Relaxing

Captain George Hipel of the Highland Light Infantry of Canada sent two very different Christmas cards home: a hurriedly printed black and white card in 1944, when the unit was still fighting; and an impressive colour card in 1945, when the unit was back in England.

Stylish Christmas cards with embossed crests and photographs, like these made for members of the Royal Canadian Air Force, were widely available during the Second World War.

These are typical examples of crested Christmas cards that were sold to Canadian servicemen and women both abroad and in Canada during the Second World War.

John Gillespie Magee's beloved poem was used for the 1942 Christmas card of the RCAF's overseas headquarters in London.

Before leaving for overseas, the 21st Battalion organized a week-long public celebration, with parades, sports, and games, for the people of Kingston and area.

During the First World War, it was quite common for women to pose for photographs while wearing a uniform that belonged to a loved one.

This may be the original version of a booklet that ex-soldiers sold after the First World War to raise money - Private Nixon's "Verses Written in the Trenches" is a later version.

Battalion badges were an important element of a unit's identity during the First World War, and proved to be a lucrative product for enterprising printers.

This postcard, which uses a version of the First World War French slogan "Ils ne passeront pas", was printed for the city of Brantford, Ontario, probably in the summer of 1940, when the German armies posed a very real threat of crossing the English Channel.

"O Valiant Hearts" was one of the most popular hymns to emerge from the First World War. This printed copy was distributed to members of the congregation of Wellington Street Methodist Church in London, Ontario, on the occasion of the unveiling of their war memorial.