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The Legionary debuted on May 15, 1926, establishing a publishing tradition that has tracked the successes and challenges facing Canada’s veterans—and kept readers informed through war and peace and turbulent times. 

Early covers featured portraits of military dignitaries. Inside, dense text delivered news of policies and progress on improved support for veterans, commemorative events and stories about military history.

In the Roaring Twenties, the magazine reflected readers’ widening interests and lighter mood. Fiction found a place next to history. Covers were more colourful and pages were spiced with humour, including cartoons about a war braggart and the between-wars generation.

A sombre look and tone prevailed during the Great Depression. The Christmas editorial in 1930 urged readers to again “do their bit” in a national crisis, by helping those in need and buying Canadian-made products to support jobs.

Memoirs and fictional accounts of Great War exploits began to appear. The mood lifted briefly for coverage of the National Vimy War Memorial dedication in 1936 and the tens of thousands of veterans attending.

The end of the decade ranged from Depression despair to delight, then distress—the vast photo spreads of the 1939 summer royal visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth were immediately followed by a grave new epoch—the Second World War.