In 1926 the University commissioned the publication of a book to record the names and photographs of those who lost their lives in the First World War. This compilation, along with the numerous memorials placed in the campus buildings comprised the official record of the contribution of those who lost their lives. The contents include:
- Dedication
- McGill and the War [introductory essay]
- The Dead
- Others Who Served
- Summary [one page of statistics]
In 1946 plans were made to incorporate the losses of both world wars in a Memorial Book (seen in photo) kept under glass in the Memorial Hall completed in 1950. In a single book the names of the 365 lost in 1914-18 were added to the 298 names of those lost between 1939 and 1945.
On November 11, 1914 a digitized version of the newly restored Book of Remembrance will be launched on the McGill Remembers website. In addition, attendees at the Remembrance Day Service are invited to view the original Book of Remembrance on temporary display from 10am to 4pm in the lobby of McLennan Library Building. This event will be followed by the official unveiling and long-term display of a replica copy on November 13 at 4:30PM.
The illuminated Book of Remembrance records the names of the nearly 700 students, staff and faculty who lost their lives in World War I and World War II. Each name is handwritten in calligraphy and the parchment pages are illuminated with vibrant reds, blues or greens, as well as silver and gold. The Book is bound in red leather with the McGill University emblem emblazoned with silver and gold on the cover.
The Book was first unveiled during the official opening of Memorial Hall, now part of the Currie Gymnasium Complex, on November 26, 1950. Memorial Hall was to be the permanent home of the Book of Remembrance and commemorative artifacts such as the battalion flags and the portrait of the Unknown Soldier, as well as the site for future Remembrance Day ceremonies. By the mid-1980s, Memorial Hall was no longer used for these activities, and the illuminated Book of Remembrance was becoming a distant memory.
In February 2014, the Book of Remembrance was removed from its original casing in Memorial Hall to be restored and digitized. As a result of this project, a replica of the Book was made and will be housed in a special display case in the pedway connecting the McLennan and Redpath Library Buildings. A digitized version will be launched on the McGill Remembers website, and the original will be made accessible for viewing in the Rare Books and Special Collections, and Archives Reading Room on the fourth floor of the McLennan Library Building.
In 1939, the Sir Arthur Currie Memorial Gymnasium-Armoury opened on the north side of Pine Avenue, just east of University Street. The gym was named for Sir Arthur Currie, a highly decorated general in the First World War, who went on to serve as principal of McGill from 1920 to 1933. Four years after the end of the Second World War, the building was expanded to include Memorial Hall. With its marble and terrazzo finishes, bronze doors, stained glass windows, and commemorative artwork and plaques, the Hall became the central point of the McGill community’s collective memory of the World Wars.