Second World War Canadian Unit Diaries and Col. C. P. Stacey

You may not be aware, I wasn't, that there are extensive war diaries for every unit of the Canadian forces during the Second World War. If your relative was on land, sea or air, even at one of the many Canadian bases of the Commonwealth Air Training Plan, there should be a diary for his or her unit at Library and Archives Canada. Start the search at http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/military-heritage/Pages/war-diaries-ship-logs-operations-records.aspx/. It may not mention your relative but will recount the unit experience.

That these diaries were maintained is largely due to one man, Historian Col. C P (Charles Perry) Stacey whose contributions are being celebrated in a display History in the Making – C. P. Stacey and Canadian Military Headquarters, at Canada House in London. It is created by the Canadian War Museum in co-operation with the Canadian High Commission.
Read more about the display in this article from the War Museum and about Stacey in this wikipedia article.

Thanks to Glenn Wright for the tip he managed to send even while busy putting last minutes touches to the presentations he's given this coming weekend for a conference of the Alberta Genealogical Society.

Note: Col C P Stacey is no relative of Col Stacey of Chicken Cannon fame.