The Leach-Sangster First World War collection includes over one hundred letters from several writers who served in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, as well as dozens of coinciding photographs, souvenirs, and artifacts. These documents and artifacts were passed down through three generations and remain in the family where they have been digitized and studied by Murray Sangster’s great-grandson and his wife. They tell a story of family, friendship, love, and brotherhood tested by the unrelenting pressure of a nation at war far from home.

The letters, mostly sent from Bob Leach to his mother, father and sister, span a critical period of Canada’s involvement in the First World War, from summer 1916 to the end of 1918. The first portion of letters describes the final days of the ill-fated 135th Middlesex Battalion. Allusions to the battle of the Somme, Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele coincide with Bob and Murray’s protracted training in England. For the most part this correspondence demonstrates Bob Leach’s personal development from an idealistic youth to a disillusioned and isolated veteran. Meanwhile the secondhand accounts of Murray Sangster’s involvement in the hundred day’s offensive, along with the battle scarred belongings that he carried with him tell the story of a shrewd and disciplined non-commissioned officer who took part in Canada’s pivotal contribution to ending the war.

The current caretakers of the collection are striving to make these documents and artifacts accessible to students and historians for their research at a time when the world needs to realize more than ever the paramount value of preserving peace.