Birth of the Matrix

The CEF Matrix Project is but a component of a larger project to study the men and women of Canada who served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) during the Great War (World War One). Canada was a young nation and still very much under the direction of the United Kingdom, as were many of the Commonwealth Countries. Canada did not have a large army and thus drew upon the Canadian Militia (part time soldiers) and new recruits to form the CEF.

An international group of Military "Buffs" and Family "Genealogists" have renewed the interest in the CEF, as they search for and record information on their family members, friends, and other persons of interest (i.e. men listed on community cenotaphs or in local war cemeteries). A massive amount of information on the men and women of the CEF has been posted to the CEF Study Group Forum under a wide variety of topics, including personal histories, research on specific battles, transcription of war diaries, medals & decorations, military equipment and specific unit histories.

To assist in the understanding of the structure of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), the team started a new project in March 2006 to document the matrix structure of the Canadian Army. Using the on-line CEF Matrix a researcher can now determine where the soldiers unit (i.e. infantry battalion, artillery brigade, engineers troop) fit into the overall concept of the Canadian Army. The "Matrix" is a work in progress and is reliant on the submissions of CEFSG members who are researching specific units, transcribing war diaries, or studying the history of specific battles.

The purpose of this BLOG is to have a place to be able to report on the development of the Matrix in "real time". As new sections are created or new concepts introduced, we will report on the progress. We encourage anyone that wants to join the study team to come to the CEF Forum and register. If you are not ready to add to the data base at this time, you are still welcome to just come and browse.

You do not have to be a member of the Study Group (SG) to visit the Matrix project site, but we do suggest that your visit will be enhanced if you do become a CEFSG participant.

I will report in my next post on the structure of the Matrix (Organization, Navigation, Utilities) to give you a better idea as to what resources are available and how you can use them to enhance your research.

Richard V. Laughton
Grandson of Great War Veterans
George Van Wyck Laughton - Visit His Great War Website
Josiah Alexander Chancellor Kennedy - Visit His World War One Website