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What did your relatives do while serving in The World Wars?

The 22 Wing Heritage Office is bringing to life for North Bay and Area families the story of their relatives’ service in the First World War, and of their relatives who were Killed in Action in the Second World War.
20181004 north bay museum military display
Doug Newman, the Wing Heritage Officer for 22 Wing/Canadian Forces Base North Bay, will demonstrate to people how they can access their relatives’ First World War military service records. 

The 22 Wing Heritage Office is bringing to life for North Bay and Area families the story of their relatives’ service in the First World War, and of their relatives who were Killed in Action in the Second World War.

This Remembrance Day will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.  Fought by 30 countries, including Canada, there had never been a war like it in recorded human history.  The scale of the fighting was unprecedented, such that it became known as “The War to End All Wars” --and prompted the creation of Remembrance Day as an annual worldwide tradition says a North Bay Museum news release.

Over 600,000 Canadians served in the war.  One-tenth of that number, nearly 61,000, died.  172,950 were wounded.

"These were members of our families—our great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers, great-uncles and great-aunts. All, with a small exception, were volunteers.  They signed up to help people in other countries that they had never met, who often did not speak the same language because they believed in their hearts it had to be done. There is no greater gift one person can offer than to risk their life to save another."

A small number of Canadians were conscripted, forced to war by Canada, when the number of casualties began to decimate the Canadian Army. One Montreal army battalion, for example, went to war with over 1,000 soldiers; by October 1918 only 92 were left.

On behalf of the 100th anniversary of Remembrance Day, Doug Newman, the Wing Heritage Officer for 22 Wing/Canadian Forces Base North Bay, will demonstrate to people how they can access their relatives’ First World War military service records. 

The records will reveal what they did in the war, where they served, where they trained, who they served with, how much they were paid, their punishments (if any), medals received, if they were wounded or got sick—all of the details.  If a relative died in the war, the records will often relate the circumstances.

As a bonus, Newman, is also performing this service for people whose relatives were Killed in Action in the Second World War.  More than a million Canadians served in WW2; over 42,000 lost their lives.

Newman will be available at the North Bay Museum every Saturday leading up to Remembrance Day (between October 6 and November 10) from 10 a.m-2:40 p.m.

To give people adequate time each research day is divided into 20-minute slots.  

Appointments can be made by emailing [email protected] or calling 705-476-2323.