Frontier School Division
Social Studies/Native Studies (SS/NS) Department

SSNS Home > Senior Years > Curricula 9 to 12 > Grade 11 > Canadian History > Remembrance Day

Honouring Canadian Veterans
through Remembrance Day Services

While the focus here is on the Canadians, honourable men and women on
all sides gave up their lives in wars they did not start. Let us remember them all.

Remembrance Day represents a marvelous opportunity for anyone interested in Canadian History. On November 11, every year, people all over the country gather at special services to honour the men and women who gave up their lives in wartime defence of Canada and its institutions. It is a solemn public occasion ideally structured to raise questions about civic responsibility, democratic participation, and community values. Read on for ideas and research supports for joint school and community memorials to honour those who sacrificed so much for the preservation of our freedoms. For more detailed information, click on the highlighted text.

1. To better prepare themselves to take the lead in promoting school and community knowledge and observance of Remembrance Day, teachers can participate in the annual Historica-Dominion Institute Battlefield Study Tour.  See Raymond Shirritt-Beaumont’s report on his participation in the Battlefields Study Tour 2010.


2. The school can be involved in community Remembrance Day services through Visual Memorials created for viewing during these public events.


3. Anniversaries of Significant Canadian Battles can be special themes at Remembrance Day services.


4. A focus on the lives and experiences of actual Soldiers at Remembrance Day services can have a powerful impact at the personal level. See the following database of selected WWI and WWII soldiers' biographies:
   • World War I:
     • Northern Manitoba Soldiers (by community)
     • Manitoba Agricultural College Soldiers
     • Soldiers of the University Companies
     • Soldiers of the PPCLI and other Regiments
     • Soldiers of the 1st Battalion Canadian Engineers
     • Soldiers in the Spotlight
       • Francis James Whiting
         • Diaries 1914 - 1919
       • Charles Douglas "Dick" Richardson
       • John "Jack" Beaumont
         • Diary
       • Fred Babb, Permanently Injured
         
       • Prisoners of War (POW)
   • World War II:
     • Canadian Soldiers murdered in Normandy 1944
   • World War I and II (Other Links):
     • Aboriginal Veterans Tribute
     • Manitoba - Aboriginal Veterans
   • War in Afghanistan:
     • Captain Robert Semrau: Court Martial 2010
   • Research Helps: See The Regimental Rogue for step-by-step guidelines to research individual WWI soldiers.
     


5. Book/Media Reviews of recommended books will help participants in Remembrance Day services to better understand war and the experiences of those who serve.


6. For Military Terms, scroll down to "Abbreviations" in the Frequently Asked Questions section of Canada and the First World War. It provides definitions and explanations of terms used in the war diaries and other papers related to World War I. See also WWI glossaries on the Veterans Affairs Canada and the Canadian War Museum websites.


7. A variety of Educational Guides can be used by teachers and students to investigate Canadian involvement in wartime.

Last updated: April 8, 2011

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