Documents & Records

Military Records

Canadian military records are a very useful source of genealogical information, but in the case of Chinese-Canadians, relatively few records are available. This is due both to the small numbers of Chinese people compared to the overall population and in some cases to discrimination, which somtimes created obstacles for Chinese-Canadians who wanted to enlist.

Nonetheless, people of Chinese origin - both naturalized and born in Canada - volunteered to serve in both World War I (1914-1918) and World War II (1939-1944).

The The Memory Project is a nationwide bilingual project aimed at capturing the stories of Canada's participation in various conflicts. Veterans and their families can share their memories through oral interviews and digitized artefacts and memorabilia.

Photo banner: Detail from VPL Historical Photograph 78362