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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)

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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)