Formed in 2009, the Archive Team (not to be confused with the archive.org Archive-It Team) is a rogue archivist collective dedicated to saving copies of rapidly dying or deleted websites for the sake of history and digital heritage. The group is 100% composed of volunteers and interested parties, and has expanded into a large amount of related projects for saving online and digital history.
Thank you
We would like to thank everybody who has followed our website over the last 15 years. The interest and feedback has enriched our Far From Home project. We have now reached a point at which the website will no longer be updated. Under these circumstances, we have decided to close it down on the 31st October 2022.
However, we will be continuing our research into the final resting place of Private Samuel McNeice in the Ballymena area. Once there is anything further to report, we will keep you advised via both Facebook (@canadiansfarfromhome) and Twitter (@canadawargraves).
Once again, many thanks for your support since 2007.
Diana & Adrian.
Our gift to Canada
In January 2020, Far From Home was ready to be donated in its entirety to the Canadian War Museum at Ottawa.
Unfortunately, its progress through the CWM Acquisitions Department was delayed for nine months owing to the Covid-19 situation and lockdown.
We are delighted to confirm that Far From Home has now been accepted at the CWM under its guardianship for all time.
Some months ago, our giant capacity USB containing all of the 102 County Volumes, over 40K photographs and more was mailed to our friend Brett in Canada. As a long time supporter, he agreed to hold it for safe keeping until the CWM were able to take delivery.
As lockdown at Canadian institutions eased, the CWM was able to begin the long process of agreeing the License Agreement and supplementary documentation with us.
On Friday 18th September and on our behalf, Brett was finally able to hand over the FFH project to Erin Monette, the Museum Acquisitions & Documentation Officer. Sadly, we were unable to be present at this momentous occasion but allowed ourselves a few proud moments to reflect on the event.
With Far From Home now protected in its entirety for all time, the Museum will instigate a search facility to enable the information to be freely available online in due course.
Erin Monette, the Museum Acquisitions and Documentation Officer receives Far From Home from our friend Brett
Our “Far From Home” project was completed on schedule during Autumn 2019 to commemorate Canada’s major contribution to the Great War. The study entailed extensive research and around 30,000 miles travelled over a period of twelve years. We had set out to create a permanent and comprehensive memorial to all 3902 casualties sustained by the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Great Britain during the First World War. Over sixty per-cent of the CEF were British born, which explains why so many are buried in far-flung churchyards and tiny cemeteries throughout the four home nations. In style, these locations range from the formal elegance of Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey to the stunning remoteness of Nedd Cemetery in Sutherland, Scotland.
It was vital that all existing graves in 872 locations which lie within 90 counties and 9 islands across Great Britain are recorded for posterity. Often, there is only a single casualty buried in a churchyard or cemetery, some of which are in remote locations or are now disused. A shortage of land has already lead to the removal of many older graves. It is highly probable that many more graves and some cemeteries will disappear altogether, in response to the constant demand across Great Britain for more land to provide open spaces.
Although the distinctive CWGC headstone is a familiar and recognisable sight, many of the Canadians were buried privately, often in a family plot. Instead of the familiar CWGC stone, individual memorials were erected but a significant number of these have not been maintained for many years. They are often neglected and overgrown, with headstones broken or fallen over and others covered by vegetation. A large proportion of the Canadians died in circumstances not directly related to the battlefield. Serious illness, accident and suicide claimed a substantial number of their lives. Importantly, a profile has been collated on every individual soldier, sailor, airman or nurse, drawing on research sources in both Britain and Canada. Each profile includes the cause and place of death, along with a suggested unique death certificate number. To assist researchers, we have included last known family addresses and locations in addition to more detailed information about other family members whenever possible.
As a personal tribute, each grave has been visited and personally photographed by the authors using their own special ‘signature’, a Canadian flag and wooden British Legion Cross or Star of David marker. In addition, inscriptions on the headstones are recorded.
The “Far From Home” is intended as a tribute to all those Canadian men and women who flocked to Britain to fight for the “Mother Country” between 1914 and 1918. It is important to remember that the CWGC used the 31st August 1921 for its First World War casualty cut-off date, which was when the final post war treaty was signed.