British Military and Naval Records

Library and Archives Canada has
released  new digitized reels: “British Military and Naval Records (RG 8, C Series): 1757-1906“.These digitized microforms are available on the browse by title page Please note that this is not a database, therefore the images are not searchable by keyword.


A topic-specific "Help" page is also available for every series of microform records that has been digitized, providing the background and content of the series, as well as its arrangement and organization. To make sense of all of these files I can see where one needs to carefully go through the PDF file which link is above to at least narrow one’s research a little. Then it’s a matter of scrolling through the pages in the same way as going through microfilm at the library.

It seems that Library and Archives is going the way of digitalizing microform pages. I wonder - Is this the cheaper way to go?

This And That

November 10-12 the University of Western Ontario is hosting a conference entitled “ The Great War: From Memory To History”. I could not as of yet find out anything about the cost. The tentative program is here.
 
A look at the place of Canadian history in the classroom. Mind you I prefer reading a good rant - like Jack Granatstein in his 1999 book “Who Killed Canadian History ?”. One comment is that it is boring studying decision largely made by upper class Englishmen. Maybe so but it seems to me that pre-1850 decisions seem to be largely made by even more boring middle class Scotsmen.

Audrey Collins in her blog “The Family Recorder” has posted the information that a run of the British Army Officer’s list from 1754 to 1879 is now made available for a free download on the Digital Microfilm section of Documents online.
There will be some officers listed who served at the barracks in London, Ontario, and sometimes stayed in London after their service.

For the geeks out there. A history image app for the iphone ! 

You’re A Canadian If ?

1. You look at beer not as alcohol or a drug - it’s a food group.


2. You put vinegar on your French fries or anything else that resembles potato. Which includes pretty much everything.

3. Ketchup goes with anything - and in a dozen sparkling colours and tastes. It’s especially tasty with vinegar.

4. You have a Prime Minister who is a secretive control freak, and you call him a dictator. Move over North Korea !

5. Your country hosts a G-20 summit meeting where no one is killed or injured in the ruckus that we call a riot. A year later you are hauling the police on the carpet for a terrible misuse of power.

6. You complain about the heat during our two months of summer, and feel very hard done by when the first snow flurries hit.

7. You view hockey as a religious experience, and damn those Americans for stealing your game.

8. Prayer in public is viewed as a no no, and prayer in private is none of your business - thank you very much.

9. You walk away from the hospital not having to pay a damn thing - Yeah !

10. You are very polite always saying - Yes Sir - to that idiot border guard, and then swear a blue streak usually behind his back - Eh !.

Happy Canada Day !