Researching Canadian veterans can be difficult if you don’t know where to start. Luckily, the Canadian Government has made many important documents accessible if you know where to look!
Welcome to our basic guide, especially intended for those interested in uncovering the individual stories of those who have served Canada since the First World War.
Canadian Army Battle Flag
First World War
All Canadian service files from the First World War have been digitized and are available instantly and free of charge. Visit the collection through the Library and Archives of Canada link below.
https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/help/pffww
Once you have read a service file, you will know what units the individual served with. The file will also provide specific dates of their movements, allowing you to piece together their timeline. Once you have established their timeline, explore the unit war diaries that have been digitized by the Canadian Great War Project. This will give you a good idea of the particular events and battles they participated in.
https://canadiangreatwarproject.com/diaries/viewer.php
Canadian Red Ensign (1907-1922)
Second World War and Korean War
Service Files from the Second World War and Korean War are held at the Library and Archives of Canada. Unlike First World War files, the majority have not been digitized. Requests must be submitted through the access to information and privacy (ATIP), which gives Canadians the right to access records of government institutions including personal information held by the government. The request should be submitted through the Access to Information Act to yield the best results. The government currently charges a small fee for this type of request. Depending on the information you are able to provide, or if the date of death is less than twenty years, there may be redactions to personal information within the file. This generally does not effect unit postings and movements which are crucial to researchers. To make an ATIP request, follow the link below.
https://atip-aiprp.tbs-sct.gc.ca/
Soldier Search has located hundreds of service files for families, collectors, and institutions across the world. If you would like to take advantage of our services, we charge a $40 fee per file to do the work for you. Please send us a message with as much information as you can, including, full name, birth date, service number, and proof of death if applicable (such as death certificate, obituary, or a photo of their headstone). While you can often receive a file without all of this information, the more information you provide, the better your chances of success will be.
Canadian Red Ensign (1921-1957)
Modern Service
Some files from the post-war era are accessible similarly to Second World War and Korean War era files. Please contact us with details for more information.
Canadian Flag (1965-Present)
Understanding Service Files
Abbreviations used in service files are often difficult to understand. Most of these abbreviations can be found here.
Honours and Awards
Are you looking for confirmation of a medal, honour, or award bestowed between 1812 and 1969? The link below contains references for campaign medals received during the War of 1812, Fenian Raids (1866 & 1870), Red River Rebellion (1870), Egyptian Campaigns (1882-1889) and the Northwest Rebellion (1885). It also includes other medal records from 1900-1969, including long service medals, gallantry awards, and more! Please note that this search engine does not have the ability to search campaign medals from the First or Second World War. Service files are most useful to determine full medal entitlements.
Many First World War and Second World War medal citations and recommendations can be found through a variety of paid resources such as books or websites including ancestry.ca. Canadian Army gallantry award citations for the Second World War (1939-1945) can be accessed for free through the link below.
https://dhh-dhp.forces.gc.ca/cao-aco/
Researching War Dead
The Canadian Virtual War Memorial (CVWM) is a registry to honour and remember the sacrifices of the more than 118,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders who, since Confederation, have given their lives serving in uniform. The profiles include minor details about their service and can also include photos and newspaper articles.
https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/memorials/canadian-virtual-war-memorial
A partial roll of the First World War circumstance of death registers is held at the Library and Archives of Canada. It has been digitized and is arranged alphabetically. This ledger can be useful in determining cause of death and burial information that may not be included in their service file.
Second World War service files for war dead (1939-1947) have been digitized and can be located through the following search engine.
https://recherche-collection-search.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/help/kia
Third-Party Research
Besides official government institutions, many genealogy websites offer a variety of resources available to the public. Most of these websites are subscription based and charge a monthly or annual fee. Our favourite websites for researching former members of the Canadian Armed Forces’ include ancestry.ca and newspapers.com. Regimental or corps museums that specialize in particular units may also hold information that is useful to you. They often curate and maintain their own archives and can help answer specialized questions.