THUNDER BAY  – The Thunder Bay Public Library (TBPL) has formed a community partnership to commemorate the centennial of World War One. The partnership, in place since 2014, includes the Library, the City of Thunder Bay Archives, City of Thunder Bay Heritage Advisory Committee, the Northwestern Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, the Thunder Bay Military Museum, Lakehead University Department of History, the Northwestern Ontario Aviation Heritage Centre and the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society. Each partner is contributing photographs and records to a dynamic online exhibit depicting life in Thunder Bay during World War One.

Thunder Bay is where the remembrance poppy idea was first adopted in 1921 and so we are known as the City of the Poppy. There are a number of ongoing events and initiatives to remember the role that Thunder Bay played in the First World War 1914 – 1918.

The WW1 Project Partners particularly want to hear your stories about this period in time, including any family memories, letters, diaries or other items that you may have which are associated with the Great War. You can email, mail or bring your items into any Library branch.

With your permission we would include these in our growing online community resource, which is hosted by the Library online at

www.tbpl.ca/worldwarone

We are particularly interested in learning more about the contribution that First Nations people made to this conflict, both at home in Thunder Bay, and over- seas on the battlefields of France and Belgium.

In the days leading up to Remembrance Day (November 11), we encourage you to visit our website at www.tbpl.ca/worldwarone to see the wealth of community resources that have already been collected.

We encourage members of the community to share their stories, photographs and other materials which can add to this valuable collective memory.