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Enemies of the State (5 November 1914)

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

On 5 November, Ottawa declared that all German and Austrian residents of Canada had to register with the government. This declaration was of significance to some residents of the Waterloo Region. The government explained that this was an exercise to gain a level of control over the presence of aliens within Canadian borders for the public’s sake. Individuals, who failed to address the registrars or botched their interrogation, would then be transported to prisoner of war camps. Registrars questioned nationality, nature and intentions along with individuals’ current situation or status in Canada. People of German or Austrian birth also had to pass a registrar examination if they wished to leave the country whether as a civilian or enlisted in the Canadian Army. The Canadian Government’s official statement on the matter was as follows:

“The order-in-Council passed by the Government has for its object to ensure an effective control and supervision over persons of alien enemy nationality residing in the country. In enacting it, the Government realizes that there is a very large proportion of these residents who are perfectly peaceable citizens, and in no sense a source of danger to the country…”

(Photo courtesy of the Canadian War Museum; “Enemies of the State,” Hespeler Herald, 5 November 1914)

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Pacific Railway and the Patriotic Fund (5 November 1914)

By • On • In Fall 1914, Home Front

On 5 November, the Hespeler Herald reported on the successful Patriotic Fund event hosted by the Pacific Railway Company (P.R.C). The organization donated one full day’s worth of pay from each employee, from all the provinces, which raised a total of $142,000 for the Patriotic Fund. The P.R.C. hoped to set an example for other companies in Canada. In Berlin it was already common practice to donate to in one’s place of work as part of collective donations.

(“Pacific Railway and the Patriotic Fund,” Hespeler Herald, 5 November 1914)

 

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Belgian Relief Fund (7 November 1914)

By • On • In Fall 1914, Home Front

The Waterloo Region became heavily involved in the Belgian Relief Fund during the war. Originally started in the United States, the Fund sought to provide food to German-occupied Belgium and Northern France. Although it did not garner as much attention as the national Patriotic Fund, the county raised a substantial amount by late November and every township in Waterloo Region contributed to the fund.

George, Nash. “Herbert Hoover and the Belgian Relief Fund.” (Nash, George H., Herbert Hoover and Belgian Relief in World War I Accessed April 19th, 2014. http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1989/spring/hoover-belgium.html)

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Questioning German Lutheran’s Loyalty to Empire (12 November 1914)

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

German ethnicity was a symbol of the Waterloo Region starting in the mid 19th century; this resulted in constant questions being posed about the region’s loyalty following the outbreak of war. Grey County, located north of Waterloo County, also had serious concerns regarding German loyalty.

With the outbreak of the war Lutherans in Canada were seen in a new light. In Grey County Lutheran ministers and German-Canadians were accused of being disloyal to the British Empire. An article in the Berlin Daily Telegraph sought to dismantle this theory and even went as far as recommending that Ottawa send a detective to investigate, confident that this notion would be debunked once they uncovered the good intentions of the local Germans.

This wartime Canadian comic depicts stereotypical German attire.

(Courtesy of the Canadian War Museum; “German Lutherans Loyalty to the Empire,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 12 November 1914)

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Accusing Berlin’s Mayor of Misappropriating Funds (17 November 1914)

By • On • In Fall 1914, Politics

On Monday 16 November, the Mayor of Berlin was accused of embezzling the city’s funds. Berlin’s tax revenues were $330,000 in 1914. Rumors suggested that over 25% of the city council’s budget was being wasted needlessly.

Mayor Euler responded to the media by presenting a breakdown of the 1914 budget. Roughly $228,135 was mandatory investments. The rest of the budget went towards controllable outcomes such as salaries. Euler’s response demonstrated that Berlin was running on a tight budget during wartime and the accusations had no basis in fact. This act proved how politics could be a distraction to the war effort.

 

(“Berlin’s Mayor Misappropriating Funds” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 1914, Photo courtesy of Archeion http://www.archeion.ca/william-daum-euler-fonds)

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Belgian Relief Fund (19 November 1914)

By • On • In Fall 1914, Home Front

Work began in mid- November to form a committee for the relief efforts in Belgium. Concerns over the contributions of the rural communities were paramount in a Waterloo Chronicle -Telegraph article. The Waterloo Chronicle reported on the ‘liberal’ responses by local farmers to produce food for the relief efforts. Local representatives of the Belgian Relief Fund reported that Huron County and Grey County already shipped 33 and 50 carloads of food to Belgium. The committee in Waterloo region was to assess what type of contribution the region could send.

(“Belgian Relief Fund,” Waterloo Chronicle-Telegraph, 19 November 1914)

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Farmers and the Patriotic Fund (19 November 1914)

By • On • In Fall 1914, Home Front

The Waterloo town council became increasingly concerned about the role of local farmers as contributors to the war effort. Not only were there questions posed regarding the lack of manpower to bring in the harvests due to volunteerism but also the role the rural areas would have in supporting the Funds being raised for the war effort.

On 19 November, the Waterloo Chronicle-Telegraph announced that the local farmers were willing to collaborate to raise monetary support for the Patriotic Fund and Belgian Relief Fund. Farmers committed to join the Patriotic Fund as a sign of good faith for the war effort. This commitment demonstrated that rural areas of the Waterloo Region would also to be heavily involved in the donation and industrial phase of the war effort.

(“To the Men of the Village of Ayr,” Waterloo Chronicle-Telegraph, 19 November 1914)

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Catharine Breithaupt’s Diary (25-28 November 1914)

By • On • In Fall 1914, Home Front

The Breithaupts, a prominent local family, contributed immensely to the war effort. Not only did the household insure the volunteers from Berlin, but they also manufactured goods for British servicemen. Catharine Breithaupt, the 17 year-old family member, recorded the business details of the Breithaupt Tanning Company in her personal diary. On 5 November, she recorded that a total of 2,600 shirts were shipped to the Canadian Expeditionary Force in Britain. Three days later the company sent another 2,200 shirts. Their commitment to the war effort and filling their war contract orders proves that those of German background in the region were supportive of the Canadian cause.

(Breithaupt, Catherine Olive. 1914 Diary (Breithaupt Diary Collection, Rare Books Room at Dana Port Library, University of Waterloo), 25-28 November 1914.)

 

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Hespeler Joins the Patriotic Fund (26 November 1914)

By • On • In Fall 1914, Home Front

On 23 November, a meeting was held in Alexandra Hall for Hespeler residents. During this time C. H. Mills, the M.P.P. of Berlin, along with several colleagues, attempted to convince the town to create its own branch of the Patriotic Fund. Several addresses were made by the likes of Mayor Kribs, Mills, and local businessman Mr. Forbes. The meeting created an enthusiastic response and the Hespeler Herald pointed out, “Get ready to get busy.” Full details and an official launch date of the campaign were to take place a week later, in early December.

(“Hespeler to Organize Patriotic Fund,” Hespeler Herald, 26 November 1914)

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Elections In the Townships (17 December 1914)

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

Waterloo Region citizens cast their votes for their respective council positions at the start of December 1914. Towns such as Wellesley did not vote as their council leader A. B. Robertson was re-elected by acclamation along with the Waterloo council, which re-elected its respective council leaders. This was one of the few mentions of local elections, as the local war industry and news from the frontlines dominated the newspapers of the region. Political differences were sidelined to avoid distractions and maintain a level of unity in the Waterloo Region. Additionally, the low level of political strife in the region was in accordance with the political truce proclaimed and observed by the Federal Government.

(“Elections in the Townships,” Elmira Signet, 17 December 1914)