November 5-11 is National Veterans’ Week, and to commemorate the participation of Canadian men and women in wars and conflicts, both past and present, we’re digging in to Open Collections to highlight some of our collection items from the First and Second World Wars.

Our WWI & WWII Poster Collection features posters, ephemera and broadsides published in Canada and throughout Europe to promote recruitment, encourage the purchase of savings stamps and victory bonds, and highlight methods for supporting the war effort for those left at home. To view all of the items in this collection, click here.

“After the Storm” poster, ca. 1922

“I want you for the navy” poster, ca. 1917

Wall News Feb. 1945, produced by the Industrial Information Division of the National Film Board

Within the British Columbia Historical Newspaper Collection there are many references to the war and the war effort at home, which provide fascinating insight into the very real impacts the First and Second World Wars had on people right here in B.C. Below is a public notice in the Cumberland Islander newspaper in 1918 placed by Canada’s Minister of Finance urging Canadians to live frugally in order for more funds to go to the war effort.

“Fellow Canadians!” newspaper clipping from Cumberland Islander October 12, 1918

Lastly, our World War I British Press Photograph Collection depicts the day-to-day lives of soldiers and service men and women involved in every aspect of World War I, from cadet training to military hospital stays. These images serve as an important reminder of the daily struggles and sacrifices that service men and women made in the past, and continue to make today.  You can browse the entire collection here.

Railway workers cleaning carriage, between 1914 and 1918

Captured German airplane, between 1914 and 1918

Clearing the way for advancing troops at Somme, between 1914 and 1918