A History of Excellence
Having opened its doors in 1923, Glebe Collegiate Institute's rich history spans over 100 years. For over a century, thousands of students have shared the same walk to school, walked through the same front doors, and walked the same hallways.
In 1939, when the Second World War broke out, students and teachers bravely left GCI to respond to the call of duty and serve in the Canadian Armed Forces. Each one of them walked out of the front doors of Glebe, said goodbye to their loved ones and headed off to serve their country, to preserve the honour which was bestowed upon them by the generation before who bravely fought in the First World War.
Many of these brave men fell in the line of duty and were never able to return home to their families.
Over the years, GCI History Students have studied one of these fallen soldiers, carefully piecing together their lives, becoming custodians of their memory, finding parallels between their lives and their own.
In a spirit of Remembrance, Students have created a memorial walk throughout the Glebe which identifies the homes of these former students, and offers information about their life and service. A sample memorial sign is shown on the right.
On their daily walk home from school from November 8th to the 14th, Glebe Collegiate students are encouraged to walk by the house of one of the fallen, scan the QR code and learn more about their lives.
Their hope is that you will join them in walking the memory of their soldier back home. Ultimately, Walking Them Home.
On the map, you will see pins showcasing the addresses of all of our former GCI students and staff who served in WW2. Feel free to use this map to plan your memorial walk.
Scroll to an area that interests you, click on a pin, and learn more about a soldier by clicking on the link to their biography.
In the 1937 edition of the Lux Glebana, Glebe Collegiate's yearbook, in an article titled 'What Price Liberty' student Ian A. McPhee, reflects on the Canadian experience in the First World War.
By encouraging our students and greater community to remember the lives of these brave men by Walking Them Home, it is our hope that we are truly honouring those that came before us, ensuring that the torch (that) was passed on to us to keep(s) burning brightly.
Walking Them Home - No Last Names.mp4Walking them Home - Student Reflections, November 2023
Video filmed, directed and edited by Mollie O.
The biographies appearing on this website have been written by students, roughly the same age as the soldiers they are studying, using primary source evidence from Library and Archives Canada, in addition to primary source documents from The Virtual War Memorial on veterans.ca. We welcome any corrections or additions you may have to these biographies.
'If we do preserve it, we honour them, and when we in our turn pass on, we will know that behind us lives a generation of free men and of free women to be the keepers of this great heritage of ours - Canada.'
- Ian A. McPhee, former student at GCI, 1937.
To connect with the creators of his project, please e-mail Jessica.Mcintyre@ocdsb.ca & Gavin.Mconie@ocdsb.ca
Glebe Collegiate Institute
212 Glebe ave.
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
