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Loyalty to the Crown (5 October 1914)

By • On • In Fall 1914, German-Canadian Identity, Home Front

Several articles were published addressing the English and Germanic background of the Waterloo Region during the first months of the war. A Berlin Daily Telegraph article explained, on 15 October, that regardless of one’s background, everyone was fighting for Great Britain and the King. The article made it clear that those of German origin or background should not be separated from English-Canadians and would fight for the British Empire through labour on the homefront or service on the frontlines. The picture below shows the local Breithaupt family’s tanning factory. The Breithaupts, who were of German heritage, began producing materials for British forces just weeks after the war began.

(Photo courtesy of Waterloo Generations, http://generations.regionofwaterloo.ca; “Loyalty to the Crown,“ Berlin Daily Telegraph, 15 October 1914)

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Patriotic Fund Growing (7 October 1914)

By • On • In Fall 1914, Home Front

Berlin reached their goal of raising $75,000 for the Patriotic Fund, and the community kept contributing beyond that goal. With over $16,000 extra earned in the matter of a week after their initial donation of $75,000, Berlin and the Waterloo Region ranked among the top regions in Canada for monetary support per capita.

Waterloo Region was at the forefront of the Patriotic Fund campaign at the initial outset of the war. The cause was supported by several prominent local figures, including L. J. Breithaupt. (Photos courtesy of the Canadian War Museum, “Patriotic Fund Growing“ Berlin Daily Telegraph, October 17 1914 and Breithaupt Diary Collection, Rare Books Room at Dana Port Library, University of Waterloo))

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Concerns over Religion (8 October 1914)

By • On • In Fall 1914, Politics

On 8 October, the Hespeler Herald reported that ‘Evangelism [was] Dying.’ All churches were suffering a declining attendance during their services. This article printed a plea that asked the people of the Waterloo Region to find balance in their business and politics, in order to still attend church and maintain their faith. “The church must uncompromisingly proclaim the deadly peril of riches… the dominant aim of commerce and industry must come to be service, not profits.”  The article pleaded for a new national conscience to revive religion in Canada, especially when dealing with the realities of war.

(“Concerns over Religion,” Hespeler Herald, 8 October 1914)

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Hespeler Library Construction (8 October 1914)

By • On • In Economics, Fall 1914

Growing concerns over the cost of the war effort and the downturn in industrial production was causing the town of Hespeler to second guess its plans to construct a local library. In August the more prosperous Waterloo had announced that they were halting their library’s construction due to the war effort. In Hespeler local income from industry had only brought in $80,000 in the last year. Additionally, unlike Berlin’s rising population, the town of Hespeler had experienced a slight decrease in population and there was less demand for the local market. This, along with the strains of war felt in Hespeler, resulted in the town council second-guessing its decision to build a public library.

Regardless, the city council passed the motion to construct the library and the city obtained a $10,000 grant from the Carnegie Corporation to start construction. Started by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, this group supplied money nation wide until 1917 to build public libraries. Carnegie libraries are notable for their Beau-Arts architectural style. The Hespeler Library is functional to this day. It is encased in a glass expansion, which was constructed in the last decade.

(Canada’s Historic Places, “Carnegie’s Canadian Libraries.” Accessed April 19th, 2014. http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/pages/34_carnegie.aspx, “Library Construction” Hespeler Herald, October 8, 1914)

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Canada Will Send Second Field Force (15 October 1914)

By • On • In Fall 1914, Home Front

On 15 October 1914, the Canadian government called for a Second Field Division to be formed in order to further its aim of 100,000 troops for the British forces. At the end of September the First Contingent had finished training at Valcatier, Quebec and was shipped to Liverpool, England for their final stint of training. Over 22,000 men were to be shipped immediately to Valcatier for training. Once this division had completed its training, Canada’s total commitment to the war effort will have reached 50,000 in a three-month span.

(Photo courtesy of the Canadian War Museum; “Canada Will Send Second Field Force,” Hespeler Herald, 15 October 1914)

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Buy Canadian (15 October 1914)

By • On • In Economics, Fall 1914, Home Front

A common theme in most of the Waterloo Region’s newspapers was a push for locals to purchase Canadian made goods. Over $618,000,000 was spent importing foreign goods to Canada in 1913. The Hespeler Herald suggested that the town create a “Made-in-Hespeler” motto. There were plenty of industries in the small town, including: R. Forbes Co., which produced knit goods, Hespeler furniture factory; Hall-Zryd Foundry Co., which supplied furnaces; Stamped & Enameled Ware Co., Owen Daveno Co., which manufactured couches; and the local hydro company, the Universal Lighting Rod Co. Not only would locals be supporting the war effort by buying Canadian made goods, Hespeler could also promote its own industrial expansion.

