In fall 1914, 5700 of the 20 000 citizens of Berlin had pledged to raise $96 000 within two years for The Canadian Patriotic Fund, which provided support to the families of soldiers. As March 1915 closed, Berlin was still well on target to meeting its goal. Articles in the Berlin Daily Telegraph reminded readers of the 6-month installments, and also tracked the funds contributed to that point.
As of February 28, the Berlin chapter of the Canadian Patriotic Fund had collected $22 994.17. By the end of March, they had exceeded $30 000, and so, were further ahead than projected.
The Waterloo branch, by the same point had received over $9000. Waterloo’s population was approximately one quarter the size of Berlin, so its per capita contributions were greater than Berlin’s.
Waterloo County counted on these contributions to demonstrate that even though they had such a large German population and did not have impressive recruitment numbers, they were still loyal to the Empire and willing to do their part for the war effort.
(Philip H. Morris, The Canadian Patriotic Fund; A Record of Its Activities from 1914 to 1919, (Ottawa, 1920): 215-216.; “Second Instalment Due,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 1 March 1915.; “Canadian Patriotic Fund in Berlin,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 30 March 1915.; “Patriotic Fund Monies Being Paid in,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 8 April 1915.; “Over $8500 Is Sent to Headquarters,” Waterloo Chronicle, 1 April 1915.; Norm Threinen, “Canadian Lutherans in the First World War,” Canadian Churches and the First World War, Gordon L Leath, ed. (Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2014): 205.
Visual: Picture courtesy of Archives Ontario
http://www.archives.gov.on.ca/en/explore/online/posters/pics/16186_patriotic_fund_770.jpg
With permission)
