Researching Our Soldiers
- by Andrea Camacho Duhne
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Researching Vic High soldiers was an interesting project made me glad that I could be part of this amazing Great War Project.
I had different reasons to select my individuals. I chose Percy G. Barr after reading an article about him in one of the Camosun publications. The article discussed his death and included his picture. I felt very sad; he was only eighteen when he died, the age of most of my friends. I felt that I had to write something about him.
I also wanted to write about a teacher, so I chose John Angus MacDonald.
Debbie, one of the Vic High Alumni ladies helped me choose Roy Stewart Clements.
One might think that with all the information and help we receive that it would be easy to locate information on our individuals, but it was not at all easy. The three soldiers I researched were very young when they died. They had not accomplished much beyond their school activities because their lives were short; therefore, there was minimal information about them.
Yvonne Van Ruskenveld, one of the amazing researchers assisting in the project, provided me with as much information as she could find on the soldiers I was writing about. With this information, I chose to write historical fiction, trying to make reasonable and realistic assumptions about their lives, imagining what their feelings, thoughts and experiences might have been.
Writing this stories was challenging for me since English is not my first language I did not know how people used to write and talk a hundred years ago, but Ms. Burleson helped me a lot, and my English writing skills improved in a noticeable way.
The soldiers' inquiry project was very interesting, and I completely enjoyed it.
I had different reasons to select my individuals. I chose Percy G. Barr after reading an article about him in one of the Camosun publications. The article discussed his death and included his picture. I felt very sad; he was only eighteen when he died, the age of most of my friends. I felt that I had to write something about him.
I also wanted to write about a teacher, so I chose John Angus MacDonald.
Debbie, one of the Vic High Alumni ladies helped me choose Roy Stewart Clements.
One might think that with all the information and help we receive that it would be easy to locate information on our individuals, but it was not at all easy. The three soldiers I researched were very young when they died. They had not accomplished much beyond their school activities because their lives were short; therefore, there was minimal information about them.
Yvonne Van Ruskenveld, one of the amazing researchers assisting in the project, provided me with as much information as she could find on the soldiers I was writing about. With this information, I chose to write historical fiction, trying to make reasonable and realistic assumptions about their lives, imagining what their feelings, thoughts and experiences might have been.
Writing this stories was challenging for me since English is not my first language I did not know how people used to write and talk a hundred years ago, but Ms. Burleson helped me a lot, and my English writing skills improved in a noticeable way.
The soldiers' inquiry project was very interesting, and I completely enjoyed it.
- by Krysteena White
I selected the individuals I researched based on one of two things: the advice of the Archives or my personal interest in them. It is helpful to feel a connection so that the researcher can bring them to life for others. In contrast to the people that Dr. Gough was researching, only one of my choices was different than his.
Mr. Arthur Yates held a personal fascination for me. Reading one of his letters in The Camosun inspired my fascination, even though there was virtually no factual information available.
Yates was the catalyst for my ability to find things. I searched the Internet, looking for any breadcrumb of information, but Yvonne Von Ruskenveld and Leona Taylor were the most helpful sources of information. My biggest challenge was piecing together his history. From his attestation papers, I discovered that Yates was a British immigrant, but I did not have all the puzzle pieces of his life to fit together into a clear picture of his character, personality, and life experiences until I went through numerous publications of the Camosun. Information gathered from this publication afforded an in-depth view on who he was and what he meant to the school. With this scope of information, it then seemed appropriate to compose an objective piece as well as a letter. Many men wrote to their wives and loved ones during war.
I selected Harold Eustace Whyte on the advice of Debbie Blackie from the Archives. She knew someone who was related to the man and arranged a time for both the relative and I to meet. Debbie become my main resource for information; we had exchanged contact information throughout the process of developing my research piece.
