The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary’s) Book of Memory

The Book of Memory (BoM) was established in 1981 by The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary’s) Regimental Board of Trustees [CScotR Trustees] and The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary’s) Regimental Association [CScotR RA] to honour the memory, and record the service, of deceased former member of the Regiment and to act as a fundraising mechanism for an Endowment Fund that would provide ongoing financial support for the good and welfare of the Regimental Family. To be eligible for entry into the Book of Memory, an individual must have served with The Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary’s) or one of the units it perpetuates. In 2023, an Annex to the Book of Memory was created to similarly honour and remember those non-serving members of the Regimental Family whose loyalty and support have contributed much to the Regiment's well-being, cohesion, and reputation.

Entry into the BoM is usually accomplished by a sponsor nominating an eligible deceased person and accompanied by a donation to the Endowment Fund. Living individuals can also self-prenominate themselves for entry when they die. Sometimes, sponsors make donations to the Endowment Fund and have the EF committee select an eligible person for entry.  

Once a nomination is accepted, the nominee’s service record is reviewed and verified. Depending on the nominated individual, this process can be simple or very complex. Service records for World War I personnel and World War II dead are held by the Library of Archives Canada (LAC), are available online, and can be accessed by any member of the public. Records of still-serving soldiers are held at the National Defence Headquarters, and only the named individual can access their service records. All other service records are held at LAC. Again, a living individual can access their record. Still, all other records are subject to federal privacy legislation and can only be accessed under the provisions of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIPP) Act. In practical terms, this means that access to the deceased person's records must be made by their next of kin, providing proof of relationship and death. Once access to the personnel file is gained, a detailed examination of its contents is conducted so that an accurate and complete summation of the person’s service record can be developed and written. Depending on the soldier’s length type of service, and kind of nomination, this can take anywhere from eight to forty hours. For example, a self-pre-nomination where the service record has been provided while the individual is living can be updated and completed quickly. In contrast, the service record of a career soldier who may have served in several units, at numerous locations and operation deployments will take much longer. This service record summation will form the basis of the entry into the BoM.

All processes and procedures for the nomination of non-serving Regimental Family members are the same, except that verification of service and eligibility will rely on the recommendation of the current leadership of the Regimental Family element with which the nominee served subject to final approval of the Endowment Fund Committee. The Book of Memory currently has more than 1600 entries in several volumes. It is kept in the Regimental Museum of the Canadian Scottish Regiment located in the Bay Street Armory in Victoria, BC.