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The Lest We Forget Project is a community based program that researches the names of soldiers found on cenotaphs across Canada. This museum display was completed by Smiths Falls high school students who collected the names off their local cenotaph and completed primary research through the Library and Archives of Canada. The result is a collection of images and text that tells the story of the spirit of youth and the tragedy of war. As part of the final component to the research the students traveled to Europe to visit the cemeteries where these soldiers are buried and take a digital image and complete a grave rubbing. The following display is the end result which can be duplicated by any community in Canada that has a cenotaph.2
Cenotaph5 August 2005
Smiths Falls, Ontario
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Almost every community in Canada has a cenotaph. Each cenotaph commemorates those soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice during the First and Second World War.4
Cenotaph3 August 2005
Smiths Falls, Ontario
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The goal of every cenotaph is to remember those who paid the ultimate price on behalf of their country. But other than the names listed on each cenotaph Canadians know very little about those who made this sacrifice.6
Names on the cenotaph5 August 2005
Smiths Falls, Ontario
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The purpose of this virtual museum tour of the cenotaph in Smiths Falls is to investigate the cenotaph names and find out what happened to each one of these soldiers. As well, this virtual tour will document the research process that Smiths Falls high school students completed in Canada, and in Europe, in an effort to find out how each soldier died.8
Primary research with military files at National Archives5 March 2004
Ottawa, Canada
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Our tour begins at the Library and Archives of Canada where students examine the military files of the soldiers whose names are found on the cenotaph in Smiths Falls, Ontario.10
Students conducting primary cenotaph research at National Archives5 March 2004
Ottawa, Canada
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At the Library and Archives of Canada students examine each soldier's service record, medical records and other items such as each soldier's will and battalion information. Finally, the students are able to determine how each soldier died and where each soldier is buried or commemorated in Europe. The next step for the students is to go to Europe and find their soldier's grave site. When each soldier's gravesite is located students complete a grave rubbing and a digital image.12
Small war graves cemetery15 October 2004
Cagnicourt, France
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In Europe the plan was to have students visit the cemeteries where Smiths Falls First World War soldier's are buried. Also, students will to travel to some of the Commonwealth war memorials such as Menin Gate in Ieper, Belgium and to Canada's Vimy Ridge Monument outside Arras, France.14
Team work21 October 2004
Dominion Cemetery, Arras, France
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