Researching Imperial Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen of the First World War
When the First World War broke out in August 1914, Canada was immediately involved as a Dominion of the British Empire. Tracing the history of Canadians in the war can be a fairly simple matter if your ancestor joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force as a solider. Those files have been scanned and are available online. But the men and women who went to war, many of whom were born in the UK, saw themselves as members of the Empire and may have gone into service with an arm of the British forces, especially the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Naval Air Service, which were the only options for would-be pilots at the time. Tracing the history of Imperial military ancestors can be more challenging but also more rewarding. This talk will look at the different paths Canadians could take in an Imperial military career and how to trace them in the archives.
David Fuller is a historian and former journalist who has been researching the stories of soldiers, sailors, and airmen for many years. He is editor of The Maple Leaf, the magazine of the Central Ontario Branch of the Western Front Association, the UK’s foremost organization of First World War enthusiasts.
In keeping with tradition, a number Toronto Branch members will be sharing “great moments” in their family history research in a series of short presentations. This year because of the global pandemic we are reaching out to our more distant members to share their great moments. It should be a blockbuster of an evening!
