As we move away in time from past conflicts and as our veteran population declines, it becomes increasingly difficult for Canadians to understand the sacrifices that men and women made, both on the battlefield and on the home front, during wartime. The Canadian Letters and Images Project has been sharing their stories, and Canada’s story, for the past quarter century. These are the experiences of Canadians as seen through their eyes and their words. This is history in the raw, without a lens of interpretation added through time. I invite you to spend some time reading their letters, seeing their faces in the photographs, or listening to an audio letter, to appreciate why their experiences must be preserved for now and for future generations. Donations, large and small, ensures that The Canadian Letters and Images Project can keep this important content freely available for this generation and for future generations. Please help us to preserve their stories.
Accolades for The Canadian Letters and Images Project
As the years tick by quicker than ever it seems the importance of preserving our Canadian past becomes more and more important. Generations of the future need to hear our stories of the past as the last war veterans come to the ends of their lives and aren't around to share their experiences anymore. What better way to keepsake our stories then by reading the beautiful letters written so long ago by the seemingly ordinary wife to her soldier husband? Or from the mother to her son so far away in the trenches? The ordinary becomes extraordinary when we hear their day to day goings on set against the dramatic backdrop of the war. The mundane news in these letters takes on a whole new and extremely moving testament to the time.
Sheila McCarthy
Statement for recorded letter
I think its important that the thousands from WWI be remembered as men and women rather than as numbers and facts. Having their letters brings their humanity closer but lifting their words from their letters with our voices is perhaps the best way we can hear them and appreciate who they really were. The Canadian Letters and Images Project is such a bold and necessary idea.
RH Thomson
Statement for recorded letter
I was honored to participate in a reading of one of the fallen soldiers’ letters. Reading Howard Curtis' letter allowed me to better understand what went on during WW1. I have great respect and admiration for those who have served our country and have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our country.
Scott Hartnell
Statement for recorded letter
