1914 | First World War

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Rising Suspicion (November 1914)

By Sonja Schäfer • On November 11, 1914 • In 1914, German Newspapers, Timeline

As the war proceeded, suspicion towards German-Canadians grew, and the Berliner Journal reported on several incidents. For example, several Canadian citizens of German origin had been notified by the government to stop expressing their affection for Germany, otherwise they would be imprisoned and their belongings would be confiscated.

Another incident illustrated that the German community was also suspicious. A farm not far from Waterloo had erected a lookout tower. Several citizens of German origin thought they were being observed and suspected the tower was being used by spies. They told the government in Ottawa which sent an officer to investigate. He was able to calm the community down, explaining that the tower had simply been built for the purpose of land surveying.

(“Verschiedene wohlbekannte Bewohner” Berliner Journal, 4 November 1914; “Die Spionenfurcht” Berliner Journal, 11 November 1914)

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

By acoadmin • On November 12, 1914 • In Fall 1914, German-Canadian Identity

German ethnicity was a symbol of the Waterloo Region starting in the mid 19^th 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 acoadmin • On November 17, 1914 • 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 acoadmin • On November 19, 1914 • 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 acoadmin • On November 19, 1914 • 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 acoadmin • On November 25, 1914 • 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 acoadmin • On November 26, 1914 • 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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Ban of German newspapers? (2 December 1914)

By Caterina Katzer • On December 2, 1914 • In 1914, German Newspapers, Timeline

By December, 1914 the Berliner Journal already had a scare over the possibility of being shut down by the Canadian censorship board. A reader’s anecdote demonstrated the confusion about which newspapers were allowed to publish in Canada during the war. He wanted to pick up the Berliner Journal, but the people at the post office claimed that this German-Canadian newspaper would not be available any more. The reader complained about this and asked whether this reflected the gratitude of the Canadians or the British for what the German population in this region had already done for the war effort. The people here had given more money to the Patriotic Fund than any other city in Canada.

The Berliner Journal replied to this letter by assuring readers that the newspaper was allowed to continue publishing after an investigation by Ottawa and that the post office staff must have been mistaken.

(„Deutsch-canadische Zeitungen nicht verboten“, Berliner Journal, 2 December 1914)

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“The German and Austrian interned reservists in Toronto” (2 December 1914)

By Caterina Katzer • On December 2, 1914 • In 1914, German Newspapers, Timeline

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)

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Volunteering Germans imprisoned (2 December 1914)

By Caterina Katzer • On December 2, 1914 • In 1914, German Newspapers, Timeline

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)