Blog Post Three
Photo by Jesse Orrico
Finding Your Heroes
Obtaining Restricted Canadian Service Records
On one side of my family I have around 30 people, men and women, who served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) and the United States Military between 1916 and 1945. But, can I locate all of their service records? Of course not. While all WWI records have now been digitized in the Library and Archives Canada (LAC) database here, you’ll only find WWII records for soldiers who died in service here and you certainly won’t find the rest of the WWII records online.
So, why aren’t WWII service records online? They’re under restricted access for privacy reasons explained here, but not mentioned is the 100-year rule. This rule is typically used with records so even though the LAC doesn’t say when the records will be available it probably won’t be until 2045, 100 years after the end of the war. Does that mean most of us will never get to see a service record for a family member who served in WWII? Not quite, LAC accepts requests for military service files here once you figure out if you’re making a formal or informal request. But what’s the difference between a formal request and informal request? In short, the informal request is free, it’s a fine option if you’re not in a rush to receive it, and LAC recommends requesting the genealogy package which only gets you a summary of the soldier’s file and will not include the full file’s contents like medical records. The formal request costs $5 and gets you to the middle of the queue rather than the back of the line.
My grandfather met Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip on the 1971 Royal tour of British Columbia to mark the 100th anniversary of BC joining Confederation.
But what’s the difference between a formal request and informal request? In short, the informal request is free, it’s a fine option if you’re not in a rush to receive it, and LAC recommends requesting the genealogy package which only gets you a summary of the soldier’s file and will not include the full file’s contents like medical records. The formal request costs $5 and gets you to the middle of the queue rather than the back of the line.
Consider using the formal method requesting the full file. Provide as much information as you can to help LAC staff find the correct file such as full name, date of birth, place of birth, rank, service number, approximate years of service, date of death, and place of death. For good measure, it won’t hurt to add their father’s name and mother’s name. Include proof of relationship and proof of death, be sure to upload that content if the option to upload is there. If not, be sure to correspond with the team once you receive their confirmation email. Acceptable proof of relationship includes a newspaper obituary if you’re mentioned in it, a document with their name and your name on it[1]. In some cases it might be difficult to prove this, like my case where I was born after my grandfather’s death and no documents with both our names on it exist. If possible, it might be worth asking a parent to submit instead if this is your situation. I simply used my grandfather’s obituary and another obituary to prove connection and relationship. Acceptable proof of death includes a death certificate, newspaper obituary, photo of the gravestone, or even a funeral notice[2].
Like everyone in this post-COVID world this particular department of LAC is pretty far behind on fulfilling requests. Make your request now, informal requests are currently taking roughly 2.5 years to be fulfilled and formal requests, while faster, might still take well over a year or two. Don’t let that discourage you, waiting is difficult but the files will come your way.
[1] PDF Application Instructions for Military Service Information, online https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/Generics/atip/Documents/15-249l_EN_Request_for_Military_Service_Files.pdf, accessed 16 Nov 2021.
[2] PDF Application Instructions for Military Service Information, online.
Photo by Dan Dimmock
Military records have a unique value in that they provide a somewhat detailed chunk of your ancestor’s life. I never got to know my grandfather but his service records will tell me where he was and what a fraction of his experience was like overseas. It’s not as good as a personal account in his own words but it’s the next best thing I have. It could be several more years before WWII records are accessible so don’t wait for the WWII records to be added to the online collection, request the files most important to you, make your own digital copies, and learn what you can. What are you waiting for?