial structure, whereby copyright and ownership of published material remains with the author under a “Creative Commons”.  The site is now home to 2,000+ blog posts, podcasts, papers and exhibits. [CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]

http://activehistory.ca/papers/canadas-first-world-war-a-centennial-series-on-activehistory-ca/

 

• Black Identity and the Great War: History from the Bottom Up

• The Toronto Church Memorials to Soldiers of the Great War Project

• The Active History of Canada’s First World War: A Thematic Guide

• In Conversation VI: Making Sense of the Centenary of Canada’s First World War

• In Conversation V: Publishing, Precarity, and the Public History of Canada’s First World War

• Francophone Alberta: Deeply Engaged in the First World War

• The francophone community of Alberta and the First World War

• Reflections on the First World War

• In Conversation IV: Preserving and Passing-On the Legacies of Canada’s First World War

• We need to stop talking about Vimy

• Growing Pains: The Great War Veterans’ Association, Early Poppy Day Campaigns, and the Seeds of Commemorative Tradition

 

• The Dark Side of Disarmament: Ocean Pollution, Peace, and the World Wars

• Remembrance Day 2018 and Canada’s First World War Centennial

• “The town’s gone wild”: Sounds of Victory in Toronto, 11 November 1918

• First World War Postscript: “Fed Up and Tired” in the Months Following the Armistice

• “Tom’s Return” — or A Girl’s Heroic Adventure? Great War Fiction by a Canadian Schoolgirl

• Embodying Anti-German Sentiment during the Great War: An Archival Moment

• Art as Prescience: Reflections on Sarah Beck’s 2001 ÖDE

• Indigenous Veterans, the Indian Act, and the Origins of National Aboriginal Veterans Day

• “The Equal and Respected Companions of Men”[1]: The Female Veteran of the Great War

• “He Will Again Be Able to Make Himself Self-Sustaining”[1]: Canadian Ex-Officers’ Return to Civilian Life

• The Difficulty in Diagnosis: Shell Shock and the Case of Private Dennis R.

 

• Coming Home: Veterans, Pensions and the Canadian State After the Great War

• In Conversation III: Touring the Battlefields of Canada’s First World War

• Africa’s War: Anti-colonial Movements and Repression in First World War French West Africa

• Art, Religion, & Iconography in the Vimy Memorial: An Overview

• Six Nations Soldiers and British Women’s Activism during and after the First World War

• The Bolshevik: Art, Revolution and Canada

• Canadian Red Cross Sock-Selling: ‘Fake News’ of the First World War

• In Conversation II: Archiving and Accessing Canada’s First World War

• Red Crosses and White Cotton: Memory and Meaning in First World War Quilts

• The Alderville War Memorial: A Bizarre Monument or A Community’s Search for Meaning?

• Atheists in the Trenches: Loss of Faith among Canadians in the Great War

• National Disunity and the Meaning of Vimy Ridge

• Feet of Clay? Canada’s Vimy Ridge

• Peaceable Kingdom or Emergency State?  The Legacy of Canada’s First World War for Security Regulation and Civil Rights

 

• “You want to put what, where?” Contesting Malpeque’s (Second) First World War Memorial

• Unfit to Fight: The History of Rejecting First World War Volunteers – An Excerpt

• Canada’s History and the First World War Centennial: A Conversation

• A View from the (Editing) Trenches: Summer 2016 and the Challenges of (Knowledge) Mobilization

• “Manna From Heaven” – A YMCA Physical Director at Valcartier and Salisbury Plain

• Vimy Ridge and Canadian Nationalism

• In Conversation: Teaching and Learning Canada’s First World War

• “Deeply regret to inform you”: War and Loss in the Trapp Family

• Performing For War, Hoping For Peace: Canadian Actresses’ Transnational Engagements with World War I

• Golgotha?: D. Y. Cameron’s Flanders from Kemmel

• Marjorie Stinson, the Flying Schoolmarm

• Bleeding Him White: How Canada Stole an Indigenous Veteran’s Identity

• Exploring the Clash of Official and Vernacular Memory: The Great War in Brantford, Brant Country, and Six Nations

 

• Hidden Messages and Code Words: Bill Alldritt’s Letters as a Prisoner in First World War Germany

• “If ye break faith – we shall not sleep?”

• Further Writing on War, Loss and Remembrance: Reflections on In Flanders Fields: 100 Years

• “Trustees of the Future” and the Echoes of History

• New Archives of Ontario Online Exhibit: Ontario’s WWI Hospital Overseas

• World War One: A Fight for Freedom?

• Soldier-Candidates and the 1917 Wartime Election

• Conscientious Objectors: Fitting Dissent into a Coming of Age Story

• Racist Propaganda and the Shaping of Boys’ Attitudes toward War

• Raising ‘Human Ammunition’: Motherhood, Propaganda, and the Great War

• When writing the First World War comes home: Remembering Pvt. Harold Carter

 

• Heritage vs. History in the Commemoration of War in Cape Breton Highlands National Park

• A Monument to the Past? The Never Forgotten National War Memorial Project

• A Father’s Grief: The Case of Captain Robert Bartholomew

• The Second Battle of Ypres and the Creation of a YMCA Hero

• “On ‘The Road to 2017’: Reflecting on Canada’s First World War Commemoration Plans”

• The Ideological Work of Commemoration

• Sexing Up Canada’s First World War

• An American Legion in the CEF? Crossing Borders during “Canada’s” First World War

• Passing the Torch: The CBC and Commemoration in 1964 and 2014

• Promises Broken, or Politics as Usual?

