1915 | First World War

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England Pays Tribute to Canadian Women (3 July 1915)

By Kelly Mackenzie • On July 3, 1915 • In 1915, Home Front, Timeline

The Royal Naval Hospital in Haslar, on the southern coast of England, would soon have a new wing that would be dedicated to the women of Canada for their patriotism and loyalty to Britain. When war broke out, Canadian women organized a fund to support the sick and wounded. In a short time, the fund reached $250,000 which was given to the Imperial Government to be spent in whatever way they deemed best. It was decided that the money would be spent on a new wing for this hospital as nurses and hospital staff were using some of the patient beds. This new wing, named the Canadian Women’s Wing, would allow 250 beds to be made available for wounded and sick soldiers.

“England Pays Tribute to Canadian Women,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, July 3, 1915.

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Canada Not to Fear Say German-Americans (5 July 1915)

By Kelly Mackenzie • On July 5, 1915 • In 1915, German-Canadian Identity, Home Front, Timeline

Fears and rumours that Canada would be invaded by Germany were real fears during the First World War, and in early July 1915, Major Robinson of the 21st Regiment was warned that a force was coming and a home guard was set up to keep watch. Fears such as these were understandable, especially as it was claimed at a conference of the Deutscher Bund in Detroit, “If Germany is to get Canada it would be ceded in the regular way at the end of the war.” Meaning if Germany took Canada and was victorious in the war while Canada was still in their control, Canada would be given to Germany. This German-American political group was also quick to assure Canadians that Germans felt no ill will towards them as they knew Canada had no say in whether or not it went to war and nine out of every ten soldiers in the Canadian army was born in the British Isles. They noted that men born in Canada joined the Canadian armed forces in a much smaller number because they knew there was nothing for them to gain in the war. Therefore, Germans had no quarrel with Canadians.

“Canada Not to Fear Say German-Americans,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, July 5, 1915.

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“The Call for Recruits” (6 July 1915)

By Michael Etienne • On July 6, 1915 • In 1915, Home Front

An editorial in the Berlin Daily Telegraph directly addressed to “you, who are in Berlin” highlighted several of the fears relating to low recruitment numbers in the city. The writer felt that the three understrength (i.e. not full) Berlin companies of the 108th Regiment in addition to the 150 men who had joined the three contingents of the Canadian Expeditionary Force were not sufficient in a town with a population of 20 000.
The writer then discussed a speech given by the leader of the Ontario Liberals, N.W. Rowell. Rowell stated that if Germany were able to keep it current position, it could easily have “mastery over Europe.” Even if driven back to its own borders, if its armies were allowed to stay intact, the indecisiveness of the victory would force the next generation to maintain constant armies and military production.
This editorialist was linking the need for more recruits from Berlin with the goal of making the Great War the war to end all wars.

(“The Call for Recruits,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 6 July 1915.)

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Shell Orders for Canadian Factories put on Hold (9 July 1915)

By Stephen Collins • On July 9, 1915 • In 1915, Economics

While some Waterloo Region communities considered expanding into wartime munitions production, they were certainly not alone in attempting to take advantage of wartime demand. Munitions factories across the country were busy producing shells for the British war effort. Levels of production were so high that, by early July, the Canadian Militia Department was faced with a surplus of some one million shells. Most factories had been producing incomplete shells which lacked vital components such as cordite, primers, and fuses. These components were manufactured much more slowly than the shells themselves, leading to the massive surplus..

As a result, the Department of Militia announced an immediate but temporary halt on all government shell orders, until production of other component parts, or complete “fixed” ammunition caught up. Such a halt in orders may have affected on-going attempts to bring munitions factories to Waterloo Region communities such as Ayr and Guelph as well as existing munitions productions elsewhere in the region.

(“No Shell Orders for Canadian Factories for the Present,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 12 July 1915.)

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The Wave of Prohibition (10 July 1915)

By Ben Toews • On July 10, 1915 • In 1915, Politics

During the war, temperance movements acquired strong momentum across Canada as social reformers felt they should improve people’s lifestyles in order to provide men returning from the war with a more wholesome society than the one they had left to defend. Within these movements, alcohol was considered one of the most detrimental aspects of Canadian society, which was reflected in the widespread call for prohibition. Throughout July 1915, local newspapers were printing sympathetic reports about the progress made by prohibition campaigns in Ontario and on the prairies.

