WWII
These collections contains all materials relating to Canadian from 1939 to 1945. Some individual collections may contain materials beyond this time frame. External links in collection descriptions are to casualty and burial information at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Moore, Joseph Lorne
Joseph Lorne Moore enlisted with the RCAF in 1943 at the age of 19 and served overseas with the 436th Squadron stationed in India. The collection consists of more than sixty letters, as well as photographs and other personal items.
Mouat, William Ivan
William Ivan Mouat left Salt Spring Island in British Columbia to join the RCAF and was sent overseas in 1941. In July 1943 Mouat was shot down over Belgium and remained a prisoner of war until he was liberated in May 1945. The collection consists of eighteen letters, seven telegrams, three photos and other documents related to his experience as a prisoner of war.
Nelson, Alfred Fern
Alfred Fern Nelson was born in Victoria, British Columbia in July, 1924 and served overseas with the Calgary Highlanders. Nelson was wounded in France in the summer of 1944 and then taken prisoner in the fall of 1944. He remained a prisoner of war in Germany until the end of the war. The collection consist of more than thirty letters.
Neufeld, Leslie Abram
Leslie Neufeld Abram was born in Nipawin, Saskatchewan in 1922. Neufeld was part of the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, "C" Coy, some of the first Canadians to land in France on D-Day, June 6, 1944. He was killed early on the morning of the 6th in an assault on a concrete bunker. The collection consists of his last letter home written on June 4th, a photograph, and some poems written by Neufeld while in high school.
Paterson, T.A.
This collection currently consists of one letter written in 1943 to Tom Paterson from his father while Tom was serving in Italy.
Quinlan, Dennis John
Flight Officer Dennis John Quinlan was born in Edmonton, Alberta on April 4, 1920 and later moved to Calgary. Quinlan joined the R.C.A.F. in September of 1940 and participated in 25 operations before he was killed on August 17, 1942, at the age of 22.
Richards, Edward Gordon Coke
Flight Sergeant Edward "Ted" Gordon Coke Richards was born on October 10, 1916 and served as a gunner with the 49th Squadron. He was killed on a raid over Germany, March 15, 1945, leaving behind a wife and infant daughter in Canada. The collection consists of five letters, two photographs, and seventeen poems he wrote while stationed overseas.
Rimer, Val
This consists of a letter written home by Val "Max" Rimer to his mother, December 1943 from Italy. Also included is a postcard depicting the Queen Elizabeth, the ship which took Rimer to Europe and brought him home to Candad.
Ross, Colin Sewell
Colin Sewell Ross was born in November, 1921 and lived in Toronto, where he studied at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto from 1940-1941. In 1941 he joined the army. Ross served with the 4th Canadian Armoured Division and the 29th Canadian Armoured Recce Regt., fighting in France, Belgium, and Holland, and finished the war with the rank of Lt.-Col. Following the war he returned to the University of Toronto and graduated in medicine in 1950. Ross died in April, 2001. The collection consists of photographs and some personal items from his time in the army. See also the James Wells Ross collection in WWI (his father) and the Gladys Hope Sewell Ross collection in WWI (his mother).
Scandiffio, Francis Michael
Francis (Frank) Michael Scandiffio was born on December 24, 1913 and served as a Pilot Officer with the Royal Canadian Air Force during the war. Frank was killed on July 15, 1944. The collection consists of twenty-nine letters written home by Tom as well as official correspondence relating to his death. See also the correspondence of his brother Thomas.
Scandiffio, Thomas Peter
Thomas (Tom) Peter Scandiffio was born on April 12, 1913 and served as a Warrant Officer Class II with the Royal Canadian Air Force during the war. Thomas was killed June 6, 1943. The collection consists of more than twenty letters written home by Tom as well as official correspondence relating to hi deaths. See also the correspondence of his brother Frank.
Scofield, Robert
Robert Scofield, born 1925, was a tailgunner in the RCAF who flew more than twenty missions over Germany during 1943 -1944. This unique collection consists of three different perspectives for those missions. One source consists of the official gunners log kept by Scofield on his missions. A second source is the journal of newspaper clippings for each of his missions, and the third source is the personal commentary he added to those newspaper accounts. Robert Scofield died in 2000 in Nanaimo, British Columbia.
Selfe, C.A. (Tony)
Flight Lieutenant C.A. "Tony" Selfe served with the RCAF during the war. On D-Day, June 6, 1944 he was captain and pilot of a Halifax flying a late evening bombing mission. The following is an account of that mission, written in 1990, in which the crew had to bail out and the aircraft was destroyed. Tony Selfe died in Chemainus, British Columbia in July, 1990.
Serrick, Daniel
Daniel Serrick was born in Jollimore, Nova Scotia in September, 1920. In 1938 Serrick went to England and joined the Manchester Regiment, serving with 'B' Company until his evacuation from Dunkirk in June, 1940. He then transferred to the British Commandos and then to the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion in July, 1942. From there Serrick volunteered for the joint American and Canadian The First Special Service Force and was killed in the Italian campaign on May 29, 1944. Daniel Serrick is buried in the Beach Head War Cemetery, Anzio, Italy. The collection consists of one letter to his sister as well as several photographs.
Steel, William Arthur
William Steel served with the R.C.A.F. during WWII. This collection consists of more than 20 letters between himself and family members, miscellaneous documents, as well as some photographs. Some of the letters describe his life in Ceylon where he was stationed towards the end of the war.
Stevens, William George
William George Stevens was born on August 7, 1915, the son of George and Beatrice Stevens of St. James, Manitoba. He enlisted with the RCAF and flew with the 106 (R.A.F.) Squadron as a Pilot Officer (Air Gnr.). Stevens was shot down and killed April 27, 1944. The collection consists of two photographs, a pass, and an official letter regarding his status as missing.
Stony Plain Women's Institute
Like other Women's Institutes across Canada, the Stony Plain Women's Institute of Alberta was an important link between the soldiers overseas and the homefront. Through their members they contributed financial aid to organizations such as the Red Cross as well as sending parcels to overseas soldiers. The collection consists of thank-you letters from soldiers, acknowledgement cards for parcels, receipts for the Institute's donations to the Red Cross, and miscellaneous correspondence.
Styles, Jack Morris
Jack Morris Styles was born in Midland, Ontario in 1925 and joined the R.C.A.F. in 1943. He went overseas in April, 1944 and the letters written home were to his mother and sister while serving with the 426 "Thunderbird" Squadron of the R.C.A.F. Styles was killed on February 3, 1945 when his Halifax bomber crashed while returning from a mission over Germany.
Taylor, John McGuire
John McGuire Taylor was born in November, 1917. Taylor served with the RCAF until his aircraft was shot down in November, 1941, and then remained a prisoner for the remainder of the war. He was taken prisoner in Africa, then was a POW in Italy, and then finally sent to Germany, where he spent time in Stalag Luft 3. The collection consists of an extended, illustrated memoir written while as a prisoner, as well as photographs, letters, cards, and his flying log.
Temple, Montague
Montague Temple was born in Victoria, British Columbia in 1907, served overseas during World War Two, and died in Vancouver in 1989. The collection consists of one letter written overseas in 1944.