• Did You Know the American World War I Museum is in Kansas City?
• New paper – Victory in the Kitchen: Food Control in the Lakehead during the Great War by Beverly Soloway

• 1864 vs. 1914: A Commemorative Showdown

• Podcast – Robert Rutherdale on the Local Responses of WWI

• World War One in Winnipeg – Conscription

• Anti-War Poetry in Canadian Newspapers at the Beginning of the First World War

• Comic Art and the First World War

• A Canadian Observing the Great War Centenary in London, UK

• ‘1914-1918 In Memoriam’: A View from the Grandstand

• Call for Blog Posts – Canada’s First World War: A Centennial Series on ActiveHistory.ca

 

 

 

[Borden Battery]

*** The CEF Paper Trail - An Unofficial Guide to the Official Canadian Army Service Records from the Great War

This project involves collating examples of each type of document found in a soldier's World War I Canadian Expeditionary Force Service Records. The guide shows researchers what they may expect in a soldiers' service records. It's important to be aware that you will only find a selection of these records in your particular CEF soldier's file.  A very well-done summary of representative documents and invaluable for any student of the Great War.

[Brett Payne Website] [CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~brett/cef/cefpapertrail.html#top

[Borden Battery]

***www.canadiansoldiers.com

This reformatted website/wiki [formerly known as “CANUCK] is perhaps the largest and most comprehensive single source, on-line or off, regarding the organization, vehicles, weapons, uniforms, traditions, and insignia of Canadian soldiers in the 20th Century. Over 6,700 images on 500+ pages dealing with history, equipment, literature and more are presented here for students of history, re-enactors, modelers, gamers, serious researchers and anyone interested in the Canadian Army between 1900 and 2000. Serious contributions to site content, such as information, photos, or anecdotes, are welcomed and will be fully credited. Major information on other military periods also.

[Michael A. Dorosh website] [CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]

http://www.canadiansoldiers.com

 

*** Acronyms & Abbreviations: CEF Service Records & War Diaries

The private records of Canadian Expeditionary Force soldiers may contain a litany of bewildering abbreviations.  However, Brett Payne and others, have taken the time to prepare a definitive alphabetical list of the majority of these abbreviations – additions coming forward through the CEF Study Group on a regular basis.  This information will be of use to both the neophyte and the seasoned Great War researcher. The list is available via the following link to the CEF Study Group Discussion Forum. [CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]

http://www.cefresearch.ca/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=655#p3402

 

*** Nominal Rolls of the Canadian Expeditionary Force - Doing Our Bit

This nice little website provides a URL link to most of the original Nominal Rolls of unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. A Nominal Roll is a list of the Officers, NCOs and Men who served in a unit of the CEF at a specific point in time. They were often compiled prior to a unit embarking for England and sometimes include embarkation information such as ship name, embarkation port and the date of sailing. A Nominal Roll usually lists a soldier’s Regimental Number, Rank, Name, Former Corps, Name of Next of Kin, Address of Next of Kin, Country of Birth, and both the place and date they were “Taken on Strength”. It’s important to note that units experienced continual and sometimes significant changes to personnel. Major battles resulted in huge numbers of casualties but so did “wastage “, a term used to describe the daily toll of soldiers wounded or killed by sniping and shelling. The never-ending need for reinforcements meant that Nominal Rolls had a very short shelf life. [CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]

https://militaryandfamilyhistory.blog/2016/04/18/nominal-rolls-of-the-canadian-expeditionary-force/

[Borden Battery]

** Canadian Military History Journal
“Canada’s flagship journal on military history and current military conflict began in 1992, one year after the Laurier Centre for Military, Strategic and Disarmament Studies (LCMSDS) opened their doors. Working closely with the Canadian War Museum, the journal has always sought to bridge the gap between scholars and the general public. The journal provides an opportunity for many of today’s leading young scholars to publish their first article and also serves as a scholarly outlet for more seasoned academics. With a subscription list of over 500, Canadian Military History remains one of our foremost outreach programs.”
https://scholars.wlu.ca/cmh/

Sample Issue: Volume 27, Issue 2 (2018)
“The Most Vivifying Influence:” Operation Delta in Preparing the Canadian Corps for the Hundred Days
William F. Stewart        PDF Download

'Whatsoever a Man Soweth:' Sex Education about Venereal Disease, Racial Health, and Social Hygiene during the First World War; Brent Brenyo    PDF Download
    
Struck off Strength and from Memory: A Profile of the Deserters of the 165th (Acadian) Battalion, 1916
Gregory Kennedy            PDF Download

Clay-kickers of Flanders Fields: Canadian Tunnellers at Messines Ridge 1916-1917
Brian Pascas            PDF Download

Art in the Trenches: Unofficial Art of the First World War
Tim Clarke            PDF Download

Or, readers can do a specific search for papers with a theme such as “motor machine gun” and obtain the following published online papers such as:
Canada’s First Armoured Unit: Raymond Brutinel and the Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigades of the First World War   Author: Cameron Pulsifer        Publication:  Canadian Military History    
Download

Death at Licourt: An Historical and Visual Record of Five Fatalities in the 1st Canadian Motor Machine Gun Brigade, 25 March 1918  Author: Cameron Pulsifer    Publication: Canadian Military History    
Download

Death at Licourt Revisited  Author: Cameron Pulsifer
Publication: Canadian Military History    
Download

Notes on Canadian Units and Formations Engaged: Battles of the Somme, March-April 1918
Author: Archer Fortescue Duguid            Publication: Canadian Military History    
Download

Edited 17 October , 2022 by Borden Battery

[Borden Battery]

** The Laurier Centre for Military, Strategic and Disarmament Studies (LCMSDS)

The Laurier Centre for the Study of Canada (LCSC) is a university research centre at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. Founded in 1991 as the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies, the LCSC brings together faculty and students in several research collectives, all focused on different aspects of Canada.  A sub-set of the Centre is the Canadian Military History Journal – a direct ULR link to the journal is provided.  [CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]

https://www.wlu.ca/news/spotlights/2018/may/lcmsds-a-national-leading-research-centre-studying-impact-of-war-on-society.html

 

