Canada and World War I

…away we went

Some Attitudes Towards Canada’sEntry Into the First World War

• “We are part of the British Empire, so of course we are at war. That is the law. We must now decide on the kind of aid that we should send to Britain. I believe that we should send soldiers to fight alongside the British army in France. Canadians, I am sure, will be proud to fight for their King and country.”

Robert Borden

Prime Minister of

Canada

• “We are at war. That is the law. It is now our job to decide just what to do about this sad fact. My hope is that the war will soon be over and our help will not be needed. We should offer both money and food to France and Britain.”

Wilfred Laurier

Leader of the Opposition

Preparing for War

• As a member of the British Empire CAN had a history of joining the British in conflict before– Late 19th Century & Boer War in S. Africa

• Prime Minister Borden assured Britain of Canada’s full support.– He, along with Parliament, offered Britain 25,000 men - trained,

equipped, and paid for by the Canadian Government.• Canada actually only had 3,000 “regular” soldiers and two

navy cruisers, but had 60,000 militia (trained citizen soldiers).– Also gained the Newfoundland Regiment (NFLD not part of Canada)

Preparing for War

• As a member of the British Empire CAN had a history of joining the British in conflict before– Late 19th Century & Boer War in S. Africa

• Prime Minister Borden assured Britain of Canada’s full support.– He, along with Parliament, offered Britain 25,000 men - trained,

equipped, and paid for by the Canadian Government.• Canada actually only had 3,000 “regular” soldiers and two

navy cruisers, but had 60,000 militia (trained citizen soldiers).– Also gained the Newfoundland Regiment (NFLD not part of Canada)

A sense of Patriotism & Adventure• The Canadian people were behind their prime minister in his

promise.– Felt proud to fight for their country– Sentimental ties to GB fueled further patriotism

• Parliament quickly passed a War Measures Act giving the government extraordinary powers.– “was a statute of the Parliament of Canada that provided for the

declaration of war, invasion, or insurrection, and the types of emergency measures that could thereby be taken”

• Feelings of excitement & adventure– Given the “unknown” pre-WWI attitudes present in Canada, many men

viewed war as a great adventure, they enlisted for the excitement they thought war would bring…

Training the Troops• A nation wide recruiting campaign was organized by Sir

Sam Hughes, the Minister of Militia.• Described as:– Megalomaniac Minister of Militia – Demented– “Unbalanced”

• PM Borden

• Crazy?– Dressed like a General– Rode horseback and barked out orders

Valcartier Quebec

• Hughes set up a training camp for over 30,000 men• Troops were issued the Ross Rifle– Made in Canada– Made by Hughes friends (side note, maybe corrupt)– Good for sharp shooting, but not good in the mud… this

is a soon to be seen problem• October 1914, Canadian troops were on their way

across the Atlantic, and by February 1915 they were on their way to the front line in France…

Life on the Western Front…reality sets in

The Western Front

• This is where the sides stood…

The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF)

• Originally led by British General Julian Byng, (1915/16) alongside the British Forces

• 1917, a Canadian Lieutenant-General Arthur Currie became the commander of the CEF– First time the British gave up

command to a Canadian– Strengthened Canadian Unity,

increased homeland pride

A Stalemate• Germany moved into Belgium – as was the

according to the Schlieffen Plan – they encountered some resistance, but soon found themselves invading France.

• The Battle of the Marine was fought vs. the French forces to the East of Paris…this did not go as quickly and as smoothly as originally planned – a two front war was becoming a reality!

• Germany could not advance, and the British/French could not drive their enemy back; a stalemate was established– Both sides were forced to dig in for a while…

Trench warfare… not so exotic!• Due to status of current WWI

era technology (plane and tank) trench warfare was a standard tactic.

• Characteristics of the Trenches:– 400 Metres apart– Protected against some enemy

fire (bombs excluded)– Some were elaborate, some

were just mud filled ditches – Rats, Lice, Rotting Corpses, &

Disease were commonalities

Life in the Trenches

• Front line trenches faced each other across no-man’s land.

• A tour in the trenches usually lasted six days followed by twelve days of respite behind the lines.

• The Ross rifle proved troublesome in the trenches as they jammed easily in the dirt.

Life in the Trenches II

• At night, patrols were sent out across no-man’s land to probe enemy defenses and cut lines of barbed wire.

• Dawn often brought attacks when men were ordered “over the top.”

• Once into the open ground of no-man’s land they were cut down by machine gun and artillery fire.

• The wounded were often left to die where they fell– Start of War: Machine Gun 500 rounds per

minute; as war progressed increased to 1000 r/p/m • “Mowed down men like wheat falling before the

cutter…”• The Machine gun was a top reason why the

Western Front Campaign endured a three year long stalemate…

Life in the Trenches III• Occasionally troops were able to capture an enemy’s front

line of trenches• Proved futile as often they would moved to their second line

of trenches – the reserve trenches – and stretch new lengths of barbed wire – A gain/loss of only a few meters for 1000’s of lives

at a time…

Life in the Trenches IV• Solders fought, ate, and slept

in the trenches• They froze in the snow, sat

up to their waist in icy cold water

• Entire divisions were killed off by epidemics of fever and flu due to weeks to months of not washing

• Trench Foot:– Men’s feet would swell up to

three times their normal size .