“I regret to inform you…“: Next-of-kin Notification and Official Condolences—The Case of Flight Lieutenant George J. Chequer, RCAF

Authors

Serge Durflinger, University of OttawaFollow

Abstract

During the Second World War public memorialization and private bereavement complemented one another in lamenting the loss of 42,000 Canadians on active service. The visible symbols of the nation’s wartime grief included casualty lists and obituaries published in newspapers, religious services conducted to ease the grief of surviving relatives and friends, and various public commemorative ceremonies. Less frequently seen in public is the official and private correspondence received by Canadian families upon the deaths of their loved ones on active service.

Recommended Citation

Durflinger, Serge "“I regret to inform you…“: Next-of-kin Notification and Official Condolences—The Case of Flight Lieutenant George J. Chequer, RCAF." Canadian Military History 9, 4 (2000)