Remembering

For his Country's Sake

Clarence E. Orr, a gunner of the 70th Battery CFA suffered medical complications at the base hospital in Toronto, Ontario and passed away on March 6, 1918 at the young age of 17 years and five months. 

Vimy Pilgrimage 1936

Close to 75 000 nurses, veterans, and family members of the deceased, met at the site to commemorate the Battle of Vimy Ridge with the unveiling of the Vimy monument by his majesty King Edward VIII, on July 27th, 1936. First World War RAF veteran, Walter J. Kerley took these photos on his journey, the day after the unveiling.

The Canadian Cavalry Association

This program is from the 18th annual dinner for the Canadian Cavalry Association at Hotel London in October, 1933. Programs like this would have occupied the seat of the veteran it was meant for, in this case, Captain Wellwood.

Annual Veterans Dinner

First World War veteran organizations continued to meet into the Second World War. This program was for the 10th Battalion Association’s Pacific Coast Branch annual dinner in Vancouver, British Columbia, in April, 1940.

The life of Edward William Button

Edward William Button was born in Sittingbourne, Kent, in April 1892, and emigrated to Canada in 1913 at the age of 21. In January 1916, he enlisted in the 111th Battalion of the CEF.

E.W.Button.pdf (15.77 MB)

Six Bits

The 75th Battalion drew from the Toronto area, and its association newspaper celebrated its war exploits and the postwar achievements of its members.

Six Bits.pdf (3.67 MB)

"Overseas in 1914"

This reunion was organized by the Originals Club, founded in 1918 to bring together men who had gone overseas with the original 1st Division. There is an unmistakeable note of nostalgia in its description of the war years and the legacies of service.

The Canadian Corps in Port Colborne

The Canadian Corps Association was founded after the Corps reunion in Toronto in 1934, and a few branches still exist in Canada, the membership rolls bolstered by descendants of originals of the Canadian Corps and veterans of later wars.

Entertainment, dancing and bridge

The Great War Veterans Association was the largest of Canada's ex-soldier groups that decided to remain independent when most others amalgamated into the Canadian Legion in 1926.

A voice for veterans

The Army and Navy Veterans in Canada was one of the few such organizations that decided to remain independent when the Canadian Legion was formed in 1926.