EXPLORE THE HISTORY OF THE CEF IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR

Reconciliation, Anti-Racism, Equity

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Student Space

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Black Soldiers

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Indigenous Soldiers

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Nursing Sisters

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Teacher Space

For Information on Ethics, Community Partner Guides, Diversity Sensitivities and much more

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PROJECT DESCRIPTION

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The recent digitization of upwards of 660,000 military personnel files at Library and Archives Canada gives families, community members, and researchers the chance to reconsider the experience of individuals who joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) more than one hundred years ago. These detailed personnel files reveal much about the period and allow us to consider similarities and differences in their encounters within military service with the CEF. The demographic and familial data in personnel records offers connection to other archival collections and a variety of ways of knowing about the past.

This project enables students, educators, and community members to explore the history of the CEF in the First World War. Our Gregg Centre team has worked with Canadian military personnel files from the First and Second World War for decades. This project expands on that expertise to examine themes of anti-racism, reconciliation, and gender inequity to raise awareness and forge a stronger future.

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Project Goals

The project aims to enhance understanding of the First World War through military personnel files from Library and Archives Canada, highlighting systemic racism, discrimination, and gender inequality. It invites educators and learners to explore these themes with respect to military service .

  • >> Provide Education Opportunities

  • >> Community Partnership

  • >> Reconciliation

  • >> Gender Inequality

  • >> Anti-Racism

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A note on primary documents

One of the limitations of this project is that the majority of the available primary documents, including military personnel files, war diaries, and census records are written and recorded in English. We recognize this is a barrier for francophone Canadians and teachers and students wishing to work in French. We also recognize this is an indication of the powerful hierarchy of the English language and the individuals in positions of power who are recording information, which is not always taken with the consent of the person whose information is being recorded.

Why do we call this project “Minorities at War”?

Our team decided on the name “Minorities at War” because the Black and Indigenous men and (largely) white women who served were in the minority. Of the more than 600,000 individuals who served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in the Great War, most were white, male, and were largely British born. Although this project encourages educators and learners to consider the experiences of Black and Indigenous men and women who served as Nursing Sisters, the Gregg Centre team acknowledges that there are other minorities who served in the Great War, some more easily to find than others. These include French Canadian and Acadians, as well as members of the 2SLGBTQ+ communities. (link to Sarah Worthmann and VAC project). We encourage educators and learners to consider the many different perspectives and intersections of different individuals whose lives were changed by the Great War.

Research Values

Learn more about what it means to value reconciliation, anti-racism, and equity in research.

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