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Vimy Foundation's 'Great War In Colour' Project Includes Colourized Photos From First World War

Rarely Seen WWI Photographs Brought To Life In Colour

A Canadian charity has launched a unique project that colourizes rarely seen photographs from the First World War.

The Vimy Foundation's "Great World in Colour" is a travelling exhibit of 150 images taken between 1914 and 1918.

"The First World War was a defining moment in Canadian history, a time when Canada was recognized on the world stage and a time when we were seen within our own borders as our own country, no longer just British subjects," the foundation's Caroline Ross told HuffPost Canada.

Draining Trenches. 22nd Infantry Battalion (French Canadian). July 1916. Colourized for the first time by Canadian Colour and the Vimy Foundation.
Vimy Foundation
Draining Trenches. 22nd Infantry Battalion (French Canadian). July 1916. Colourized for the first time by Canadian Colour and the Vimy Foundation.

"With no veterans of the First World War still alive, it is important that young people keep the stories of sacrifice alive."

The project, produced with support from the federal government, is currently on display at Fort York in Toronto. It'll be heading to Halifax's Central Library on Nov. 21.

A Canadian giving his comrades some music on his instrument which he has just made. July 1917.
Vimy Foundation
A Canadian giving his comrades some music on his instrument which he has just made. July 1917.

"The images featured within this project will not only highlight the important battles in Canada's history," the project's website states, "but also life on the home front, wartime industries, the contributions of women, and advances in medical and communications technologies."

Nursing Sisters, Mowat, McNichol, and Guilbride.
Vimy Foundation
Nursing Sisters, Mowat, McNichol, and Guilbride.

"We want to tell the entire story of the First World War, not just the stories from a soldier's perspective. With more than 600,000 Canadians who served of a population of only eight million at the time of the outbreak of war, all communities were affected in some way," Ross said.

"These photos, many not seen before, depict the various elements of wartime Canada between 1914 and 1918. It was important for us to ensure different voices were heard through this project."

A group of troops before sandbags on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
Vimy Foundation
A group of troops before sandbags on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

For more on the project, head over to the Vimy Foundation's project page.

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