My ancestor worked for the CIBC (Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce) in the early part of the 1900s. Is there any way I can find out more about him during that time?
Olive Tree Answer: Hi Laurel. You may be in luck because the CIBC website has an Archives section for their employees who served in World War 1 and World War 11.
In 1920, The Canadian Bank of Commerce published Letters From the Front, Being a Record of the Part Played by Officers of the Bank in the Great War, 1914 - 1919. This two-volume commemorative set began as a series of eleven pamphlets, published between August 1915 and January 1919, which included letters from bank employees on active duty. There are a few names you can view online but you can write to the Archives at archives@cibc.com to ask about your ancestor. You will receive all the information that the bank has on file.
The Canadian Bank of Commerce also published a book after World War II to commemorate those who served. The War Service Records, 1939 - 1945 was published in 1947. It included staff profiles and anecdotes of banking life during wartime.
There are also staff profiles as well as letters sent from the front.
