How can you help build the Canadian Virtual War Memorial? By adding your digital images of photographs and personal memorabilia to the collection. The images will be preserved as a significant contribution to our heritage and history, and a noteworthy legacy for future generations. Concrete, lasting and easily accessible, these personal records will surely be a most effective way to help all Canadians live up to the dictum "Lest we Forget".
Methods of submitting pictures
Please use one of the following methods to submit your pictures.
Electronic submission
When viewing a person in the Canadian Virtual War Memorial you will see a link to our electronic submission form that says "send us your images". You will need to fill out one copy of the form for each image you wish to submit.
Feel free to e-mail us vac.cvwm-mvgc.acc@canada.ca your digital images of photographs and personal memorabilia. If you are able to scan/photograph your own memorabilia, and prefer to correspond using e-mail, send the images as attachments. Please see the Guidelines for specifications on files. Be sure to include the following information in your e-mail message:
- Name of deceased
- Date of death
- Service number
- Rank
- Regiment
- Donor surname (required)
- Donor given name(s) (required)
- Street address
- City (or town)
- Province/postal code
- E-mail address (required)
- Telephone
- Relation to deceased
- Photograph caption
Examples
Click on the names that follow for examples of submissions which have been included in the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.
- Captain Arthur Richard Batson, M.C.
- Sergeant Charles Herbert Collyer
- Private Martin Joseph Cahill
- Warrant Officer Class I James Deans Wood
- Aircraftwoman Elizabeth Genevieve Woodman
- Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae
Guidelines for submitting pictures
Not all pictures are acceptable
Pictures must match a name that is inscribed in the Books of Remembrance on Parliament Hill and recorded in our Canadian Virtual War Memorial database. Before completing the electronic submission form, please verify that the name and details are correct.
We require written permission before we can accept pictures featuring family members, friends, or other persons who are not in military uniform.
Content
We would like to receive digital images of photographs showing the head and face or a full figure portrait.
- Formal pose
- Family or group picture
We would also welcome digital images of the following documents or personal memorabilia:
- Letters or postcards
- Extracts from personal diaries
- Attestation papers
- Medals, decorations and awards
- Citations
- Military service records
- Telegraphs
- Press clippings
- Identity disks
- Uniforms
- Military equipment
- Location of military service
- Personal artifacts
- Grave marker or cemetery
Digital image specifications
- All digital images must be in .jpg, .jpeg, or .gif format to be fully compatible with our server.
- Colour or black and white images may be submitted.
- The maximum image width and height is 600 pixels.
- The minimum image width and height is 100 pixels.
Captions
To help others get a better understanding and appreciation of the images, please provide a short written description of the picture. This caption will be included in the space below the picture. Space is limited, so please do not write more than 250 words. Veterans Affairs Canada reserves the right to edit text that is unrelated to the content of this web site.
Please don't send the originals
- Veterans Affairs Canada cannot accept your original photographs, documents or artifacts in the Canadian Virtual War Memorial.
- Veterans Affairs Canada reserves the right to limit the number of pictures that can be displayed for any one individual.
- Veterans Affairs Canada reserves the right to digitally reprocess your digital image to conform with these specifications.