'Tokens of Fritz': Canadian Soldiers and the Art of Souveneering in the Great War

Canadian soldiers had a fierce reputation for collecting souvenirs on the Western Front in the Great War. Almost every soldier engaged in 'souveneering', in the hope of finding trinkets, treasures, and relics. Yet why would soldiers collect souvenirs in a war of terrible destruction? The article explores the value and meaning of souvenirs during and after the war, and sheds light on the social history of soldiers and the constructed memory and meaning of the war.