Souvenir Publications

Although Canada had only three official war photographers, they produced a remarkable body of work - just a small portion of which was put on display in London in January 1919.

This portfolio was given to L.T. Bradley by the National War Finance Committee. It includes reproductions of the documents of surrender from Lüneburg, Rheims, Berlin, and Tokyo. It also has photographs of the signings, accompanied with short paragraphs describing the scenes.

For most of the Second World War, Holland was under Nazi occupation. Due to its much smaller army, the country was quickly overrun by the Germans in 1940. Canada was deeply involved in the liberation of Holland from Nazi control, as well as during the reconstruction period by providing financial aid and physical resources. This book was intended to commemorate the achievements of the Canadian Army and to strengthen the relationship between the two nations.

La Guerre des Nations (The War of Nations) was published in 1915 as an illustrated souvenir of the Great War, specifically the role of Canada and Canadians. This edition features photographs of soldiers from all over the world, including Turkey, Egypt, and India, 

Published by the French-Canadian Recruitment Committee, this book of images shows the conditions of Canadian soldiers in France and Belgium during the First World War. They used both real photographs and artistic recreations to highlight the severity of  destruction and the impact of the war on civilians.

This souvenir from the First World War contains photos of British officials, and Canadian soldiers from the warfront in Europe.

At the end of the Second World War, a Canadian brewery published this collection of illustrations, as a tribute to French Canada's soldiers and the battles they fought: Beauvoir Farm, Casa Berardi, Bernières-sur-mer, Hill 195, Dieppe, Etavaux, Inchville, the Normandy landings, Nieuwvliet, San Martino, and Termoli.

The Illustrated War News was a weekly British magazine produced during the First World War. Each issue contains photographs, drawings, articles, and maps portraying the allied war effort, for readers in the United Kingdom, Canada, and Newfoundland.

The Illustrated War News est un magazine hebdomadaire britannique publié durant la Première guerre mondiale. Chaque numéro contient des photos, des dessins, des articles et des cartes illustrant l’effort de guerre des troupes alliées, pour les lecteurs du Royaume-Uni, du Canada et de Terre-Neuve.

Though not directly related to the Second World War, this official souvenir programme for the coronation of George VI is a fascinating and detailed examination of this event, celebrated throughout the British Commonwealth. George VI would reign as sovereign of the United Kingdom, and also as King of Canada, throughout the Second World War. He died in 1952. (Note: this is a large file and may take a moment to download.)

This collection of drawings by Robert W. Chambers was published by The Halifax Mail to permanently show life in Halifax during wartime.