As we have already mentioned on the “Where & When” page of this site, we have some idea as to the meaning and origins of some of the photographs based on their geographic location and our knowledge of the events during the Great War of 1914-1921 (The First World War).
There are two sets of photographs that relate directly to Milton Soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the Great War, which we have placed on this page:
In terms of major battles of the Great War in which the Canadian Expeditionary Force played a significant role, we have four (4) that are linked by the photographs:
- The 2nd Battle of Ypres, Belgium: April-May 1915
- The Battle of the Somme (Courcelette), France: October-November 1916
- The Battle of Passchendaele, Belgium: October-November 1917
- Canada’s Hundred Days: from Amiens to Mons August-November 1918
- Returning Home: the 75th Battalion leaves La Hulpe Belgium
In addition there are photographs from the French community of Lille, close to where the Canadians first say action in the Battle of Armentieres (Bois Grenier) in March 1915 -before they moved on the Ypres, and later in the Battle of Hill 70 & Lens (one of Canada’s forgotten battles) in August 1917.
The battles that are known, but not related to Canadian actions, or in one case not even the Great War are:
- The British Naval Raids at Zeebruge, Ostend and Bruges: April 1918
- The Battle of Waterloo: June 1815
The other known photographs are linked to communities in Belgium, with no known link to Canadians or the men of Milton and are just tourist pictures:
- Brussels, Belgium
- Generic Pictures from Belgium
- Generic Pictures from France
- Other Pictures
These may be split off to a separate section as the “Unknown Photographs”.
