Archives of Manitoba
The 100th anniversary of the First World War is now finished but the records will continue to be preserved at the Archives and accessible to current and future generations who want to know more about the time period. In addition, this blog will remain on our website as an additional resource.
From April 2016 to April 2017, this blog featured the First World War letters of one Manitoba soldier, George Battershill, of East Kildonan. Most of the letters were written to his mother or to his father. The blog follows the letters that George wrote in the same week, one hundred years ago.
2017 Blog Posts
January 2017
- 3 January: One Manitoba Soldier: The new year, 1917
- 9 January: One Manitoba Soldier: “Good by Dad”
- 16 January: One Manitoba Soldier: “I am quite well”
- 23 January: One Manitoba Soldier: Not in the humour to write
- 30 January: One Manitoba Soldier: The best parcels
February 2017
- 6 February: One Manitoba Soldier: Charles's letters home
- 13 February: One Manitoba Soldier: Billeted in a big town
- 20 February: One Manitoba Soldier: Clean sheets and a hot bat
- 27 February: One Manitoba Soldier: Letters to siblings
March 2017
- 6 March: One Manitoba Soldier: George's 20th birthday
- 13 March: One Manitoba Soldier: Opened by censor
- 15 March: Manitobans at the Battle of Vimy Ridge
- 20 March: One Manitoba Soldier: “Remember me to anybody that I know”
- 23 March: 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge: A soldier's diary
- 27 March: One Manitoba Soldier: A postcard for Mother
- 30 March: 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge: Trench maps
April 2017
- 3 April: One Manitoba Soldier: George Battershill's last letters home
- 4 April: An open house commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge
- 10 April: Remembering the Battle of Vimy Ridge at the Archives of Manitoba
- 11 April: 100th anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge: A soldier's diary
- 18 April: One Manitoba Soldier: George Battershill, died of wounds, April 17, 1917
- 24 April: The 44th Battalion Memorial at Vimy Ridge Memorial Park
May 2017
June 2017
- 19 June: Russian Revolution and the HBC
- 26 June: Dominion Day, Camp Sewell
July 2017
- 4 July: Celebrating Canada's 50th birthday in France 100 years ago
- 10 July: Enemy fire: The Nascopie encounters a German submarine
- 17 July: Exploring London While On Leave
- 24 July: “On Active Service”: Herb Francis – follow-up #2
- 31 July: “Doing your duty as a free man”
August 2017
- 8 August: A different perspective – Lt.-Col. R. M. Dennistoun, Deputy Judge Advocate General, C. E. F. HQ, London
- 14 August: Closer to the action: Lt.-Col. R. M. Dennistoun, Deputy Judge Advocate General in France
- 21 August: Disposing of Secret Documents: The S.S. Baysoto and Captain Kirby
- 28 August: Waiting for conscription: “…there will be lots of time yet for soldiering.”
September 2017
- 5 September: Manitoban soldiers received support from British relatives
- 11 September: Russian Revolution and the HBC: A Refugee Crisis
- 18 September: “This war must be won by the people at home.”
- 25 September: Third Canadian Division Athletic Meet, September 21st, 1917
October 2017
- 2 October: The S.S. Nascopie and Worried Loved Ones at Home
- 10 October: Thanksgiving 1917: a harvest of plenty in Benito, Manitoba
- 16 October: Minnie Campbell's military war album
- 23 October: Mina Mowat, nursing sister, Canadian Army Medical Corps
- 30 October: Passchendaele: “A big jelly pot of wet mud and water… quivering under the fire of the guns.”
November 2017
- 6 November: Cavalryman and diarist George Hambley at Passchendaele
- 7 November: 1918: the last year of the war
- 14 November: Messages by Wire: Telegrams from the Time of the First World War
- 20 November: The S.S. Pelican
- 27 November: Military service exemption for farmers – a letter to the Premier
December 2017
- 4 December: A Soldier's Farewell
- 11 December: First World War postcards
- 18 December: Christmas menu for Canadian troops training in England
- 27 December: Russian Revolution and the HBC: Christmas amidst chaos
