What is a soldier biography?

All program participants receive a Canadian soldier's military service file and prepare a biographical sketch to read at his grave. The files are provided by Library and Archives Canada through a program called Lest We Forget, which provides learners with these primary sources as an entry point to understanding the conflicts in which these soldiers fought. Some participants' biographies are written, while some others choose to compose songs or prepare pieces of theatre. 

Teachers' Tour participant Dave Sullivan shares his soldier bio

Lest We Forget founder Blake Seward talks about the program

Participants are given a list of questions to help get them get started:

1.     What do the documents reveal to you about your soldier?
2.     Is there another possible interpretation of your documents?
3.     How could you verify your interpretation?  Where might you
        need to search for relevant resources?
4.     How is your soldier’s information similar or different to
        information being researched by other teachers?
5.     What are the short and long term consequences for
         communities that suffer from the loss of local men to war?
6.     What events that emerge out of the documents do you
         consider to be historically significant?
7.     Can you determine what other people may be affected by
         the events that emerge out of the documents? (mother,
         wife, father, sister, brother, community, industry, etc…)
8.     How does your research connect to issues at the time?
9.     What issues that you identified are still relevant today? 
        Explain your thinking.
10.  How is each issue similar or different from today and when
        written?
11.  Based on your research what information do you consider
        to be the most significant?  How did you determine this?

"Our guys"

France and Flanders 2016

Loos British Cemetery
Private William John Armstrong
Private J. J. Acheson
Private Walter Bowron

Maple Copse Cemetery
Private Raymond Clifford Burton

Beaumont Hamel Newfoundland Memorial
Private George Abbott

​Nine Elms British Cemetery
Private Cecil Carman

Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery
Sergeant Roland Marin
Private Alvin Gagnier
Private Ward Paff

Regina Trench Cemetery
Private John Daynes
Villers Station Cemetery
Lance Corporal Henry Charles Benson

Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery
Rifleman John Joseph Malinowski
Trooper George Joseph Brisette

Vimy Memorial
Private Alfred Gagne
Private Henry B. De Wolfe
Private Thomas Gleason

Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery
Private Lionel Cohen