At 15:49 04/29/1998 +0100, Malcolm wrote:
>"Over 600,000 Canadians enlisted in the Canadian
Expeditionary
> Force (CEF) during the First World War. The CEF database is
> an index to those personnel files, which are held by the National
> Archives."
>
>There were 30 Merrys - the name I am researching. One can order copies
>of documents for each record found.
The Canadian Archives are quite cooperative in providing this service and
are better than the British MoD archives in at least two aspects -- you
don't have to provide DNA evidence showing direct lineage from the person
in question; the Luftwaffe didn't drop incendiary bombs on Ottawa. That
is, anyone can request any info on any WW1 soldier and the records are
quite intact and available.
They used to provide these records free, until some time in 1997 which
corresponded roughly with my request and receipt of a large package of
records relating to one individual who came from Wales and served as an
enlisted man and officer in the Canadian Scottish regiment. It makes one
chuckle to see this very slight Welchman in highland kit. Now there is a
cost associated with this service. I provide this information I received
in October '97 for your information.
"You may request photocopies of the personnel records that you desire at a
cost of $0.20 per page. Each researcher is limited to 250 photocopies per
calendar quarter. Please provide the full archival reference shown on the
enclosed page for each military personnel file that you require.
Prepayment of $40.00 is required on all orders.
If you prefer, this pre-payment of $40.00 may be made by money order or
personal cheque, payable to the "Receiver General for Canada" and mailed to
the National Archives of Canada with your request for copies. After the
cost of the order has been deducted, any refund from the $40.00 will be
sent to you within 30 days after the mailing of your photoduplication order.
The National Archives also accepts payment by Visa or Mastercard. For
pre-payment by credit card, please include the credit card number and the
expiry date. When the copies have been produced, the exact amount of the
order will be charged to your credit card account.
If you intend to order photocopies on a frequent or ongoing basis, you may
wish to establish a deposit account with the National Archives of Canada.
A minimum of $100.00 is required to open a deposit account. For
information regarding payment, please contact Accounting Operations of the
National Archives at (613) 992-8885
Please allow eight to ten weeks for orders to be processed."
Before you get too worried about spending massive amounts of money on
photocopies for individuals in which you have no interest, just request the
attestation records for each individual. These records contain a wealth of
information and will quickly let you know whether you want more information
about said individual. This has reminded me to send off my order for
information on about 3 individuals who might be the folks I'm searching for.
While receiving the attestation papers is great, the best part is taking
the information contained within the personnel records and searching for
that information within the cross-referenced War Diaries, Part II orders,
Casualty Lists, etc. There is even more information in those records. One
gets a whole different picture of a battle by reading the actual radio
messages sent during the battle. The National Archives of Canada has all
that, and more.
Neil
---------------------------------------
The Rev. Neil C. Thomsen
Box 218,Mildmay, Ontario, N0G 2J0 Canada