Source Information

Ancestry.com. Canada, World War II Records and Service Files of War Dead, 1939-1947 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry Operations, Inc., 2015.
Original data: Service Files of the Second World War―War Dead, 1939–1947. Library and Archives Canada, Ottawa, Canada.

About Canada, World War II Records and Service Files of War Dead, 1939-1947

Canada entered the Second World War on 10 September 1939. More than a million Canadians served in the armed forces, representing about 10 percent of the entire population. Around 45,000 lost their lives.

This collection contains case files of nearly 45,000 Canadian military personnel killed in the Second World War. All of the case files have been indexed and can be searched using the provided search fields. Images for the remaining case files may be browsed, and will be indexed in a later update to this collection.

The files include attestation papers, death certificates, and photos of the soldiers. Information found on the documents varies, but can include a wide variety of details, such as:

  • soldier's name
  • date and place of birth
  • address
  • religion
  • marital status
  • names and birthdates of children
  • military service
  • physical description
  • education
  • occupational history
  • parents’ names
  • next of kin and address

Some records are in French. Use the arrow keys to make sure you see all the pages related to your ancestor.