Canadian Centre for the Great War

Canadian Centre for the Great War preserves and protects artifacts and archives related to the Canadian experience of the First World War, and informs Canadians of the same.  Website is a “work in progress” with the start of a photographic catalogue and as series of public exhibitions and is expected to make significant contributions over the coming years. Quarterly newsletter. [Recommended by canadawwi]

[CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]

https://greatwarcentre.com/

 

The Militia Council – Dominion of Canada, 1913 Annual Report by Sam Hughes

This 76-page summary report from 1 November 1913 provides a detailed insight into the nature and scope of the Canadian militia prior to the Great War.  Numerous tables outline the status of staff and activities. Training of staff officers and the construction of numerous drill halls across Canada are to be noted.  It is apparent Sam Hughes has been energetic in upgrading the militia across the country. Available for pdf download. [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/themes/defence/caf/militaryhistory/dhh/reports/militia-reports/militia-council-dominion-canada-report-part1-1913-03-31.pdf

 

Canadian Great War Homepage - Canada's Role in World War I

The goal of this comprehensive website is to preserve the records and memories of Canadians who served their country, and to ensure that their sacrifices are not forgotten. Through the Canadian Military Heritage Project, it is hoped to maintain the tradition of remembrance and to foster pride in our military heritage. [A Brian Lee Massey Website] [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

http://www.rootsweb.com/~ww1can/

 

Regional and Regimental Affiliations of the Canadian Expeditionary Force

The tables from www.canadiansoldiers.com present a clear outline of the many military units which formed the Canadian Corps during the Great War.  Readers not familiar with the Canadian Corps and its sub-units are advised to visit this website first to familiarize themselves. [Also See Part 5] [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

http://www.canadiansoldiers.com/organization/fieldforces/cef/cefaffiliations.htm

 

[Borden Battery]

Black Canadians in Uniform — a proud tradition

The tradition of military service by Black Canadians goes back long before Confederation. Many Black Canadians can trace their family roots to Loyalists who emigrated North in the 1780s after the American Revolutionary War. Black volunteers also served with British forces farther away from home, including in the Royal Navy. Indeed, one such man, William Hall, would earn the Victoria Cross (the highest award for military valour) for his brave actions in India in 1857. On July 5, 1916, No. 2 Construction Battalion was formed in Pictou, Nova Scotia—the largest Black military unit in Canadian history. Recruitment took place across the country and approximately 800 personnel would serve with the battalion at some point during the war. Most were from Nova Scotia, with others coming from New Brunswick, Ontario, the West and even some from the United States. The Black Battalion's chaplain was Reverend William White, who had also played a leading role getting the unit formed. He was given the rank of Honorary Captain—one of the few Black commissioned officers to serve in the Canadian Army during the war.  [CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]

https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/people-and-stories/black-canadians

 

Hockey & The Great War by Alan Livingstone MacLeod

This is one of two photo sets on the subject of hockey and the Great War. This set addresses members of the Hockey Hall of Fame (HHF) who were also soldiers in the war—thirty players, one referee and two individuals in the HHF builders’ category. A second set in my Flickr stream deals with players not in the HHF who served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force and who died in the war.   Click on each JPED and a background sub-text is provided.  [CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bigadore/sets/72157625322655197/

 

Front Lines – National Film Board: Claude Guilmain (2008) 33 minutes

A tribute to the combatants in the First World War, this film traces the conflict through the war diary and private letters of five Canadian soldiers and a nurse. Hearing them, the listener detects between the lines an unspoken horror censored by war and propriety. The film mingles war footage, historical photos and readings of excerpts from the diary and letters. The directorial talent of Claude Guilmain breathes life into these 90-year-old documents and accompanying archival images so that we experience the human face and heart of the conflict.   [CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]

https://www.nfb.ca/film/front_lines/

 

Legion Magazine – Royal Canadian Legion

The magazine engages Canadians in commemorating the effort, bravery and sacrifice of those who served and continue to serve in Canada’s military. From the War of 1812 to modern armed forces missions around the world, Legion Magazine offers a blend of stories, photographs, graphics, maps and posters on Canadian military history and heritage, veterans’ issues and the Canadian Armed Forces. Feature articles and columns by noted historians and journalists and personal memoirs by war veterans and their descendants are supported by rich archival images, current photography and colourful illustrations.  [CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]

 https://legionmagazine.com/en/about/

 

 

 

 

CEF Study Group - Wiki Cap Badge Index (Late Richard Laughton Wiki Site)

The following hyper-linked Wiki sites are based on detailed cataloguing by Larry Will and others.  In addition to providing a general context for the various Canadian military units, the reader can also view a high-quality photograph of each insignia.  It is not complete as Richard passed away. [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

Army Corps Cap Badges

• Infantry Battalions Cap Badges 1-25

• Infantry Battalions Cap Badges 26 - 50

• Infantry Battalions Cap Badges 51 - 75

• Infantry Battalions Cap Badges 76-100

• Infantry Battalions Cap Badges 101 - 125

• Infantry Battalions Cap Badges 126 - 150

• Infantry Battalions Cap Badges 151 - 175

• Infantry Battalions Cap Badges 176 - 200

• Infantry Battalions Cap Badges 201 - 225

• Infantry Battalions Cap Badges 226 - 250

• Infantry Battalions Cap Badges 251 - 260

• Named Battalions Cap Badges

• Depot Battalions Cap Badges

• Mounted Rifles Cap Badges

• Pioneer Battalion Cap Badges

• Reserves Cap Badges

• Trench Mortars Cap Badges

• University Companies Cap Badges

• Infantry Companies Cap Badges

• Infantry Drafts Cap Badges

Army Troops Cap Badges

1st Echelon

• Cavalry Cap Badges

• Artillery Cap Badges

• Machine Gun Cap Badges

• Tank Battalion Cap Badges

2nd Echelon

• Canadian Engineers

• Construction Units Cap Badges

• Labour & Infantry Works Cap Badges

• Railway Troops Cap Badges

• Cyclists Cap Badges

• CASC Cap Badges

3rd Echelon

• Canadian Army Medical Corps

• Canadian Army Dental Corps

• Administrative (Pay, Clerks, etc.)

