Adela D.
St. Catharines, Ontario
Independent
Digital Museum Exhibit — Albert Wesley Dunkley (Great Grandfather)
In this project, I used online databases and artifacts my father had to learn all about my great-grandfather's time spent fighting in World War One and how that affected his life during and following the war. It tells his story and how his service impacted his overall life.
What was the most interesting thing you learned about your topic?
One important lesson that I've learned and want to share with other Canadians is that everyone has their own personal epochs that impact them and change their life. For many of us that's the current pandemic we're living through. However, I've learned through this project and my own life that epochs are always positive things as long as we make them positive and learn from them. The pandemic has taught me so much and I've grown as a person from it, and my great grandfather's epoch of fighting in World War One made him a better person too.
What important lessons have you learned that you want to share with other Canadians?
The most interesting thing I learned about my topic was how fighting in the war impacted my great grandfather in his life afterwards. I learned all about how it affected his emotions and practices during his life at home such as more hardened emotions like having no fear even when air raid practices were happening.
How would you compare your life today to the lives of those studied in your project?
My life today in comparison to my great-grandfather's is vastly different. While I'm currently living through a pandemic and there are plenty of world issues, I'm safe where I am. There's still conflict in the world but not such that it's threatening to civilians all over the world. My world is much more modern, but that isn't always a good thing. The life of my great grandfather was one full of sacrifice and bravery and one can only dream to take after him.