Researching Canadian Soldiers of the First World War

Part 20: The Vimy Pilgrims

In July of 1936, approximately 6200 Canadians sailed to Europe aboard five liners of the Canadian Pacific and Cunard steamship lines to participate in the Vimy Pilgrimage. These passengers formed the bulk of the attendance at the unveiling of the Vimy Memorial by King Edward VIII on 26 July, 1936.

Vimy Pilgrimage Roll (1936)

Published in "The Epic of Vimy," Compiled and Edited by W.W. Murray, Published by The legionary, Ottawa, 1936.

"While there were about 8,000 Canadians present at the Unveiling of the Vimy Monument, this record contains only the names of the approximately 6,400 Pilgrims who sailed on the Pilgrimage ships from Canada. It has not been possible to secure in time for inclusion in this volume the names of those resident in Great Britain. In designating the units of the ex-Service men and women the recognized abbreviations have been used; for example, C.F.A. (Canadian Field Artillery); C.A.M.C. (Canadian Army Medical Corps), etc., N.S. stands for Nursing Sister: Imp. for Imperial. The information has in all cases been taken from the original application form filled in by the Pilgrims."

elipsis graphic

Roll (as published), sorted by home Province or State.

Alphabetic Roll.

Concluding Remarks

It is hoped that the preceding pages will assist you as you embark on the research to build the story of your ancestor or other soldiers of the Canadian Expeditionary Force of the First World War. The internet provides a wonderful opportunity, not only to find information that for many decades would have taken great effort to seek out, but also to share information, resources and research with others on the same journey. Please share the results and experiences of your efforts to assist others that come behind you on this path.

To each and every reader who has found these pages to be useful, I wish you the best of luck with your ongoing research.

Michael O'Leary
The Regimental Rogue

Researching Canadian Soldiers of the First World War

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