• Chaplain Corps Cap Badges

• Canadian Forestry Corps

• Canadian Army Veterinary Corps

• Special Service Cap Badges

• Canadian Military Police Corps

• Support Troops Cap Badges

http://cefresearch.ca/wiki/index.php/Cap_Badges

 

 

Canadian Society of Military Medals & Insignia

The Canadian Society of Military Medals & Insignia is an organization open to all interested in pursuing the hobby of studying, collecting and trading military medals, badges and insignia.  The CSMMI typically hosts 8 monthly meetings and shows plus an annual 2-day show each year.  These shows are open to the general public, as well as, members. It has some downloadable journals dating to 1981. Good source of experts.  [CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]

https://csmmi.com/         Also, Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/CSMMI

 

Military Collectors' Club of Canada

The Military Collectors' Club of Canada was formed in 1963 to serve as the focal point for Canadian Collectors of all types of military artifacts, ranging from medals, insignia, documents and artwork, to military arms, vehicles and anything militaria related. It publishes downloadable journals.  [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

http://www.mccofc.ca/

 

Russians & Ukrainians in the C.E.F. 1914-1919      

This website complements research on a pending book of the same title. What role was played by Ukrainians in the Canadian Expeditionary Force? This website includes material on the 41^st French-Canadian Battalion, the 3^rd Pioneer (48th Victoria) Battalion, the 29^th Vancouver (Tobin's Tigers) Battalion and the Canadian Forestry Corps. Contact and interviews with descendants of these veterans is needed. There is also a section on how to research a soldier from the CEF. Finally, this website now provides access to the Canadian Defence Academy Press free digital edition of Great War Commands - Historical Perspectives on Canadian Army Leadership 1914-1918. Link http://www.russiansinthecef.ca/weblinks.shtml [Peter Broznitsky website] [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

http://www.russiansinthecef.ca/index.shtml

 

Index of Historical Victoria Newspapers – 1858 to 1936

The general index of about 48,000 records focuses on the social history of Victoria and surrounding areas, and Comox, Campbell River and Discovery Islands. It does not include political news or newspaper editorial opinions. Many but not all vital events are recorded in this index as the collection was initially viewed as research material for Old Cemeteries Society tours. This index is limited to all incarnations of the Colonist newspaper including the British Colonist, the Daily Colonist and the Weekly British Colonist -- from the beginning of publication, Dec. 1858, to the end of 1936. [Recommended by avidgenie] [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

http://web.uvic.ca/vv/newspaper/index.php

 

War Records Revealed - British, Commonwealth and other military records

This extensive website begins to layout a series of documents related to the Great War Records - including the following; (1) Imperial War Graves Commission Index, (2) Commonwealth War Grave Casualty Archive, (3) War Office, Records Section, (4) Medal Cards-Understanding. (5) 30,000 Medals a Day, and (6) The Chelsea Hospital Archive of Soldiers` Discharge Documents. [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

https://warrecordsrevealed.com/

 

New Brunswick Great War Project

The project is divided into two but equally important parts: the first provides the names and vital statistics of approximately 32,000 soldiers and nurses of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) who are linked to New Brunswick’s military effort. Personal data such as date and place of birth have been extracted from several different sources and has not yet been verified. Efforts are currently underway to correct these deficiencies. The second part of the project provides users with 106,000 articles drawn from eight provincial newspapers, namely the Kings County Record, the St. John Standard, Fredericton’s Daily Gleaner, the Campbellton Graphic, the Daily Telegraph and the Sun (Saint John), the Daily Times (Moncton), the North Shore Leader (Newcastle), and the Tribune (Campbellton).

[Recommended by avidgenie] [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

https://archives.gnb.ca/Search/NBGWP/Default.aspx?culture=en-CA

 

[Borden Battery]

Valour Canada

Valour Canada is a not-for-profit organization that educates young Canadians about our shared military heritage by developing and providing learning opportunities designed to foster a deeper understanding of who we are as individuals, citizens, and as a nation.  There is a special section of the Great War with about 50 short articles on a wide range of topics – useful material for people new to the study of the Great War and a good resource tool for teachers. [CEF Study Group – Oct 2022]   https://valourcanada.ca/

https://valourcanada.ca/military-history-library/world-war-i/

 

T. Eaton Co. Limited - Employees who served

Eaton’s was once Canada’s largest department store, founded in 1869 and bankrupt in 1999.  The T. Eaton Company records are now housed at the Archives of Ontario.   Each time a Toronto employee enlisted in WWI and was sent overseas, a portrait of him was displayed prominently in the Toronto store. More than 2,000 of these portraits survived to become a part of the T. Eaton Company records at the Archives of Ontario.  A searchable list of these employees who enlisted with links to photographs.

[Recommended by HamiltonS] [CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]

http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/explore/online/soldiers/index.aspx

 

South Peace (Alberta) Soldiers Memorial   - South Peace Regional Archives

In 1914, the area was newly open to settlers, many of them bachelors of British descent. The South Peace Regional Archives is creating an online memorial to the soldiers from the South Peace area who were involved in defending our country. They have over 1,100 WWI soldiers and over 2,300 WWII soldiers listed on this site.