Researching Whyte afforded me insight into his family’s history, his time in the war, his descendants and even the family dynamics. All of that information is any researchers’ dream! I especially appreciated the photographs and the small details I learned about him. My biggest challenge was narrowing down a vast amount of information and deciding which details were most representational.
I chose to write a poem about Whyte inspired by a model I wrote in English class, but mainly because his family member I spoke with also wrote poetry. I chose to also compose an objective piece because I wanted people to see the details of who Whyte was as an individual, both before the war and after.
George Robert Gray was a choice based on personal interest because he was a prisoner of war, and had served in the RAF. I wondered what was it like to be in a prison camp. Had he been awake the whole that time? Or was he unconscious due to his injuries? I had so many questions I wanted answered. However, the research process was challenging. I had only information from the binder in the Victoria High archives. I found nothing in the BC Archives, and Canadian World War One sites because he had served with the British Air Force. At the time, Canada did not have its own Air Force, so finding any military information was rather difficult.
Because I had minimal factual details, I chose to represent him via historical fiction and from the perspective of someone else writing about him. Many men during the Great War wrote to the parents of fallen comrades so I thought this medium would be appropriate. I created a fictional soldier in the RAF and wrote two pieces from his perspective on G.R. Gray. I hope that you enjoy reading both and get a feeling of what he might have gone through. I believe that it is the feeling and general experience that are relevant in his situation.
I selected the individuals I researched based on one of two things: the advice of the Archives or my personal interest in them. It is helpful to feel a connection so that the researcher can bring them to life for others. In contrast to the people that Dr. Gough was researching, only one of my choices was different than his.
Mr. Arthur Yates held a personal fascination for me. Reading one of his letters in The Camosun inspired my fascination, even though there was virtually no factual information available.
Yates was the catalyst for my ability to find things. I searched the Internet, looking for any breadcrumb of information, but Yvonne Von Ruskenveld and Leona Taylor were the most helpful sources of information. My biggest challenge was piecing together his history. From his attestation papers, I discovered that Yates was a British immigrant, but I did not have all the puzzle pieces of his life to fit together into a clear picture of his character, personality, and life experiences until I went through numerous publications of the Camosun. Information gathered from this publication afforded an in-depth view on who he was and what he meant to the school. With this scope of information, it then seemed appropriate to compose an objective piece as well as a letter. Many men wrote to their wives and loved ones during war.
I selected Harold Eustace Whyte on the advice of Debbie Blackie from the Archives. She knew someone who was related to the man and arranged a time for both the relative and I to meet. Debbie become my main resource for information; we had exchanged contact information throughout the process of developing my research piece.
Researching Whyte afforded me insight into his family’s history, his time in the war, his descendants and even the family dynamics. All of that information is any researchers’ dream! I especially appreciated the photographs and the small details I learned about him. My biggest challenge was narrowing down a vast amount of information and deciding which details were most representational.
I chose to write a poem about Whyte inspired by a model I wrote in English class, but mainly because his family member I spoke with also wrote poetry. I chose to also compose an objective piece because I wanted people to see the details of who Whyte was as an individual, both before the war and after.
George Robert Gray was a choice based on personal interest because he was a prisoner of war, and had served in the RAF. I wondered what was it like to be in a prison camp. Had he been awake the whole that time? Or was he unconscious due to his injuries? I had so many questions I wanted answered. However, the research process was challenging. I had only information from the binder in the Victoria High archives. I found nothing in the BC Archives, and Canadian World War One sites because he had served with the British Air Force. At the time, Canada did not have its own Air Force, so finding any military information was rather difficult.
Because I had minimal factual details, I chose to represent him via historical fiction and from the perspective of someone else writing about him. Many men during the Great War wrote to the parents of fallen comrades so I thought this medium would be appropriate. I created a fictional soldier in the RAF and wrote two pieces from his perspective on G.R. Gray. I hope that you enjoy reading both and get a feeling of what he might have gone through. I believe that it is the feeling and general experience that are relevant in his situation.