Military Records

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Many records relating to military service consist only of lists of names on a muster roll or pay list. For later periods, personnel records usually exist, which can also provide researchers with personal information about an individual such as date and place of birth, name and address of next of kin, previous military service and occupation.

Library and Archives Canada holds extensive collections of military records: War of 1812, Rebellion of 1837, Active Militia, American Civil War, Fenian Raids, Red River Rebellion, Northwest Rebellion, South African War, World War I, World War II and the Korean War.

Recommended Sites

The Books of Remembrance - contain the names of Canadians who fought in wars and died either during or after them. All the books are kept in the Memorial Chamber located in the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill.
Brant Military Hospital - the history of this historical Burlington hospital including names of patients and staff.
British Forces [in Canada] - from the Canadian Genealogy Centre, Library and Archives Canada.
Canadian Forces Before 1914 - from the Canadian Genealogy Centre, Library and Archives Canada.
Canadian Forces after 1918 (including Second World War) - from the Canadian Genealogy Centre, Library and Archives Canada.
Canadian Military Heritage Project - find Canadian ancestors in in free searchable military databases for each war and rebellion involving Canada.
Canadian Military History Gateway - from the Government of Canada.
Canadian Newspapers and the Second World War - During the Second World War, the staff of the Hamilton Spectator kept its own monumental record of the war. This collection of more than 144,000 newspaper articles, manually clipped, stamped with the date, and arranged by subject, includes news stories and editorials from newspapers, mostly Canadian, documenting every aspect of the war.
Canadian Virtual War Memorial - a registry of information about the war graves and memorials of more than 116,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders who died in military campaigns from 1884 to 1953. Also contains digital images of photographs and memorabilia. Searchable by name and directly linked to the digitized Books of Remembrance.
Central Ontario Branch of the Western Front Association (COBWFA) - dedicated to remembering the contribution of the Canadian military from Central Ontario and British Forces who served on the Western Front in France and Belgium during World War 1.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission - established by Royal Charter in 1917, the Commission pays tribute to the 1,700,000 men and women of the Commonwealth forces who died in the two world wars.
First World War - from the Canadian Genealogy Centre, Library and Archives Canada.
French Regime- Military - from the Canadian Genealogy Centre, Library and Archives Canada.
German Troops - from the Canadian Genealogy Centre, Library and Archives Canada.
Juno Beach Centre - a museum and cultural centre which opened at Courseulles-sur-Mer, France on June 6, 2003. It presents the war effort made by all Canadians during the Second World War.
Loyalists - from the Canadian Genealogy Centre, Library and Archives Canada.
Military Medals - from the Canadian Genealogy Centre, Library and Archives Canada.
Royal Canadian Legion
War Diaries - from the Canadian Genealogy Centre, Library and Archives Canada.
War Graves - from the Canadian Genealogy Centre, Library and Archives Canada.

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