The Regimental Association often gets asked if we can help provide information about the service of former members. Usually, these asks are through our Facebook page or website. These requests will be passed to the Regimental Museum, which holds a collection of artifacts, documents and information relating to the Regiment and its’ preceding units. If any information can be found in the collection, it will be passed to the person requesting the information.
What the collection holds
The collection includes artifacts such as weapons, uniforms and equipment used by members, photographs, documents, film, video and electronic recordings, sound recordings, medals, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, war diaries, personal diaries, letters and other memorabilia. The collection also includes some Regimental Routine orders, Regimental Nominal Rolls and unit administrative correspondence.
What the collection doesn’t hold
The collection does not include personnel files for serving members. Currently serving members files are held at the Battalion Orderly Room in the Regimental Headquarters in Brampton. The files of members who served prior to 2015 are held at National Defense Headquarters in Ottawa and are eventually deposited in care of Libraries and Archives Canada in Ottawa. Any files which may exist for members who served in the predecessor units of the Lorne Scots have been deposited with Libraries and Archives Canada.
Conservation
The Regimental Museum is working on collating and properly archiving all the material in our collection. The photograph collection has been catalogued and a digitization campaign is ongoing. As funding or volunteers become available, archival work has been carried out on the collection. As the Museum is currently an all volunteer organisation with only a few members, this work is proceeding very slowly.
Finding records in general
The Regimental Museum does not hold a comprehensive collection of Nominal Rolls or registers of those who have served. Some information has been acquired over the years but it is spotty and incomplete.
Libraries and Archives Canada is the best general source of information. They hold the personnel files of the Canadian Expeditionary Force from World War One and from all three services in World War Two and Korea.
For information on Canadian War dead, the Veterans Affairs Canada Virtual War Memorial is the easiest reference to use. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission also provides easy search access through their website.
The Archives of Ontario contain pay records and other information about members of the Militia from the War of 1812 and the early 19th century. These are not always easily accessible.
Local Library systems, museums, historical societies and universities may also have military records which are not on line at the national level.
Genealogical research organisations like the Ontario Genealogical Society and Ancestry.com can provide links to data bases which may not be available on line.
Searching Libraries and Archives Canada
As this is a Government body, searching the collection can be both very simple and quite frustrating.
In general, any service records prior to World War Two are available for public search. The personnel files of the CRF have been digitalised and can be searched on line. The files from World War Two and after are restricted and may only be searched under the guidelines laid down by Libraries and Archives. Not all items in the collection have been digitised and can only be searched in person at Libraries and Archives facilities in Ottawa.
Once you have gathered as much information as possible about the individual being researched, including full names, date of birth, date of death if a war casualty, service number and unit if possible, go to the Libraries and Archives website and open the Military Heritage Page. You can then select a data base to search in.
For records before World War One, select an era and follow the prompts on how to search. Key words are the best option to get you started. Much of the material found may not be available on line.
World War One personnel files for the CEF have been scanned and are available on line. Select First World War and click on the link “Personnel Records of the First World War database” in the section on the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Once this database opens, put a name into the search box and carry on from there.
World War Two and after files are restricted and can only be searched by LAC personnel. Families may request a copy of the record by completing and submitting the request for a restricted file available on the website. There is a cost and it may take considerable time to get a reply.
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