Perspectives On The Front

Circumstances of Death registers provide a fascinating look at life at the Front, providing a snapshot into the danger that soldiers lived with every day. Sadly, it’s impossible to read them all – there were more than 66,000 Canadians killed during the war.

Some of these registers are very routine with a simple sentence that reads “Killed in Action”, “Died of Wounds”, or something equally brief and perfunctory. Others, however, are fascinating in their detail and invoke a range of emotions – invariably sadness but also incredulity at the circumstances of their death.

As I come across interesting CoDs – ones that strike a chord – I will post them here, sharing these brilliant but poignant views of Life at the Front.