SWE Highlight: Lionel Budge Letters

Recently added to the Saskatchewan War Experience project are these letters from Lionel Budge, written while serving in Mossbank, Saskatchewan.

The full collection of letters spans 1939 to 1947. Letters that have been uploaded were written in 1942, while Lionel Budge was working as a mechanic at the Mossbank air training school in Saskatchewan.

Lionel wrights of his duties, the cost of living in each of the towns he is in, and of the friends he has made during his employment.

SWE Highlight: SGGA Roll of Honour

Recently added to the Saskatchewan War Experience is this Roll of Honour poster published by the Saskatchewan Grain Growers Association around 1918.

The poster is illustrated with detailed prints and the names are arranged by location.

SWE Highlight: Edmund Oliver Papers

This letter and postcard come from a collection of letters from the University of Saskatchewan Archives "Oliver Papers" fond. Dr. Edmund H. Oliver was a History and Economics professor at the University of Saskatchewan. During WWI he was Chaplain of the 196th Battalion and in 1917 launched the University of Vimy Ridge, a university for soldiers during the war. The University of Vimy Ridge focused on vocational training that would help soldiers get a job upon their return home.




Dr. Edmund H. Oliver wrote to his wife Rita and his boys every day while he was away. This postcard, sent from France, depicts the prospective victory only a few months away. The Letter displayed here is one written after he was learned of the end of the war. Dr. Oliver often talks about the topic of his sermons for the week, current events of the war, his desire to be back home, and his desire to be closer to the men in the trenches.

SWE Highlight: New War Narratives

Two new war narratives have been added to the Saskatchewan War Experience home page.

"Seared In My Memory" is the account of Jessie Bernie's experience as a prisoner of war in Hong Kong, told by Norm Park, a journalist from Saskatchewan.

"The Silent Observer" is the self-authored story of David Acaster's experience of WWII.

Saskatchewan’s Visual Arts: Call for Participation

The University of Regina Archives and Special Collections is leading a digital exhibition project funded by the Ministry of Education, Provincial Library and Literacy Office in conjunction with a grant from the Saskatchewan Council for Archives and Archivists. The project will enable many institutions to contribute content to a single digital collection managed through the University of Regina Library’s ContentDM application.

The theme for the project is Saskatchewan’s Visual Arts: Post 1950. This theme looks at artists that have raised the profile of visual arts within Saskatchewan, following the creation of the Saskatchewan Arts Board in 1948. The Arts Board’s mandate to provide financial support to artists encouraged a new level of artistic growth within Saskatchewan and made way for some of the province’s most noteworthy and memorable artists.

Materials from permanent collections are eligible for digitization. This includes material in any format (photos, slides, sketchbooks, published material, sound, film, documents and memorabilia) as they relate to Saskatchewan’s Visual Arts: Post 1950. Participating institutions will be asked to digitize their contribution(s) or request technical support from the University of Regina Archives. Contributors should also provide accompanying metadata and contextual information for inclusion in the ContentDM database.

The goal of this project is to produce an online archival exhibit that will document Saskatchewan’s rich contribution to the visual arts and promote access to archival, library, museum, and gallery materials.

Content from participating institutions must be copyright-cleared and participants must be willing to make digitized content freely available on the internet.

Institutions willing to participate should contact Mark Vajcner (mark.vajcner@uregina.ca) before 17 June 2011. It is anticipated that the bulk of the scanning and description work will occur in July and August 2011.

Large and small contributions are welcome!

SWE Highlight: Community Meets Veteran

"Community Meets Veteran," published in 1945, is a recent addition to the Saskatchewan War Experience from the Saskatchewan Legislative Library.

The pamphlet discusses the needs of veterans upon their return home. The importance of a place in the community is emphasized, whether that means a job that the returned soldier can feel passionate about, or a way to address the issues that experience in war has made important.

The various forms of government funding and assistance to veterans are explained, and recommended readings and films about the returned soldier are listed.

Ben Neudorf
Technical Coordinator

SWE Highlight: Roll Call: The Voice of the Veteran

These magazines, entitled "Roll Call: The Voice of the Veteran," have just been added to the Saskatchewan War Experience.

Each issue contains "Army and Navy News," "Army Sports Review," along with various articles and business ads, many of which are veteran-owned.

This issue also contains an article entitled "The Philosophy of Rehabilitation," and advice about where to go for rehabilitation services.

Benjamin Neudorf
Technical Coordinator