When you’re a genealogist, patience is a mandatory virtue.
Never is that more true if you ordered a Second World War service file from Library and Archives Canada (LAC) last year, and you were advised it will take about ten months due to the “large number of inquiries received.”
Now, prepare yourself. You need to become even more patient.
The latest from LAC is that they are now only processing requests received at the end of January 2018.
A friend requested his uncle’s service file in July 2018, and he still hasn’t received it. In response to his inquiry, LAC said it will take another six to eight months, making his total wait time almost 18 months.
When I ordered my late father-in-law’s service file in November 2018, I was told the estimated delivery time was ten months, and I thought that seemed unbearably long. Now, it appears I shouldn’t expect the service file until April 2020.
In an email response to my question about the delay, an LAC rep wrote, “I can inform you that our team of analysts is working on the end of January, beginning of February 2018 requests. This does mean that the queue is about 16 months to treat.”
Whether the waiting period is 16 months or 18 months, this seems like an extraordinarily long time to fill a request.
As time goes on, will the waiting period be further extended?
Past experience suggests, fortunately, that the delivery time is much faster for a veteran requesting his own WWII service file.
Will new processes be introduced after Leslie Weir becomes the new Librarian and Archivist of Canada at the end of August? Probably. New leaders usually make changes and set new priorities.
As to whether or not new processes will directly impact the delivery time of WWII service files, time will tell. Change certainly won’t happen overnight.
My advice? If you’ve been thinking about ordering a Canadian WWII service file, I suggest you do so now. Then, forget about it, and enjoy the summer weather.
I know that under the former Conservative govt, LAC suffered huge job cuts…perhaps still some ramifications from that. It will be interesting to see what Ms Weir does when she takes over late this summer.
i ordered my grandfather in law’s file May 2018 – still have received nothing.
i was initially told 10 months. follow up email told me 12 months. almost 14 months now….