General Archives | Verdun in Wartime: An Engaged Community

The Crawford Park Neighbourhood

Crawford Park is without a doubt the Verdun neighbourhood where the memory of military engagement is the most apparent. Several streets have names with military associations. The First […]

Parc du Souvenir

Parc du Souvenir is located in front of City Hall, on Verdun Street, between Willibrord Street and 1st Avenue. Initially known as Willibrord Park and then Monument Park, […]

Canada Day Celebrations

In July 1953, Branch 202 Crawford Park organized an activity day in Queen Elizabeth Park for the Canada Day celebrations (then referred to as Dominion Day). The photograph […]

Activities for Young Verdunites

Here is a photograph of a reception for young hockey players from the Crawford neighbourhood in the […]

Inauguration of the Victory Memorial

This image presents the October 5th, 1924 program for the unveiling of the cenotaph erected in honour of the soldiers who died during the First World War. Transcription […]

A Parade to Commemorate the Battle of Ypres

This photograph, dated April 23, 1943, shows some of the 4000 soldiers and veterans who participated in the parade commemorating the Battle of Ypres. The crowd was marching […]

The Armistice Ceremony

Here is a photograph, dated November 7, 1937, of the ceremony at the cenotaph during the Armistice Day (now Remembrance Day) commemorations in Verdun. Servicemen form an honour […]

Veterans and the Housing Crisis

Verdun Branch no. 4 of the Canadian Legion identified the housing crisis as the main source of discontent among servicemen. This reproduction of a petition submitted by veterans […]

Veterans’ Housing

The photograph shows what was referred to as veterans’ housing, mostly built during the Second World War. This name was given to single-family homes that were built as […]

A Letter Revealing a Major Crisis

This reproduction of a letter written by a Verdunite evicted from her flat in 1945 clearly illustrates the devastating effect of the housing crisis and the frustration it […]

Committed Women

Following the wars, Verdun’s women continued their work on behalf of veterans and the community at large. They formed the Verdun Ladies’ Auxiliary in Branch 4 Verdun and […]

A Happy Family Reunion

The newspaper article features private Victor J. Myatt who was captured and imprisoned by the Japanese in Hong Kong from December 1941 until the end of the war. […]