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Gary Thomson is a Dundee firefighter but in his spare time, he has researched the lives of Taysiders that emigrated to Canada and who joined the Canadian Army at the start of World War One.

He was inspired by the story of his great uncle who left Scotland for Canada in 1911 had done just that. Widening his net, Gary went on to track down no less than 4000 men from Tayside who had gone to Canada and had signed up in 1914.

The new recruits joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force, a military force especially created for battle overseas.

鈥淧robably their most famous action was the taking of Vimy Ridge in 1917,鈥� Gary explains. 鈥淭his was after the British Expeditionary Force and French military had failed to take it. The CEF also fought at Passchendaele and marched into Mons on the 11th November 1918.鈥�

鈥淎fter all my research, I鈥檓 just amazed at the sheer numbers of men from Tayside that went out,鈥� Gary says. 鈥淭hey were thousands of miles away, but they still decided to do their bit.鈥�

Image copyright: Dundee Courier

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