The latest news from Ontario regarding prohibition was the ratification of the Canada Temperance Act by the neighbouring county of Perth. All but three townships within the county had voted in favour of prohibition,a trend that was beginning the catch the eye of the Provincial Government. Meanwhile, a province-wide referendum in Alberta on July 22, 1915 overwhelmingly decided in favour of regulating the sale of alcohol, making it the last of the three prairie provinces to do so. The complete abolition of alcohol in Canada seemed to be just over the horizon.

Berlin Daily Telegraph July 10, 24 1915.

Waterloo Chronicle, July 1, 22 1915.

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The War (13 July 1915)

By Ben Toews • On July 13, 1915 • In 1915, War

At the outbreak of war, most believed that it would be over quite quickly. After almost a year of fighting, however, people were beginning to understand the impressive strength of the German army. Even though it was fighting a war in the east and the west at the same time, Germany did not seem to be wavering in terms of its manpower or resolve. In the summer of 1915, articles like this one which grudgingly admitted that the Germans had been underestimated began appearing. Others reported rumours that, despite the British naval blockade, Germany was manufacturing 250,000 artillery shells every day! The authors concluded that even though the Entente benefited from a significant advantage in manpower, it needed to begin producing more weapons and using its resources more efficiently. With the modern weapons used in this war, manpower was simply not enough to guarantee victory.

Berlin Daily Telegraph, July 13, 1915.

Elmira Signet, July 22, 29, 1915.

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Drunk Wanted to Fight Germans, Gets 6 Months (16 July 1915)

By Ben Toews • On July 16, 1915 • In 1915, German-Canadian Identity

Throughout the summer of 1915, anti-German sentiments continued to rise among some of the locals. On the night of July 15, a man stumbled drunkenly through the streets of Berlin crying out that he wanted to fight every German in the whole town. Referring to certain rumours about German atrocities in the war, he felt he should deal with the Germans a little closer to home. The local authorities, however, were still very much adhering to their responsibility to public safety, so the man was arrested and sentenced to six months in jail. Nobody was hurt, but the incident provides another example of the types of harassment local Germans were experiencing during the period.

Berlin Daily Telegraph, July 16, 1915.

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Gas Murder is Cheap (19 July 1915)

By Ben Toews • On July 19, 1915 • In 1915, War

German atrocities during the war were generally used as fodder by local newspapers to demonize the enemy and reinforce people’s support for Canada’s cause. However, at a certain point, it seems, locals were willing to resort to the same dastardly measures as their enemy if it meant increasing the chance of an Entente victory. Germany had released the first gas attack on the western front on Canadian soldiers at the Second Battle of Ypres on April 22, 1915. This article, printed in the Berlin Daily Telegraph on July 19, 1915 suggested that Britain begin using gas as a weapon against the Germans. England was, after all, the original and most established manufacturer of chlorine gas from before the war, and should use this to its advantage.

Berlin Daily Telegraph, July 19, 1915.

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Lays Down His Pen (22 July 1915)

By Ben Toews • On July 22, 1915 • In 1915, German-Canadian Identity

On July 22, 1915 the Waterloo Chronicle paid tribute to the passing of a respected man of their profession. Earlier in the week, one of the two editors of the local German-language Berliner Journal passed away. John Rittinger was a respected voice among both German and English speaking residents, and seemed to act as a bridge between the two communities whose relationship was being tested by events overseas. This article spoke highly of Rittinger’s character and ability as a journalist, as well as his loyalty to Canada and its values, despite his German heritage. Staff at the Berliner Journal, however, must have taken this news the worst. Already struggling in an awkward situation, the loss of such a charismatic leader could only make things more difficult.

Waterloo Chronicle, July 22, 1915.

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“A crusade for the honor of women and the sacredness of the home” (26 July 1915)

By Michael Etienne • On July 26, 1915 • In 1915, Home Front

As the need for recruits increased, many arguments became important to persuade everyone to do their part. In order to convince women to encourage men to go overseas, there were stories circulated about the mistreatment of women and children in areas occupied by German troops.
Women were asked to consider “the dropping of bombs on defenceless towns in England and the sinking of the Lusitania, causing the death of many innocent women and children” or the happy Belgian or French homes destroyed or invaded by German insult and outrage. Canadian soldiers were said to be going to Europe to defend the honour of women and daughters in France and Europe. The German soldiers who allegedly threatened their honour were drunks and not taught to respect women in the way that Canadian men were. Canadian women had to convince soldiers to go to Europe to stop “German domination of the world” and “world-wide white slavery” (i.e. sexual enslavement of white women).

(“Women and Recruiting,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 26 July 1915.
Visual: Picture courtesy of Queen’s University Archives http://archives.queensu.ca/Exhibits/archres/wwi-intro/women/CalltoWomen.jpg
With Permission)