Remembrance
Remembrance Day: remembering the Canadians behind the history
This site uses real battles as the basis for a hobby. Once a year we set the hobby aside and remember the people. This page has no store links.
Remembrance Day is marked across Canada on 11 November, at the close of Veterans' Week (5-11 November). It honours those who served and those who died in the service of Canada. Veterans Affairs Canada publishes resources and ways to take part.
Alberta units on this site
- The Loyal Edmonton Regiment fought through Ortona in December 1943. The December fighting around Ortona cost Canadian units 2,605 casualties, 502 of them killed.
- The South Alberta Regiment (29th Armoured Reconnaissance Regiment) held St-Lambert-sur-Dives in August 1944. Major David Currie was awarded the Victoria Cross.
- The Calgary Regiment (14th Army Tank Regiment) was the first Canadian armoured regiment in action, at Dieppe on 19 August 1942.
Look up a family member's service
- The Canadian Virtual War Memorial (Veterans Affairs Canada) lists Canadians and Newfoundlanders who died in service, with grave or memorial locations. Families often add photos.
- Library and Archives Canada holds Second World War personnel records. Its War Dead 1939-1947 collection has digitized service files, and records for those who survived can be requested.
- Regimental museums and Royal Canadian Legion branches often hold photos and unit histories that aren't online.
For hobbyists
Some modellers mark November by building or painting a model of a relative's unit, or a vehicle from a battle they served in, and researching the person while they work. If you do, the markings guide and the theatre overview may help, but the research matters more than the model.
To find a ceremony near you, check with your local Legion branch or municipality. We don't list events because we can't keep them accurate.
The Legion's poppy campaign supports veterans and their families.
Sources
- Veterans Affairs Canada: Remembrance Day and Veterans' Week
- Veterans Affairs Canada: Canadian Virtual War Memorial
- Library and Archives Canada: Personnel records of the Second World War — includes the War Dead 1939-1947 service files
- Royal Canadian Legion: The Poppy
- The Canadian Encyclopedia: Ortona, Canada's 'Mini Stalingrad'
- National Defence: Victoria Cross recipient David Vivian Currie
- Veterans Affairs Canada: The 14th Army Tank Regiment (Calgary Regiment) at Dieppe
Sources checked October 25, 2026. Figures are quoted as the source gives them; where sources differ we say so.