Under the leadership of Chief Librarian, B. Mabel Dunham, the staff of the Kitchener Public Library undertook a project to document Waterloo County (now Region) people who served Canada and the Empire in the Great War of 1914-1918.
Dunham, a founding member of the Waterloo Historical Society, direā¦
Under the leadership of Chief Librarian, B. Mabel Dunham, the staff of the Kitchener Public Library undertook a project to document Waterloo County (now Region) people who served Canada and the Empire in the Great War of 1914-1918.
Dunham, a founding member of the Waterloo Historical Society, directed the project which saw the creation of information cards for each soldier or nurse who served in World War One. She also enlisted the help of military families, schoolchildren and the community in the gathering of names, histories and photographs.
The original cards are in the Kitchener Public Library archival collection. They are housed and preserved in the Grace Schmidt Room of Local History. Access to this collection will be via this digital format only due to conservation reasons.
Please note that the collection is not complete and the Library welcomes the addition of new names to the collection. The list of soldiers and nurses to be added to this online collection can be found under "Links" on the right hand side of the screen.
The process of uploading soldier information cards will be ongoing between November 2014 and March 2015. Please check back often to see new additions and updates.
The soldier information cards are printed on white card stock and sometimes bear a photograph of the soldier or nurse. The length of the biography on the cards varies.
The markings on the cards will indicate different events. Such as:
Red cross - death
Red slash - wound
Red star - award or honour
However, please note that some markings are in error or have fallen off the card over time.
A volunteer project, launched in November 2013, undertook the transcription of World War 1 soldier cards and adoption of soldiers, for whom little information was known or recorded.
The 'adopted' soldiers are being researched by volunteers using library, archival and online resources. Once researched, short biographies are submitted for inclusion in the soldier's record in this collection. The adoption phase of the project is ongoing.
Copyright Status
Public domain: Copyright has expired according to Canadian law. No restrictions on use.
Reproductions
If you would like to obtain a digital or print copy of this image, please see KPL's Photographic Reproduction Policy at http://www.kpl.org/localhistory/photographs