[Recommended by HamiltonS] [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

http://southpeacearchives.org/the-south-peace-soldier-memorial/

 

The War Graves Photographic Project

The War Graves Photographic Project is a developing data base which intends to link data and photographs to every war grave, individual memorial, MoD grave, and family memorial (est. 1.8 million) of serving military personnel from WWI to the present day. [Recommended by Steve Rogers – WGPP] [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

https://www.twgpp.org/

 

Canada Post Employees in WWI                                                       

Jim Bain, Heather Ferguson, Joan Garlick, “Honouring Our Own: Canada Post Employees in World War I”. This research has resulted in the location of 1,312 Canada Post employees who served in World War I and 132 who were lost.  Brief details are provided for each employee listed. [Recommended by HamiltonS]

[CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

http://heritageclub.ca/vancouver-fraser/wp-content/uploads/sites/21/2016/04/Honouring-Our-Own.pdf

 

Watford Guide-Advocate – Newspaper (Located on Lake Huron between Toronto and Detroit)

Scanned images of each newspaper page from 1906 to 1925.  Key-word search feature will ID specific pages but not highlight the word. Great War period has details on soldiers from the region. Website is part of the larger Canadian Knowledge Research Network (CKRN) https://www.crkn-rcdr.ca/en/about-crkn   [Recommended by Les Fowler] [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00478

[Borden Battery]

Valour Canada

Valour Canada is a not-for-profit organization that educates young Canadians about our shared military heritage by developing and providing learning opportunities designed to foster a deeper understanding of who we are as individuals, citizens, and as a nation.  There is a special section of the Great War with about 50 short articles on a wide range of topics – useful material for people new to the study of the Great War and a good resource tool for teachers. [CEF Study Group – Oct 2022]   https://valourcanada.ca/

https://valourcanada.ca/military-history-library/world-war-i/

 

T. Eaton Co. Limited - Employees who served

Eaton’s was once Canada’s largest department store, founded in 1869 and bankrupt in 1999.  The T. Eaton Company records are now housed at the Archives of Ontario.   Each time a Toronto employee enlisted in WWI and was sent overseas, a portrait of him was displayed prominently in the Toronto store. More than 2,000 of these portraits survived to become a part of the T. Eaton Company records at the Archives of Ontario.  A searchable list of these employees who enlisted with links to photographs.

[Recommended by HamiltonS] [CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]

http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/explore/online/soldiers/index.aspx

 

South Peace (Alberta) Soldiers Memorial   - South Peace Regional Archives

In 1914, the area was newly open to settlers, many of them bachelors of British descent. The South Peace Regional Archives is creating an online memorial to the soldiers from the South Peace area who were involved in defending our country. They have over 1,100 WWI soldiers and over 2,300 WWII soldiers listed on this site.

[Recommended by HamiltonS] [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

http://southpeacearchives.org/the-south-peace-soldier-memorial/

 

The War Graves Photographic Project

The War Graves Photographic Project is a developing data base which intends to link data and photographs to every war grave, individual memorial, MoD grave, and family memorial (est. 1.8 million) of serving military personnel from WWI to the present day. [Recommended by Steve Rogers – WGPP] [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

https://www.twgpp.org/

 

Canada Post Employees in WWI                                                       

Jim Bain, Heather Ferguson, Joan Garlick, “Honouring Our Own: Canada Post Employees in World War I”. This research has resulted in the location of 1,312 Canada Post employees who served in World War I and 132 who were lost.  Brief details are provided for each employee listed. [Recommended by HamiltonS]

[CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

http://heritageclub.ca/vancouver-fraser/wp-content/uploads/sites/21/2016/04/Honouring-Our-Own.pdf

 

Watford Guide-Advocate – Newspaper (Located on Lake Huron between Toronto and Detroit)

Scanned images of each newspaper page from 1906 to 1925.  Key-word search feature will ID specific pages but not highlight the word. Great War period has details on soldiers from the region. Website is part of the larger Canadian Knowledge Research Network (CKRN) https://www.crkn-rcdr.ca/en/about-crkn   [Recommended by Les Fowler] [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

https://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.N_00478

[Borden Battery]

Major First World War Battles and Campaigns Involving Canada

Overviews of seven major battles and campaigns of the First World War. [CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]

 

The Battle of Ypres (1915)

The notorious Battle of Ypres, Canada’s first major appearance on a European battlefield.  The titles are linked to a short summary narrative of each battle - example shown on right.

 

Festubert and Givenchy (1915)

Summary of allied efforts at Festubert and Givenchy.

 

The Battle of the Somme at Beaumont-Hamel (1916)

How Canadian soldiers pushed back the Germans as part of a four-month offensive.

 

The Battle of Vimy Ridge (1917)

How Canadian forces lead the capture of one of Germany’s most important positions.

 

The Battle of Hill 70 and Lens (1917)

How Canadian forces captured the strategic position of Hill 70.

 

The Battle of Passchendaele (1917)

How 100,000 Canadian soldiers captured enemy territory by fighting through mud and enemy fire.

 

The Battle of Cambrai (1917)

Canada’s role supporting the first effective tank attack in history.

 

Canada's Hundred Days (1918)

The last hundred days of the First World War, which are known as Canada`s Hundred Days.

 

 

[battle of loos]

good evening,

for :

 

"The Battle of Hill 70 and Lens (1917)

How Canadian forces captured the strategic position of Hill 70."

the link is dead :

404 - Page Not Found

michel

[Borden Battery]

Thank you "Battle of Loos". This link was good last week.  This specific link is dead at the moment while the others are okay.  I will recheck this link just before publishing the full list here and elsewhere - might be gremlins in the short term.  But thank you again for checking and advising me.

We sometimes have a "Jekyll & Hyde" relationship with some of these Government of Canada websites (I am from Canada) - some are very good and stable while others tend to change their URL with every reorganization or just become "flaky" at times.  At times it appears there is a Canadian chapter of "Yes, Minister".

Also, a series of Press Releases are planned near the end of this month to both promote all the websites/webmasters on this List - plus this List.  The objective is remind the general public that research, study and "Remembrance" is not just limited to two minutes of silence on the 11th of November - and - there is a very extensive "community" cataloguing and sharing valuable information under the "Open Source" concept.