As the war economy gained momentum, there was an evident drive towards keeping production within Waterloo county in order to promote industrial expansion and increased employment opportunities.

(“Buying Canadian” Hespeler Herald, 15 October 1914)

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Send-Off to the Front (19 October 1914)

By • On • In Fall 1914, Home Front

19 October 1914 marked the second major detachment of troops from the region being shipped out for training. A magnificent send-off was witnessed on this day with songs such as A Long Way to Tipperary being sung by the crowds. Over 8,000-10,000 individuals attended the parade. Public and separate schools marched their students to the town square for the sendoff. The enthusiasm that saw men off in August was still visible in Waterloo Region in October.

A total of twenty-five volunteers left on this day. Although this was a small number, these men proudly enlisted themselves as part of the government’s goal of 100,000 volunteers. In the words of Berlin’s Mayor Euler, “this was one of the greatest events in the history of the city.”

(“Berlin Send-Off to the Front,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 19 October 1914)

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Berlin’s Population (22 October 1914)

By • On • In Fall 1914, German-Canadian Identity

On 22 October, Berlin announced during its City Council meeting that it had reached a population of over 19,000. Over 718 individuals had moved to the town since 1913, the East Ward seeing the largest increase of 420. It was reported that over $36,000 of additional taxes had been collected during that year. The size of Berlin would make it the leading contributor of the Waterloo Region for the various war effort campaigns and contributions. As the industrial city grew, Berlin residents strove more and more to aid in the war effort.

(“Berlin’s Population,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 22 October 1914)

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Women’s Patriotic League (Mothers League) (22 October 1914)

By • On • In Fall 1914, Home Front

One month after starting its knitting campaign for Hespeler volunteers, the women of Hespler turned their attention to other causes as well. With the rising concern about the plight of the Belgians, the Belgian Relief Fund in Berlin had been formed. Hespeler women also set out to raise money for their own Belgian Relief Fund.

The Hespeler Women also addressed the need for hospital vehicles for the European theater. Hespeler had collected a total of $154.21 for the Hospital Ship Fund since August. As a result of the nationwide campaign, the Canadian war office allocated $125,000 to procure ambulances of which half would be deployed in France and the other half in England. An additional $160,000 would be spent on equipping a naval hospital vessel. In recognition for the Canadian women who contributed to the fund the ship was to be titled “Canadian Women’s Hospital.” The women of Hespeler and Waterloo Region could take personal pride in this announcement.

Ambulances played a vital role in transporting wounded soldiers from the frontlines of France to the coast. From there hospital ships transferred the injured across the English Channel to the safety of England.

(Picture is of RMS Llandovery Castle, one of five Canadian hospital ships that served in the First World War, “Women’s Patriotic League,” Hespeler Herald, 22 October 1914)

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Number of Cases of Diphtheria Reported (29 October 1914)

By • On • In Fall 1914, Politics

On 29 October, Berlin’s City Council hosted an emergency meeting to discuss the mounting issue of Diphtheria in the region. The bacterial infection, which causes human mucus glands to swell and creates difficulty breathing, proved a challenge for local officials. Berlin’s Mayor Euler met with Dr. McGillawee who was the sanitary inspector of Waterloo Region.

The doctor inspected several local businesses for bacteriological concerns, the Breithaupt Leather Factory’s settling tanks, locally produced milk, water supplies and the local slaughterhouse. The doctor observed several possible bacterial starting points as a precaution and failed to trace the source. A total of two individuals died from this bacteria and containment measures were imposed to prevent any further unrest caused by Diphtheria. One of the preventative measures prescribed was keeping all school doors in the region open in order to maintain ventilation for children. Media reports on this topic began to decline shortly after the outbreak suggesting that it was a relatively contained scare. The local government’s proactive management of this outbreak was characteristic of how governments handled epidemics during this time period.

(“Number of Cases of Diphtheria Reported,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 29 October 1914)