Faces from the past: Regina Legion Museum brings forgotten stories back to life

A faded photograph can hold an entire lifetime of memories a – young soldier in uniform, a family member smiling for the camera, or a moment captured thousands of kilometres from home.

But for some of the people pictured in the Regina Legion Museum’s collection, their names and stories remain unknown.

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Now, a major digitization project is helping bring those stories back into the light.

Kelsey Lonie, collections manager with the Regina Legion Museum, said they are working to preserve its extensive collection of photographs, letters, and wartime documents by making them available online.

Lonie said her inspiration for the project came from wanting to make history easier for everyone to access, whether they live nearby or across the country.

“The Legion Museum has gone through quite an overhaul. The whole top floor of the Legion for a while, and then they had to consolidate their assets into one room,” she explained.

“And then the rest went into safe storage. We know that not everybody can access the building, or maybe they’re coming from out of town.”

The solution was to bring the collection to people digitally.

Lonie explained the process started with taking inventory of thousands of items before volunteers and university interns began carefully scanning and uploading photographs to a digital platform.

“It was a bit overwhelming to start,” Lonie said “But I’ve been here for two years, and at first we just inventoried everything, and then I decided to start with the photographs.”

With the help of the museum’s team, the collection grew one image at a time.

“Folks would come in for a couple of hours a day, scan, scan, scan, and slowly upload it,” Lonie said.

After completing the photograph collection, the museum moved on to other personal pieces of history, including letters and wartime Christmas cards.

“We went next to letters because, again, those are personal connections to the past that people are probably most interested in,” she said.

For Lonie, the photographs represent much more than historical records.

“It’s a total glimpse into the past, a piece of humanity,” she said. “It just reminds us that these are all regular human beings throughout time who have stepped up when it was required.”

The photographs capture a wide range of experiences – from training in Dundurn to moments of leisure while serving overseas.

“Think of a young man or woman from Saskatchewan who was raised during the Great Depression and had never been anywhere, to then be plopped in London, England. Imagine the photographs that they’re taking,” she said.

Other images show the aftermath of battle, while some capture everyday moments that reveal personalities

“I always feel very connected to the people in the photograph,” Lonie said.

Now, the museum is hoping the public can help uncover more of those stories. While many photographs have been digitized, some faces remain unidentified.

“We are hoping that you might be able to identify somebody in the photograph, and we don’t know who they are,” Lonie said.

“If you see somebody that you know in some of these photographs, you can reach out to us at museum@reginalegion.com and let us know the number on the photograph.”

She says even one name can make a meaningful difference for families trying to learn more about their past.

“There’s a lot of times where somebody maybe doesn’t know a lot about somebody in their family’s service,” Lonie said.

“How cool is it, and memorable, and special, to come across a photograph you didn’t know existed.”

As the Regina Legion celebrates its 100th anniversary, the digitization project is helping ensure those memories remain accessible for future generations.