Author Archives: Caterina Katzer

As reported by the Berliner Journal, a visit to the interned German and Austrian reservists in Toronto found that the men were not complaining about the food or the treatment, but said that they were generally satisfied so far. Some expressed a wish for tobacco, games and good books, which was apparently granted by the officer in charge, as well as a Christmas celebration.

Likewise, the Berliner Journal later informed its readers that the American ambassador in Berlin had told the British foreign office that British war prisoners in Germany were also receiving many luxuries such as cigarettes and chocolate sent to them by friends.

(„Die deutschen und österreichischen internierten Reservisten in Toronto“, Berliner Journal, 2 December 1914; „Wohltaten für Gefangene“, Berliner Journal, 28 April 1915)

On December 2, 1914 the Berliner Journal reported another case of anti-German oppression in which soldiers with German names serving in the Canadian Army were being imprisoned. The British war ministry had commanded this action and it seemed that the soldiers might end up in a concentration camp. Ironically, many of these men had already fought under the British flag in South Africa and elsewhere, and some had even received medals from Queen Victoria for their bravery.

(„Deutsche Namen die Ursache von Verhaftungen“, Berliner Journal, 2 December 1914)

In this article, the Berliner Journal was responding to the suggestion by a reader of another newspaper that would unite the cities of Berlin and Waterloo in order to change its name. One editor of the Journal strongly refuted the proposal, saying that there would be no advantage for Berlin and that Canadians should not take Russia as a model for name changing. Since even the English newspapers emphasized that Canada was not fighting against the German nation, but against German militarism, the editors at the Berliner Journal felt that the name of their city should not make a difference to Canadians.

(„Berlin und sein Name“, Berliner Journal, 2 December 1914)

Three brothers of a family in Berlin went to the war (one as a staff surgeon, one as a captain and one as a cadet). They hadn’t heard anything from another since the war broke out, because they were in different regiments. One day, the staff surgeon and the captain met each other and were happy, but had to part again after a few hours. Hours later, after a battle, the staff surgeon was told by other soldiers that his brother, the captain, was dead. He searched for him on the the battle field, couldn’t find him and went on to another battle field, where suddenly his youngest brother called his name. The surgeon managed to care for him, so that he would not bleed to death.

(„Ein Wiedersehen auf dem Schlachtfelde“, Berliner Journal, 9 December 1914)

The American consul general visited Berlin for a few days and reported about the life there during the war. He said that there were no changes in the daily life since the war had started. All shops, restaurants and coffee houses were still open and had as many guests as usual. They didn’t have a problem with groceries, because they solved the lack of wheat flour by adding potatoes to it. Except for the prices of wheat, no other prices had increased so far. The problem of prewar unemployment was solved through the mobilization of soldiers and the need for industrial production for the war. The situation on the western front would not be considered as dangerous, as the Germans pressed forward deeply into France. The Germans would educate their reservists, but there were millions of soldiers still in Germany. Despite the losses, the German people would not mourn so much, they would hide their grief and feelings of revenge.

About life in Germany during the war (28 April 1915)

An Italian journalist travelled through Germany and gave the following insights and picture of life there during the war. He noticed two things: first, Germany wouldn’t forget commerce because of the war and second, the people wouldn’t forget the war because of their interest in business. They would keep going to fight, to work, to drink beer, to help the wounded, to amuse themselves and to sacrifice themselves. Germany was never more tense, active, productive or more creative than at that time according to the Italian. To stagnate in its industrial production would do more harm than a military defeat, and many Germans hoped that shortly after signing a peace treaty that international trade would resume as it had been before the war.

(„Ein interessantes Bild von dem Leben in Deutschland“, Berliner Journal, 16 December 1914; „Ein fesselndes Bild…“, Berliner Journal, 28 April 1915)

The first volunteer from Stratford to die a hero’s death, was Thomas Bain. He had been in his old home Scotland, when the war broke out and he volunteered in a Scottish regiment, which went to war in August 1914, long before any of the Canadian regiments had arrived in Europe. The news of his death reached Stratford in mid-December, 1914.

(„Der erste Stratford Freiwillige…“, Berliner Journal, 23 December 1914)

This story in the Berliner Journal showed that the reports about German cruelties were just rumours, and also humanized the enemy in a way that the local English papers generally failed to do. A German soldier saved the life of a British soldier in Nieuport after the Germans attacked a British regiment and left many dead. When the Germans withdrew, the British went to attack them. One British soldier wanted to follow, but a grenade detonated right beside him. When he awakened, he lay in a German trench, while a soldier was bandaging his head. The battle wasn’t over, but the German refused to leave him. When the German soldier finally stood up, he was wounded by a British soldier. The wounded British soldier became unconscious and when he came conscious again, he found the German soldier badly wounded. The German gave him his water because he was about to die and the British man needed it more. After first refusing, the British soldier took the water. The whole day they lay side by side, until the British fainted again. The German soldier died in the meantime but his kindess led the British to try to find his relatives to report his gallant behaviour.

(„Sterbender Deutscher rettete Britens Leben“, Berliner Journal, 23 December 1914)

In this incident reported by the Journal, the Germans had taken about 80 prisoners on the western front and were turning their guns on the captives. Then one of the French prisoners spoke to the Germans in their own language with a Low German accent, which took his captors by surprise. The French soldier did not want to be shot, and because he lived and worked so long in Hamburg the Germans felt remorse and imprisoned him instead.

(„Plattdeutsch als Lebensretter im Kriege“, Berliner Journal, 23 December 1914)

A letter from a Belgian grenadier reported about the effects of German cannons. He told about a long battle the Belgians fought against the Germans and that they were hungry, thirsty and tired, but that the situation helped them to achieve more. They had to flee from the house where they hid because it was destroyed. They hid the whole night in a cistern with their legs in the water. The next day, the Germans had disappeared and the Belgian soldiers put on the clothes of their dead comrades because their own were wet and burned. They found their own regiment, marched forward until they got into another battle lasting eight hours against the horrible German cannons. Many of the Belgians died or were wounded. When they could finally flee, they reached a river, where many of them drowned.

(„Auf der Flucht“, Berliner Journal, 30 December 1914)