Archie Wills - photograph album

This album is an appendage to the Wills' autobiography All in a Lifetime chapter. The photos were mostly taken and the album assembled by Wills' friend Ernest Greenwood, who also served in the Canadian Field Artillery. Many photos were taken by an Official War Photographer. Wills added his own photos, clippings etc. It appears that many of the photographs assembled and captioned by Greeenwood are copies of official photos from Canada's Department of National Defence. The originals, now residing at Library and Archives Canada, are available through LAC's Mikan database and include captions (different from those written here by Greenwood), and often specific dates and photographer's name. Wills later added his own clippings and photographs to the album. Subjects include: newspaper clippings of A.W. joining regiment, brother Percy leaving and wounded; Ypres--ruined buildings; Courcellette; Vimy; trench scenes; Cambrai; Petawawa, Fort Macaulay (training)' Valenciennes; Witley, Godalming (England--training); guns in action and transport; 'girls I met'; wounded and dead soldiers; prisoners; members of Sergeant's Mess -- 58th Battery, C.F.A.; leaving Victoria aboard troopship Cameronia; copy of A.W.'s discharge certificate; and copy of ceasefire. From the Album's introduction: "This volume is a pictorial appendage to the chapter "War--1914-18. The Fun and the Horror" of my autobiography "All in a Lifetime". It contains many small pictures taken on the Western Front and assembled by my friend, Ernest Greenwood, who served with me in the Canadian Field Artillery and who died in 1968 and left his album to me. I have added pictures from my own collections, including on the final page, a copy of the actual "Cease Fire", which was sent to all units on the First Armistice Day, November 11th 1918 the day on which the Canadian Corps captured the historic city of Mons. There are also several clippings which, I hope, will enable the uninitiated to gain a better understanding of the tragedy of the war, which is also necessary if we are to have freedom from War. These pictures start with my departure from Victoria May 28th, 1916, of training in Camp Petawawa, Ont., crossing the Atlantic in a troop transport, of further training in England and then the bit adventure in France and Belgium. Archie H. Wills."

In Collection:
Creator Subject Language Date created Resource type Rights statement Extent
  • 1 photograph album (94 pages) ; 17 x 25 cm
Alternative title
  • All in a lifetime - War 1914-18, the fun and the horror--pictures
  • Wills Photograph Album
  • First War Pictures of Dad's: All in a Lifetime
  • All in a Lifetime Photograph Album
  • Archie Wills photograph album, appendage to autobiographical chapter on WWI
Geographic coverage Coordinates
  • 51.5, 10.5
  • 60.10867, -113.64258
  • 46, 2
  • 50.75, 4.5
  • 52.16045, -0.70312
  • 48.4359, -123.35155
  • 54, -2
Physical repository Collection
  • Victoria to Vimy First World War Collection
  • World War One Photographs and Journals
Provider Genre Archival item identifier
  • AR394_03_09
Fonds title Fonds identifier Is referenced by Date digitized
  • August 16, 2007
Technical note
  • Original metadata listed the following as contributors: Christopher Rickinson, Alyssum Nielsen, and Chris Petter. Migration metadata by KD.
Rights
  • This material may be protected by copyright. Use of this material is permitted for research and private study purposes only. For all other uses, contact University of Victoria Special Collections and University Archives.
DOI

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