Several Waterloo region citizens of German origin had been in Europe when they were surprised by the outbreak of the war. In September 1914, the Berliner Journal reported on their problems trying to get back to Canada. Most of them had to stay in Europe longer than expected as the ships did not sail. Nevertheless, they sent letters home to inform the community of their whereabouts. Later that year, a Canadian citizen of German origin who was travelling through Europe when the war broke out returned to Waterloo and reported that he had been arrested in Germany due to his Canadian citizenship. After several weeks he was allowed to return home but had to follow a specific route, otherwise he would have been arrested again.
(“Von den Berlinern” Berliner Journal, 02 September 1914; “Wieder daheim” Berliner Journal, 23 September 1914; “Die Erlebnisse” Berliner Journal, 06 January 1915)