In parallel with these websites, discussion forums such as the Great War Forum, provides for the exchange of information via discussion "threads" and subsequent back-channel communications between members.

Borden Battery

Edited 18 October , 2022 by Borden Battery

[Borden Battery]

**Circumstances of Death Registers, First World War (Canadian Expeditionary Force)
This series (volumes 145 to 238) consists of registers known as the “Brown Binders” that include information on the circumstances of death with particulars of the initial grave site. The registers are arranged in alphabetic order and provide for each Canadian Expeditionary Force member a two-page document that contains the following information: Service number, Rank. Name (Surname and Christian Names), Unit or Ship, Date of Casualty, Headquarter File Number, Religion, Circumstances of casualty, Name, Relationship and Address of Next of Kin, Location of Unit at Time of casualty, Cemetery, Location of Cemetery, and Grave Location and Information. In alphabetical blocks, however, Volumes containing names beginning with Sip to Z have not survived. Manual searching in sequence is required. [Recommended by avidgenie] [CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]
https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/ ... ers.aspx#b

[Borden Battery]

**Official History of the Canadian Army in the First World War Canadian Expeditionary Force, 1914-1919

Colonel G. W. L. Nicholson, C.D., Army Historical Section

This is the classic reference text [The Bible] for any student of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the Great War.  The original textbook is very difficult to obtain; however, the document is now available in the Adobe .pdf format directly from the historical section of the Canadian Armed Forces website.   This digital document can be “key-word” searched for specific military units, locations and dates. In addition, a paper book and ebook hard-copy reprint has recently been released by McGill-Queens University Press [https://www.mqup.ca/canadian-expeditionary-force--1914-1919-products-9780773546189.php].

To download a digital version - cut and paste this URL address.  Their hypertext link is not functioning well.

https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/services/military-history/history-heritage/official-military-history-lineages/official-histories/book-1964-expeditionary.html

[CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]

 

 

The Canadian War Museum

The Canadian War Museum (CWM) is an affiliated museum of the Canadian Museum of Civilization. The Canadian War Museum, the national military history museum, is also a centre for research and the dissemination of information and expertise on all aspects of the country's military past from the pre-contact era to the present.  The museum opened in May 2005. [CEF Study Group - Sept 2022]

http://www.warmuseum.ca/

 

Military History Research Centre – Part of the Canadian War Museum

The Canadian War Museum’s Military History Research Centre houses, the George Metcalf Archival Collection and the Hartland Molson Library. These extensive national collections of primary and secondary research material document Canada’s military history from the colonial period to the present. The Military History Research Centre’s online catalogue is accessible via the Web. It allows users to search the library and archives collections of both the Canadian War Museum and the Canadian Museum of History. The catalogue includes thousands of books, periodicals, photographic, textual and audiovisual archives and electronic materials – a data base search option is available to obtain information on material – however, material cannot be viewed on-line. [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

https://www.warmuseum.ca/learn/research-collections/military-history-research-centre/

[Borden Battery]

1918 Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) Organization Chart

The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was Canada's overseas force in the First World War. The CEF was made mostly of the Canadian Corps, but it also included: railway units, forestry units, medical hospitals, and a Canadian Cavalry Brigade.  A total of 619,636 Canadians served in the CEF, with 424,529 serving overseas.  Note – this charge is “organizational” and differs from the “Order of Battle” chart from November 1918. [CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]

https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/themes/defence/caf/militaryhistory/dhh/CEF-org-chart-reconstituted.jpg

CEF - General Websites - Part 3(a)

_________________________________________________________________________

 

 

Central Ontario and Pacific Coast Branches (Canada) - Western Front Association

The Western Front Association was formed in 1980 to maintain interest in the period 1914-1918, to perpetuate the memory, courage and comradeship of those on all sides who served their countries in France and Flanders and their own countries during the Great War. It does not seek to glorify war and is non-political. The Western Front Association has about 6,000 members worldwide.  There are two branches in Canada: Central Ontario and Pacific Coast branches. [Recommendation by Floyd Low] [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

https://www.westernfrontassociation.com/branches/canada/

 

Pacific Coast Branch - Western Front Association

The Pacific Coast Branch (PCB) was established in 1999. Headquartered in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, the PCB was created as a cross-border WFA branch and has members from the Canadian Provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario and the American States of Washington, Oregon, California, Virginia and Florida. Our membership consists of over 100 well-informed men and women who strive to remember, honour and learn from the sacrifices made by those who served and endured the cataclysm of the First World War. Many members are experienced researchers, presenters and published authors. Youth membership is encouraged to create awareness of the relevance of the Great War.  Members’ interests and activities include researching military, family or social history; studying battles and campaigns; assisting in the identification of military graves and maintaining war memorials; visiting battlefield sites; and making presentations to civic and school groups. [CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]

https://wfapacificcoast.org/

 

Canada in Flanders by Sir Max Aitken, M.P.

The book [6^th edition in 1916] is dated and somewhat romantic and overly patriotic in style, however, it probably represents at least the general public's initial understanding of the first part of the Great War from the Canadian perspective.  The book is divided into the following; Chapter 1 - Mobilization, Chapter II - Warfare, Chapter III - Neuve Chapelle, Chapter IV - Ypres, Chapter V - A Wave of Battle, Chapter VI - Festubert, Chapter VII - Givenchy, Chapter VIII - Princess Patricia’s Light Infantry, Chapter IX - The Prime Minister, Chapter X - The Canadian Corps and Appendices I to VI. [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

http://www.rootsweb.com/%7Ecansk/CanadaInFlanders/index.html

 

