First World War deaths and burials
Search for death and burial records of Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) members who died during the First World War or for records of CEF veterans who died up to the early 1960s.
On this page
Places to look
Browse digitized records from the following series for death and burial information on CEF members who served during the First World War and died up to the early 1960s.
Veterans Death Cards, First World War
Death cards were created when the Department of Veterans Affairs was notified of the death of a First World War veteran, up to the early 1960s. Approximately 130,000 cards are available and have been digitized in batches of 1,300.
These cards do not contain any files relating to the notification of death.
What’s in these records?
This collection of records includes information about veterans of the CEF who died after discharge or while in Canada during the First World War.
It also contains records for:
- many CEF veterans who died after discharge or in Canada during the war
- some veterans of the British Forces who died in Canada after the war
- some members of the militia who died in Canada during or after the war
- some Royal Canadian Navy veterans who died after the war
- a few veterans of the Newfoundland Forces who died after the war
- a few veterans of Allied Forces (for example, from the Indian, French or American armies) who died in Canada after the war
- a few veterans of the Northwest Mounted Police with prior military service
- a few veterans of the South African War and the Northwest Field Force (1885 Resistance)
This collection does not include records of CEF members who died overseas during the war. For those records, see Commonwealth War Graves Registers, First World War.
How the cards were organized
The names are arranged in alphabetically by last name. Each group of cards is labelled with the first surname in that group.
Please note that the Mc/Mac, Na and Ne groups are not in strict alphabetical order. To help with finding the correct names, here are the ranges for these groups:
- Murphy, George to McCarthy, Hugh
- McCarthy, James J. to McDonald, Duncan James
- McDonald, E. B. to McGibbon, Wm. T.
- McGibney, Robert James to McKay, Jos. P.
- McKay, K. J. to McLean, Astor B.
- MacLean, Bert to McNamara, Wm.
- McNamee, Michael to Neff, Joseph
In some cases, cards from earlier projects were reused and the original name on the back wasn’t crossed out. For example, a card originally created for H.H. Johnson was reused for R.J. Mullett; however, the back of the Mullett card still shows Johnson’s name, which is unrelated to Mullett.
Commonwealth War Graves Registers, First World War
(Accession RG150, 1992-93/314)
This series (volumes 39–144), known as the “Black Binders,” lists the graves of CEF members who died in Belgium, France, and the United Kingdom during the First World War. The cards are based on information from individual service files and Circumstances of Death records.
The first name is often recorded as an initial. A typical two-page document may include:
- Service number
- Rank
- Name
- Unit
- Date of death
- Cause and place of death
- Casualty sheet number
- Date of burial
- Location of grave
- Information on the next of kin
- Communication of the grave location to the next of kin
If a grave was unknown, the page is stamped with the memorial where the person’s name is inscribed (for example, Vimy Memorial or Menin Gate). The records also note any post-war movement of graves.
Circumstances of Death Registers, First World War
(Accession RG150, 1992-93/314)
This series (volume 145–238), known as the “Brown Binders,” provides details on CEF members who died in Belgium, France, and the United Kingdom during the First World War, along with notes on their original grave site. These registers do not indicate the final place of burial if the grave was later relocated. For that information, search the Commonwealth War Graves registers.
The registers are arranged alphabetically by last name. Volumes with last names beginning with S to Z did not survive.
A typical two-page document may include:
- Service number
- Rank
- Name (surname and Christian names)
- Unit or ship
- Date of casualty
- Headquarter file number
- Religion
- Circumstances of casualty
- Name, relationship and address of next of kin
- Location of unit at time of casualty
- Cemetery
- Location of cemetery
- Grave location and information
Other relevant records from this accession include:
-
Volumes 1–38
- Applications from former CEF personnel for burial in Canada or the United States with a military marker provided by the Government of Canada.
-
Volumes 239–274
- Records of death and burial for military service personnel in Canada and the United States during the First World War and afterward.
-
Volumes 275–278
- Groups killed in the First World War not described in any of the other volumes. These include those lost at sea, members of the Siberian Expeditionary Force, enemy aliens interned by Canada, and miscellaneous personnel of the Canadian Expeditionary Force and the Royal Canadian Navy.
Other places to look
First World War Personnel Records: CEF military service files
For veterans who survived the war, these files generally contain little information about death or burial. Occasionally, a death notification (on blue paper) from the Department of Veterans Affairs may indicate the date and place of death.
For those killed in action, the service record typically notes the death, sometimes using terms such as “killed in action” (KIA) or “died of wounds” (DoW), along with the date.
Search tips
- The records are not keyword searchable; you will need to browse the cards, which are arranged alphabetically.
- Some cards list only an initial rather than the full given name.
Abbreviations
- C.P.C.
- Canadian Pension Commission
- Death Not Due / Death Not Related
- death was not attributed to illness or injury contracted while in service
- Death Was Due / Death Related
- death was attributed to illness or injury contracted while in service
- Farm Records
- these records were once stored in a building at the Experimental Farm
- Imp.
- Imperial (British) Forces
- HQ
- Headquarters
- M.D.
- Military District
- N/K
- next of kin
- Rk.
- Rank
- w.
- wife / widow
Access the records
The Circumstances of Death, Commonwealth War Graves, and Veteran Death Cards have all been digitized and are available online.
For records that are not digitized, you will need to see them in person. If you cannot visit us in person, you may want to order copies or hire a researcher.