To commemorate Remembrance Day, Ancestry is providing free access until November 12 to all global military records on the site, including two new Canadian collections: World War II Newsreels, 1942-1945 and Faces of the Second World War, 1941-1945.
The World War II Newsreels, 1942-1945 and Faces of the Second World War, 1941-1945 collections feature 2,500 photographic images and 106 video newsreels that bring to life many aspects of Canada’s contributions to World War II, from combat and routine life on the front lines of France, Holland and beyond, to military training, war materials production, city building projects, and Armistice celebrations on home soil.
Information from these photographs and newsreels are indexed on Ancestry, making it easier to search for ancestors.
At the onset of World War II, the Canadian Government Motion Picture Bureau recommended the Army form a special film and photographic unit, to distribute material worldwide to boost morale and further the war effort. As a result, the Army created a public relations unit in 1940 that would become the basis for photographic units formed by all three military branches (The Army, Air Force and Navy). The resulting material created by these units – available in these collections on Ancestry – was circulated by a variety of local and international newspapers and newsreels.
Visit www.ancestry.ca/remembrance to access Canadian Remembrance Day collections and explore your own family tree. Registration is required.
