The Medal Tales Project
EVERY MEDAL HAS A STORY THAT DESERVES TO BE REMEMBERED
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The Medal Tales Project is a personal initiative with one goal: to help students connect with real people from the past through the medals they left behind.
More and more First World War medals have been turning up in antique shops, online listings, and private collections. These medals belonged to real soldiers—ordinary men who lived full lives, endured unimaginable conditions, and helped shape the country we know today. But once a medal is separated from its family, its story often disappears.
I want to change that.
What if these quiet pieces of history became the centre of a hands-on investigation? What if students could hold a medal, study it, and uncover the life behind it?
That idea became The Medal Tales Project. The goal being to find WW1 Canadian medals and to create a classroom kit around the medal and its soldier. Students act as junior historians, working through a case file filled with photos, notes, service records, newspaper clippings, and war diary entries. Some information is factual, some is contextual, and some is intentionally misleading—so students must question, verify, and piece together the truth.
A proof of concept was tested in November 2025 using the WW1 Victory Medal of Private T.D.A. McMeekin from Manitoba, who served with the 43rd Cameron Highlanders. That early test helped shape the project’s direction.
For now, this is a one-person effort. I research the soldiers, write their stories, design the files, and assemble each kit myself. My goal is to launch a small pilot of five soldiers and send these kits into classrooms for Remembrance season 2026.
SEE A MEDAL FOR THE PROJECT? HAVE A COOL STORY TO SHARE?
Email me at: info@medaltales.ca
ABOUT ME (Dan Barnfield)
I’m an artist, educator, and former reservist of the Canadian Navy who worked with the Cadet Instructor Cadre, where I spent 11 years working with youth in leadership and training roles as part of the Sea Cadet Program. My background as a cartoonist and illustrator shapes much of my creative work, and my career as an educator lets me bring storytelling, history, and hands-on learning into the classroom. I’m passionate about finding meaningful ways to connect students with the past—one story at a time.