Canada’s Siberian Expedition - Экспедиция Канады в Сибирь

The Siberian Expedition Virtual Exhibition and Digital Archive created by the University of Victoria Humanities Computing and Media Centre tells the forgotten story of the 4,200 Canadians who served in Vladivostok.  This tri-lingual learning resource combines the accessible Story with a comprehensive Digital Archive – preserving and providing access to more than 2,200 archival photographs, documents, and works of war art on this chaotic moment in the history of Canada, Russia, and the world. Learning Resources have also been developed for students and educators. [Recommended by Avidgenie] [CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]

http://www.siberianexpedition.ca/index.html%3Flang=english.html

[Borden Battery]

Canadian Siberian Expeditionary Force - Wikipedia Website

The Canadian Siberian Expeditionary Force (also referred to as the Canadian Expeditionary Force (Siberia) or simply C.S.E.F.) was a Canadian military force sent to Vladivostok, Russia during the Russian Revolution to bolster the allied presence. Composed of 4,192 soldiers and authorized in August 1918, the force returned to Canada between April and June 1919. [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Siberian_Expeditionary_Force

 

Military History Society of Manitoba

The objectives of the Military History Society of Manitoba (1987) are to collate information on military material culture and history and to acquire new knowledge through research and study with special emphasis on Manitoba units and their activities. It is also the Society's aim to promote the study of military history and share its resources with non- members. Members give public lectures, answer inquiries and occasionally put on public displays. The Society maintains a library, archives, photo files, and the Legion House Museum. [Recommended by Bruce Tascona - CEFSG] [CEF Study Group - Sept 2022]

http://www.mhsm.ca/Z341/

 

Aboriginal Veterans Tribute Website

This website honours Canada's Aboriginal veterans and is dedicated to their descendants. The website features a wide range of tables listing Aboriginal soldiers by unit and actions, officer lists and NCO lists, and short biographies on many soldiers.  The compilation includes over 7,000 names and brings forward a topic area in need of greater research. [Recommended by 1st Motors] [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

http://www.vcn.bc.ca/~jeffrey1/tribute.htm

 

Aboriginal Contributions During the First World War

During the First World War, thousands of Aboriginal people voluntarily enlisted in the Canadian military. While the exact enlistment number is unknown, it is estimated that well over 4,000 Aboriginal people served in the Canadian forces during the conflict. About one third of First Nations people in Canada age 18 to 45 enlisted during the war. Métis and Inuit soldiers also enlisted; however, only status Indians were officially recorded by the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF). Aboriginal soldiers served in units with other Canadians throughout the CEF. They served in every major theatre of the war and participated in all of the major battles in which Canadian troops fought. The simple website outlines the following: Recruitment of Aboriginal Soldiers, Aboriginal Enlistment, Aboriginal Soldiers’ Experiences during the First World War, Canadian Wartime Policies on the Homefront, Aboriginal People and the Homefront, Aboriginal Women’s Contributions, Post-War Experience of Aboriginal Veterans, and Bibliography. [CEF Study Group – Sept 2022]

https://rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1414152378639/1607908713791

 

Sniping and Canada’s Most Decorated First Nation Soldier

Francis Pegahmagabow (9 March 1891-5 August 1952) was the most decorated Canadian First Nation soldier in the First World War. He was awarded the Military Medal (MM) plus two bars for bravery in Belgium and France. Pegahmagabow was one of 39 members of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) to receive two bars to the MM. Royal Montreal Regiment. [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

https://royalmontrealregiment.com/378-kills-canada-produces-top-sniper-in-ww1/

[Borden Battery]

BEF - General Websites - Part 3(b)

_________________________________________________________________________

 

The Long, Long Trail - The British Army of 1914-1918

The Long, Long Trail is Chris Baker website specific to the British Army in the First World War.  The website provides basic information on how to research a British Expeditionary Force soldier, an outline of a soldier's life, a general overview of some unit histories including the Royal Engineers, Army Service Corps, Army Ordnance Corps, Royal Army Medical Corps, Machine Gun Corps, Tank Corps, and Labour Corps. There is a general outline of Orders of Battle for BEF, CEF, AIF, New Zealand and Indian divisions. The website also provides access to research services. [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022] Note – the URL link sometimes does not work first time.

https://www.longlongtrail.co.uk/about/

 

Western Front Association

The Western Front Association was formed with the aim of furthering interest in the period 1914-1918, to perpetuate the memory, courage and comradeship of all those who served their countries in France and Flanders and their own countries during The Great War. The object of The Association is to educate the public in the history of The Great War with particular reference to the Western Front.  The information and short articles are very well presented and this site should be "book-marked" by the serious student of the Great War.  A significant number of Great War website links are also on this website.  See Great War Discussion Forums - Part 7 for details on Front Forum: The Great War 1914-18. [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

http://www.westernfrontassociation.com

 

The Somme Battlefields - Paul Reed       

The website was established to mark the 90th Anniversary of the Battle of the Somme - an extended battle which claimed the lives of more than 150,000 soldiers from Britain and the Commonwealth. This website was launched to commemorate the men who fought and died in the fields of Picardy.  The abbreviated website now contains general information on this specific battle and will also be of use to anyone thinking of traveling to this region of France. [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]
http://www.somme1916.com/

 

The Great War Society

The Great War Society encourages discussion, learning, scholarship and independent research on the events surrounding the First World War. This site is designed to reach those of you who share our enthusiasm and interest in this historical era, to allow correspondence between us and to assist you in your investigations.  The GWS is a non-political organisation dedicated to the memory of the soldiers of the Great war regardless of nationality, race or religion. [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

http://www.the-great-war-society.org/

 

The First World War. Com - The War to End All Wars

The purpose of this extensive website is to provide an overview of the First World War and a number of its elements.  The site contains a drop-down menu of key battles and major themes across the masthead.  In addition, there is a wide selection of sections and sub-sections which are too numerous to list. A summary of the site-metrics best outlines the details of this site: 3,900 Photographs, 5,100 Audio Files, 155 Video Files, 140 Battle Summaries, 140 Biographies, 700 Encyclopedia Entries, 3,100 Diaries & Memoirs, 100 Feature Articles, 110 Poems, 140 Propaganda Posters and 650 Primary Source Documents 520. This was one of the first sites selected by the CEF Study Group.

