Victory Loans and War Savings

This booklet, published by the Institution of Financial Education, encouraged Canadians to support their country by investing in War Savings stamps and certificates.

"This is a war to the death. Every dollar we can spare above our absolute needs must be loaned to our country." This message is illustrated using the short story, The Richest Man in Babylon Tells His System, which attributes one man's financial success to smart investments that earned good interest. 

Back Them Up! was a magazine published by the T. Eaton Company in 1942. The magazine lists the names and photos of Eaton employees who had enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces during the Second World War. This document aims to show appreciation for the men and women who enlisted, but it also served to persuade the readers at home to purchase victory bonds. "Seize Your Patriotic Opportunity Now and Buy Victory Bonds!" 

This used ink blotter was distributed during one of the Victory Loan campaigns of the First World War.

An envelope designed to contain stamp folders for War Savings Certificates. 

Canadians buying war bonds during the Second World War would have kept theirs in envelopes similar to this one. The war bonds and war savings certificates would have been taken to branches of the Canadian Bank of Commerce for safekeeping until their maturity date. 

Bonds of the Second Victory Loan became available for purchase by Canadians on 16 February 1942. This application package includes the regulations and restrictions that applied to bond purchases, as well as the forms necessary to purchase bonds. 

During the Second World War, War Savings Certificates were a practical way to invest one's money while also helping the Canadian war effort. In other words, it was a patriotic way to put one's money "to work." This envelope would have been used by a civilian worker to purchase and register their War Savings Certificates through mail.  

The federal government used every tactic to convince Canadians to help finance the Second World War domestically - including mobilizing cartoon figures by Walt Disney.

To prepare people to support the last Victory Loan, organizers in Nova Scotia outlined how their previous investments had been spent.

This postcard was sent to a soldier, likely by his former co-workers in Wallaceburg, Ontario, to celebrate their success in the 1943 Victory Bond campaign.