1914 | First World War

Page 1

Standard

Patriotic fund (7 October 1914)

By Caterina Katzer • On October 7, 1914 • In 1914, German Newspapers, Home Front, Timeline

On October 7 1914 an advertisement in the Berliner Journal was published for the Canadian government encouraging donations to the Canadian Patriotic Fund which supported the families of soldiers. Since the city of Berlin had not provided many men to fight, its residents tried to raise large amounts of money for the Patriotic fund to show their loyalty to Canada (Löchte, Anne. Das Berliner Journal 1859-1918. Eine deutschsprachige Zeitung in Kanada. Göttingen: V&R unipress 2007. Print. P. 167). After Waterloo, Berlin collected the largest amount in Canada (Löchte, Anne. Das Berliner Journal 1859-1918. Eine deutschsprachige Zeitung in Kanada. Göttingen: V&R unipress 2007. Print. P. 171).

(„Sie sollen keine Noth leiden“, Berliner Journal, 7 October 1914; Löchte, Anne. Das Berliner Journal 1859-1918. Eine deutschsprachige Zeitung in Kanada. Göttingen: V&R unipress 2007. Print. P. 167/171; English, John and McLaughlin, Kenneth. Kitchener: An illustrated history. Toronto: Robin Brass, 1996. Print. P. 118)

Standard

Patriotic Fund Growing (7 October 1914)

By acoadmin • On October 7, 1914 • 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))

Standard

Concerns over Religion (8 October 1914)

By acoadmin • On October 8, 1914 • 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)

Standard

Hespeler Library Construction (8 October 1914)

By acoadmin • On October 8, 1914 • 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 19^th, 2014. http://www.historicplaces.ca/en/pages/34_carnegie.aspx, “Library Construction” Hespeler Herald, October 8, 1914)

Standard

A happy return from Europe (14 October 1914)

By Caterina Katzer • On October 14, 1914 • In 1914, German Newspapers, Timeline

Canadian citizen Anton Krähn was travelling in Europe when the war began, and had to flee to Alsace, France where he stayed with relatives. Luckily, he was able to return to Canada in October and wrote about his experiences in Europe in the Berliner Journal.

Anton Krähn and his brother George travelled to France at the end of June to visit their relatives near Straßbourg. They were surprised by the war and couldn’t travel back to Canada because all of the trains in Europe were being used for mobilization. Thirteen nephews of Anton Krähn were conscripted as well as all of the family’s horses so they had to use cattle to harvest the crop. Krähm and his brother were eventually able to reach the Netherlands, from where they could board a ship which brought them back to Canada.

(“Dr. Anton Krähn…”, Berliner Journal, 14 October 1914; “Reise-Erlebnisse eines Berliners”, Berliner Journal, 21 October 1914)

Standard

War surgery in Germany (14 October 1914)

By Caterina Katzer • On October 14, 1914 • In 1914, German Newspapers, Timeline

In this article in the Journal, a medical expert praised the effort that Germany had put into the subject of war surgery over the last few decades. They have developed not only new weapons to destroy lives, the expert said, but also explored how to heal the wounds their guns make. In German clinics and medical departments there were always doctors from all over the world seeking to learn about German war surgery. Germany had sent new weapons, but also proper dressings to other countries. Based on their training, German war surgeons would only lose 10% of their patients, whereas 90% had died in the Balkan war because they were not properly attended to by medics.

(„Kriegschirurgie“, Berliner Journal, 14 October 1914)

Standard

Canada Will Send Second Field Force (15 October 1914)

By acoadmin • On October 15, 1914 • 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)

Standard

Buy Canadian (15 October 1914)

By acoadmin • On October 15, 1914 • 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)

Standard

Send-Off to the Front (19 October 1914)

By acoadmin • On October 19, 1914 • 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)

Standard

“A former Berlin woman in Berlin, Germany” (21 October 1914)

By Caterina Katzer • On October 21, 1914 • In 1914, German Newspapers, Timeline

In October, 1914, another firsthand account of the situation in Germany was published by the Berliner Journal; this time the account was provided by a local woman who travelled to Germany with her American friend. Surprised by the outbreak of the war, the two made their way to Berlin, where they found many Americans at the embassy. While helping out at the embassy, these women made contact with the German government and many private persons and only had positive things to say about their behavior. According to this account, while North Americans were getting excited and afraid of increasing prices for groceries, the Germans kept calm. The two women were not able to note any increasing prices at all. The Germans supported and helped the Americans very much and at one point, the Canadian woman even helped catch a Servian spy.

This account differs immensely from much of what was printed in the local English papers about the situation in Germany, and again shows the unique perspective the Berliner Journal was trying to provide.

(“Eine ehemalige Berlinerin in Berlin, Deutschland”, Berliner Journal, 21 October 1914)