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Front Lines - The Life of the Soldier

2008 9 min
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This short documentary made in 2008 looks at the gruelling life of a soldier in the First World War. The letters home speak of the physical and emotional hardships and the mental strain of what they witness on the battlefield. On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year 2008, 90 years will have passed since the signing of the Armistice ending the Great War in Europe. More than 600,000 men and women crossed the Atlantic with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and more than 60,000 of them never returned. Front Lines features veterans' letters …

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Front Lines - The Life of the Soldier

Details

This short documentary made in 2008 looks at the gruelling life of a soldier in the First World War. The letters home speak of the physical and emotional hardships and the mental strain of what they witness on the battlefield. On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the year 2008, 90 years will have passed since the signing of the Armistice ending the Great War in Europe. More than 600,000 men and women crossed the Atlantic with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and more than 60,000 of them never returned. Front Lines features veterans' letters to their families and images from the NFB archives, the Canadian War Museum and Library and Archives Canada.

War, Conflict and Peace History - Canada - 1867-1919 All subjects

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Education

Ages 14 to 17
School subjects
Civics/Citizenship - Citizen Responsibilities History - World War I
Comment on the content of the letters from the soldiers in the trenches. How important were these letters to both the soldiers and their families? After so many years, do you think Canadians often forget the struggles these soldiers faced? Research trench warfare as experienced by soldiers in World War I.

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