1914

On this day, the first Canadian contingent left bound for Valcartier, Quebec, for further training. The group which departed from Guelph included several members of the town Hespeler. The Hespeler Herald reports eight different individuals from the area were onboard; Chas Beckman, Lloyd Beckman, John Hotson, C. Richard Winn, Thomas. Wilson, Thomas Woolley, George Bell and Dick McKen. Of those who enlisted, Dick was the only individual without prior military training. This is an example of the strict requirements needed to enlist in the early stages of the war. As the war progressed these rigid structures would dissolve due to the increased demand of manpower during a prolonged engagement.

A second contingent, formed shortly after the first group, faced a close call en route to Valcatier during a sabotage attempt. An iron bar was placed across the tracks in front of the eastbound troop train carrying men from the Waterloo Region to the camp. Luckily for the new recruits, the skirt on the engine of the train knocked the bar aside as the locomotive continued to steam at 40 mph. The perpetrator was never caught and no injuries were reported.

(“A Trip to Valcartier, Quebec,” Elmira Signet, 3 September 1914; “A Trip to Valcartier, Quebec,” Hespeler Herald, 3 September 1914)

Hespeler contributed to multiple charitable causes during the first months of the war. These included groups such as; the Mothers League, the Patriotic Fund, the Belgian Relief Fund and the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army operated with the same goals as it does today of which is to reach out to the less fortunate and poor. The annual Harvest Festival Thanksgiving Fund was to be used to raise a total of $75.00 for the association. Sustenance was also recommended as a means of contribution. While this does showcase the wide array of foundations upheld by the people of Hespeler, the Patriotic Fund eventually took the forefront in this community as it had in the rest of the Waterloo Region.

(“Want to Raise $75,” Hespeler Herald, 3 September 1914)

As with the other communities, Hespeler became concerned about how to display its appreciation for volunteerism. On September 14^th, the city council deliberated over the town’s budget. As a conclusion to the meeting the group discussed the viability of funding these troops. The Hespeler Herald reported that the town was “very favourable to the idea of insuring its troops.” This resulted in the consideration as to whether or not they could afford this act. It would not be until September 24^th that the town council unanimously agreed to financially back their volunteers for the remainder of the war. In the picture is Ralph Keffer a Hespeler native who volunteered Jan 7^th 1915 and died during the Battle of the Somme in 1916.

(“Insuring Volunteers,” Hespeler Herald, 10 September 1914; Picture courtesy of the Kitchener Public Library Soldier Cards Project)

Glorification and interest in the war was evident in several of Waterloo Region’s newspapers. Here the Berlin Daily Telegraph displays an advertisement for colourized maps of the frontlines, which would provide a visual aid to the average Canadian reader. While the maps do require an additional fee plus the daily subscription, they would provide readers with a way to track the campaign. The Elmira Signet was the only paper to offer free war maps with a subscription.

(“War Maps“ Berlin Daily Telegraph, September 16 1914)

The Elmira Signet released an article urging members of the Waterloo Region to join the war cause that was occurring nation wide. This editorial points towards the universal aspects of the war effort by saying “even the farmers, who generally escape the many calls for charity which come to the merchant and business men, have taken action.” Without the demand from the city centers the agricultural industry of the area would be feeble. This, the Signet claims, means the farmers must show their loyalty to the nations multiple causes in order to maintain favour with the local communities they supply. The article urges local farmers of the region to contribute their surplus food to the war effort as the battle rages on in Europe.

(“All Should Help,” Elmira Signet, 17 September 1914)