With Remembrance Day (Veteran’s Day in the United States), this week’s 52 Ancestors Challenge theme is “War and Peace”. Rather than write about my own ancestors’ experiences with war and peace, I’d like to call attention to an exciting undertaking by the British Columbia Genealogical Society (“BCGS”).
Every month the BCGS publishes The BCGS News. For the last few years, it has been only published in electronic format. Every issue since January 2020 is available on the BCGS website. You don’t have to be a member of the society to access this part of the website (although there’s lots of benefits to be one – they just launched their 2024 membership drive!).
In November 2021, the BCGS published a “Veterans Special Edition” of The BCGS News. Members were invited to submit stories about their veteran ancestors, regardless of what conflict in which they had served. Submissions included veterans of the American Revolution, the War of 1812, the Lower Canada Rebellion, the North-West (Riel) Rebellion, the Fenian Raids, the South African War (often referred to as the Second Boer War), World War I, World War II, and the Korean Conflict.
This year, The BCGS News team (spearheaded by its Editor/Designer Sue Sullivan) is going even bigger and better – they’re doing a book! Throughout most of 2023, BCGS members have been encouraged to submit stories and photos of their veteran ancestors – any time in history, any conflict, any place. Moreover, it’s not limited to those who actually fought, it includes those who served in peacetime or on any peacekeeping mission.
The book will be available to BCGS members as a digital download. The editorial team is also considering publishing it in print form, but that has yet to be determined.
Remarkably, I have very few ancestors who served in wartime. They were usually too young or too old to have served in the conflicts of their time and place. However, I provided two submissions for the veterans book, both of which involve individuals I’ve written about in this blog: my maternal grandfather Leo Burgess; and Lee Anton, my maternal grandmother’s second cousin (also her first cousin once removed through a different ancestor). The editor invited me to submit a larger piece on Lee, as she hopes to have a few “featured” veterans.
Hopefully the book will be ready by Remembrance Day. I know that it has been a huge undertaking by a small band of volunteers, so it would be understandable if it comes out sometime later this month. Either way, I am really looking forward to it!
A Deck of Ancestors 