[A Michael Duffy website] [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

http://www.firstworldwar.com

[Borden Battery]

The Old Front Line

This is a web site dedicated to the history and battlefields of the Great War 1914-1918 and provides information about the war and on how to visit the battlefields in France and Flanders.  It complements the research and tour guide operation of Paul Reed [military historian and author of several books in the 'Battleground Europe' series published by Pen & Sword] [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022] [Also see a sample of Podcasts listed in Chapter 29]

http://battlefields1418.50megs.com/

 

British Journal for Military History (BJMH)

The BJMH is a pioneering Open Access, peer-reviewed journal that brings high quality scholarship in military history to an audience beyond academia. The past few decades have seen the appearance of a new generation of military historians. Some have been serving or retired members of the Armed Forces; some academics or aspiring academics; and some - most welcome of all – amateurs who write for the sheer love of it. The continuing demand for their work is evidenced in every major bookshop, where ‘Military History’ shelves often take up as much space as does mere ‘History’. Even those whose primary interest is not military history as such now realise that a knowledge of the subject is necessary if they are to understand the past, to say nothing of the present. Military history is now too important to be left to the military historians.  [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

https://bjmh.gold.ac.uk/

 

21stDivision: 1914-1918

This website is developing the history of the 21st Division, British Expeditionary Force (BEF) between 1914-1918.  During this period, it suffered 55,581 killed, wounded and missing. The website is clean and in a format that will accommodate the expansion of the sections which include Battle Honours, Divisional Staff, Order of Battle, representative battles, biographies of fighting solders and standard links and book reviews. Hyper-texting will add additional information throughout. [An armourersergeant Website] [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

http://www.21stdivision1914-18.org/index.htm

 

Hellfire Corner Great War - Home of Tom Morgan Military Books

A significant number of short articles by a range of authors, book listings and other Great War website links. The book listing is extensive featuring the book cover, short abstract and price.  The site includes battlefield guides for today, war memorials, individual articles on specific soldiers and general interest articles by a wide range of international researchers. Note URL address change - site has been hacked and is being rebuilt in the present – a new uploaded version has been applied to about 80 percent of the website. A similar event hit the CEF Study Group many years ago and the effort to rebuild what was destroyed is understood.  Say Cheers to Tom. [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

http://www.hellfirecorner.co.uk/

 

The London Gazette - Great War Archive

The London, Edinburgh, and Belfast Gazettes are the official newspapers of record in the United Kingdom and include notices relating to State, Parliament, Planning, Transport, Public Finance, etc. There are a number of supplements to the London Gazette, which cover single subjects. These include: The Queen’s Birthday Honours and the New Years Honours, Imperial Service Medal, and the Ministry of Defence including promotions and military awards.  This section is a data base search for the Great War.  Results in .pdf format.

[Recommended by Richard Laughton] [CEF Study Group - `Aug 2022]

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/awards-and-accreditation/ww1

[Borden Battery]

The Bedfordshire Regiment in the Great War

During the Great War, the Bedfordshire Regiment was engaged on the Western Front, in addition to Gallipoli, Egypt and Palestine. Garrison battalions were posted to India and Burma and Transport Workers, Young Soldiers and Graduated battalions served at home. A total of 21 Infantry battalions comprised the regiment between 1914 and 1919. The website contains detailed information on each of the active service battalions, the complete collection of fully transcribed battalion war diaries from the war, battle stories, biographies on each of the regiment’s Victoria Cross recipients, Orders of Battle, as well as a collection of photographs and biographies from each battalion. There are also large sections listing those gravestones and memorials the webmaster has photographed and made available public ally, in addition to a history of the regiment from its formation in 1688, biographies of the colonels since formation and help, tips, resources and suggestions on how to research an ancestor. [A Steve Fuller Website] [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

http://www.bedfordregiment.org.uk/

 

WW1 Revisited

"WW1 Revisited is a new website by military historian Paul Reed. A century after the Great War join me as I travel and photograph what remains of the battlefields of the First World War: from cemeteries and memorials, to old trench lines, bunkers, mine craters and shell holes."  Paul Reed has been active in Great War research for many years.  This new website includes drone footage of several cemeteries and offers a new and dynamic perspective on these lost soldiers of the Great War. [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

https://ww1revisited.com/

 

Imperial War Museum – Battle of the Somme

The Battle of the Somme began on 1 July 1916. It lasted for five months and was one of the most bitterly contested and costly battles of the First World War. This Imperial War Museum website presents information organized under the broad categories of The Battle, Personal Stories and The Somme Revisited.  Within each of these general categories are a significant number of subsets of information. [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

http://www.iwm.org.uk/history/battle-of-the-somme

 

The English Camp / Engelse Kamp – Special Internment Camp in Holland
On 11th October 1914, 1,500 men of the First Royal Naval Brigade, upon arrival in Holland from the retreat from Belgium, were interned (in accordance with International Law), in Groningen, a city in northern Holland. Behind the present-day Mesdagkliniek (the former city jail) a complete encampment was erected on the parade ground of the Rabenhauptkazerne (the local military barracks, situated opposite this prison).  The British called themselves “HMS Timbertown”. A unique website on an obscure part of Great War history. A book has been published but additional information is being sought by the author.  

[Recommended by Guido Blokland] [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

http://www.wereldoorlog1418.nl/englishcamp/

 

The Leeds Pals - 15th Battalion, The Prince of Wales’s Own (West Yorkshire Regiment)

This Pals Battalion provides basic information and history on the battalion, training at Colsterdale, profiles on soldiers, the great impact the Battle of the Somme had on its ranks and the aftermath. [CEF Study Group – Aug 2022]

http://www.leeds-pals.com/