Mr. Scott Masters and the Crestwood Social Studies Department have been working on compiling a Historical Archive for several years now. This initiative came into being because of the numerous World War Two Veterans and Holocaust Survivors that have spoken to Mr. Masters’ students. Through their generosity and to make sure that their memories are kept alive as an intact historical document, Mr. Masters and his students have been digitizing their photos and mementoes. These items and the individual interviews that accompany them help to illuminate the past and expose the students to points of view and specific memories that they would not necessarily find in their textbooks. Over time the decision was made to expand this into a real Family History Project, and our students and their families have responded with great enthusiasm. These family and community history projects are here for the larger Crestwood community as part of our efforts to show the personal side of modern history.

It is possible to find parallel stories on the Oral History Project webpage by using the Search Box in the upper right corner of this page. To be able hear stories – for example – from Military Veterans who served in D-Day, or from Holocaust Survivors who were in Theresienstadt, please enter that key word or phrase into the search box and press enter. A story or perhaps multiple stories should appear. Simply click on the one that interests you to enter that person’s webpage and listen to their account. Please note that the Search box applies to the whole Crestwood website, so to search for oral history related topics, please use fairly exact language.

The following are some examples of key words/phrases that would be useful in navigating our Veterans’ page: Afghanistan, African-Canadian, Air force, Army, Battle of Britain, Black Devils, Corvette, Cyprus, Dieppe, D-Day, Hong Kong, Korean War, Lancaster, Merchant Marine, NATO, Navy, Netherlands, Paratrooper, Pathfinders, Peacekeeper, POW, Prisoner of War, RAF, RCAF, RCN ,Red Army, Troopship, U-Boat, WREN.

For Holocaust Survivors, please use the following terms/phrases: Anti-Semitism, Auschwitz Birkenau, Belgium, Bergen Belsen, Dachau, Drancy, France, Ghetto, Hidden Child, Hungary, Kristallnacht, Lodz, Madjanek, Mauthausen, Nuremberg Laws, Palmach, Partisan, Pithiviers, Poland, Prague, Righteous, Romania, Slave labour, Stutthof, Theresienstadt, Treblinka, Vichy, Vilna, Warsaw, Westerbork.

And for Community Members, the following should be useful: Africa, Apartheid, Diversity, Hiroshima, Human rights, Internment Camps, Iran, Islam, Jamaica, Japanese-Canadian.