November/December 2000 Vol. 32, no. 11-12

From Colony to Country: A Reader’s Guide to Canadian Military History

Mary Bond, Research and Information Services

Courtesy of the National Archives of canada.

Desmond Morton notes in the introduction to his A Military History of Canada that Canadians have been described as an "unmilitary people" ¹. Yet an examination of any history of Canada reveals descriptions of Canadians’ participation in military events ranging from rebellions within our borders to involvement in two world wars and numerous peacekeeping missions in all parts of the world. These events have clearly shaped the way Canadians view themselves and the way others view us.

In recent years, interest in military history has increased among a wide audience including genealogists, students and the general public as well as academic specialists. The commemoration of anniversaries of major events such as the end of the Second World War has increased awareness of Canada’s military heritage, as have the efforts of various veterans’ groups to receive recognition and compensation. A desire to honour the military contribution of Canadians is apparent in recent federal government initiatives such as the repatriation of the remains of an unknown soldier from the battlefields near Vimy and the announcement of funding for a new Canadian war museum.

Researchers living in or visiting the National Capital Region and having an interest in Canadian military history are fortunate to have access to a wealth of resources at a number of institutions in the area. In 1998, the National Library of Canada organized and hosted a meeting of a group of representatives of the region’s military history community, including representatives from the Department of National Defence, the Canadian War Museum, Carleton University and the National Archives of Canada. Participants were asked to share information about their services, collections and projects and to discuss the nature of military history research and researchers, problems, and areas of potential cooperation. The need for improved awareness of and access to collections of the various institutions was acknowledged. From this meeting, the National Library determined it could play a significant role in improving access to the published literature on Canadian military history through the creation of a series of bibliographical pathfinders highlighting material in the Library’s extensive collections. These pathfinders would be placed on the Library’s Web site.

Starting from the project’s inception in 1999, the Reference and Information Services Division of the National Library was very fortunate to be able to engage Owen Cooke, former chief historical archivist for the Directorate of History, Department of National Defence, and author of The Canadian Military Experience, 1867-1995: A Bibliography ², and Glenn Wright, a historian, archivist and genealogist who has worked for the National Archives of Canada and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and is the author of a number of books and articles on Canadian history, military history and genealogy. Sandra Bell, a reference librarian at the National Library with a strong interest in military history, has prepared the Boer War section. She is also the author of a bibliography entitled Victory Bonding ³.

The pathfinders are directed at two audiences primarily: the general reader with an interest in learning more about Canada’s military heritage; and the genealogist desiring information about military events in the life of an individual, family or community. The series is organized chronologically and will eventually cover the French regime to present-day involvement in peacekeeping missions. To date, four sections have been prepared and mounted on the Web site: a general overview; the Northwest Campaign, 1885; the Boer War; and a preliminary guide to the First World War.

The general section includes military histories, bibliographies and guides to literature, periodicals, service histories, defence reports, biographical sources, decoration and medal sources, and officer lists. English- and French-language publications are described, most of which are held by the National Library. As well as printed works, the compilers have noted Web sites of use in military history research. The Internet has acted as a popularizing force in military history, as it has done in many other subject areas.

The Northwest Campaign section includes a rich selection of material such as contemporary accounts of events, articles and books on the Métis, Indian and government forces and their leaders: Louis Riel, Gabriel Dumont, Big Bear and Sir Frederick Middleton. Regimental histories, pictorial works and fiction and drama are also described. For the family historian, the published reports that appeared in the Canadian parliamentary Sessional Papers are discussed in detail. The compilers have noted the location of lists of officers, casualties, pension recipients and claimants for losses.

In November, Owen Cooke presented some of his research on the Northwest Campaign in "Captain James Peters, the 1885 Northwest Campaign and Military Photography in Canada", the presentation he gave as part of the SAVOIR FAIRE lecture series. An article on this talk will appear in an upcoming issue of the Bulletin.

Sandra Bell has given a social historical focus to the Boer War section by including material on the role of women in the War and perspectives on the War as presented in the press of the day. Sheet music, poetry and letters are included as well as standard works on the history of the War.

The in-depth knowledge of the compilers is apparent in the essays that introduce bibliographical material in the pathfinders. In the Northwest Campaign section, a clear and concise historical overview of the events and the major participants is provided. The significance of particular works, the biases of the authors and gaps in the literature are discussed in a straightforward style that is accessible to readers of various levels of expertise.

Other sections covering the 1837-38 Rebellions and the Canadian period between 1855 and 1914 are in progress. Watch our Web site at www.nlc-bnc.ca/milit/ for new sections that will further explore the wealth of published material about Canada’s military heritage.

For more information, please contact:

Reference and Information Services
Telephone: (613) 995-9481 or 1-877-896-9481
E-mail: reference@nlc-bnc.ca

__________
Notes:

¹ Morton, Desmond.  --  A military history of Canada.  --  3rd ed.  --  Toronto : McClelland & Stewart, c1992.  --  317 p.

² Cooke, O.A.  --  The Canadian military experience, 1867-1995 : a bibliography = Bibliographie de la vie militaire au Canada, 1867-1995.  --  3rd ed.  --  Ottawa : Directorate of History and Heritage, Department of National Defence, 1997.  --  520 p.

³ Bell, Sandra M.  --  Victory bonding : wartime messages from Canada’s government, 1939-1945 : a bibliography = Victoire oblige : les messages du gouvernement canadien pendant la guerre, 1939-1945 : une bibliographie.  --  Ottawa : National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1995.  --  15 p.