1915 | First World War

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A Hot Recruiting Letter Received from a St. Thomas Boy (27 July 1915)

By Michael Etienne • On July 27, 1915 • In 1915, Home Front

The Berlin Daily Telegraph published a letter which a soldier sent from the front. The soldier was from St. Thomas, Ontario (south of London) and wrote his letter in an effort to convince more of his peers to join him overseas.
He was unimpressed with those who considered him a friend or who wished him luck as he boarded the train yet did not join up themselves. He considered them cowards and said that fear was no excuse, “because a man without any grit is better off dead.” As far as he was concerned, anyone of his “friends” who did not enlist with very good reason was “Cheap! Cheap! Cheap!”
Demonstrating an alternative strategy to this soldier’s goading, an article in the Telegraph the day before promised great comradery to anyone who did join the ranks, especially if they applied for training through Canadian universities which had a program to provide proper military training to young men.

(“A Hot Recruiting Letter Received from a St. Thomas Boy,” The Berlin Daily Telegraph, 27 July 1915; “Opportunity for Young Men to Join Ranks,” The Berlin Daily Telegraph 26 July 1915.)

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Labour Shortages Expected to Impact Harvests (31 July 1915)

By Stephen Collins • On July 31, 1915 • In 1915, Economics

Tens of thousands Canadian soldiers had left for overseas service by mid 1915 and more were being recruited all the time. With so many young, able-bodied men leaving the domestic labour market, many were concerned about the war’s pressure on the Canadian workforce. In the summer of 1915, one particular concern was a possible shortfall in unskilled labour to harvest Canadian crops. The anxiety was such that many municipalities were cancelling public works projects in order to make more unskilled laborers available to bring in the harvest.

While much of the anxiety was targeted toward the prairie provinces, even Waterloo Region was not immune to this. On July 31st, both the Ayr News and the Elmira Signet, published the statements of Canadian Pacific Railway representatives who warned of the coming shortfall and the looming demand for temporary, migrant labourers in the western provinces, particularly those from central Canada. They stated: “It will be impossible to get men from the east, where men are scarce, and in any case the west does not want men who, after the harvest, would be a burden on the people.”

(“Harvesting the Crop,” Ayr News, 31 July 1915; “Harvesting the Crop,” Elmira Signet, 31 July 1915.)

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Proof That Kaiser Sanctioned Sinking of Lusitania (3 August 1915)

By Ben Toews • On August 3, 1915 • In 1915, War

By August of 1915, Canadians were becoming more and more interested in the possibility of the USA entering the war on the side of the Entente. The war was becoming largely a contest of manpower, and the added contributions of a massive country like the US would inevitably tip the balance in the favour of whichever side it joined. The sinking of the Lusitania by a German submarine, therefore, was still often discussed as a possible cause for war, even three months after the event. This short article from August 3, 1915 in the Berlin Daily Telegraph claims the existence of a letter written by the Kaiser himself “proves” he had personally approved of the attack on the Lusitania before it occurred.

Stories like this one appeared often in the local papers, which continuously tried to judge whether US intervention might happen and when. By the end of August, after the sinking of the HMS Arabic – which again held American passengers – reports about the US officially denouncing Germany further intensified.

Berlin Daily Telegraph, July 22, July 24, August 3, August 20, August 24, 1915.

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Our Duty to the Blind (5 August 1915)

By Kelly Mackenzie • On August 5, 1915 • In 1915, Home Front, Timeline

The warfare of the First World War involved new tactics and weapons that had not been utilized in war before. This also meant that it was expected this war would cause more blindness than previous wars as claimed by Vienna, Paris, and Montreal. While Ontario had a program in place for blind children, they did not have a suitable program for blind adults. Soldiers blinded in war should be able to receive proper instruction to enable them to integrate back into society and be contributing members of society rather than living the rest of their lives in despair.

This article was not a call to arms to figure this issue out; it was ensuring citizens knew that this war was going to result in a large number of blind men due to the weapons and characteristics of this war, and a program to help these men had to be developed.

“Our Duty to the Blind,” Elmira Signet, August 5, 1915.

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Snobbishness Dies (11 August 1915)

By Ben Toews • On August 11, 1915 • In 1915, German-Canadian Identity

There is nothing like a war to make people see what is really important. That was the silver lining offered by the Berlin Daily Telegraph on August 11,1915. According to this article, “snobbishness” among the community was declining due to the hardships and sense of perspective brought by the war. People would have to suffer emotionally and financially for many years as a result of the country’s war effort, but this suffering would bring maturity to the younger generation. Perhaps they would take the lessons taught by these hard times and avoid the mistakes of their predecessors.

Berlin Daily Telegraph, August 11, 1915.

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Anniversary (12 August 1915)

By Ben Toews • On August 12, 1915 • In 1915, War

After one full year of fighting, the progress of the war was still hard to judge. The anniversary of the beginning of hostilities inspired a number of summaries, reports, and projections about what had so far been achieved and what the future might bring. This chart recording military casualties, provided by the French Ministry of War, was printed in the Elmira Signet on August 12, 1915. Although the numbers given here are inaccurate (German and Austro-Hungarian losses were in fact much lower than this list shows), they were probably the best source that residents of Waterloo County had concerning the overall human cost of the war. Projections of the war’s eventual outcome were becoming less optimistic to those faced with these numbers. One article from the Signet began fretting about what would happen to the British Empire if the Entente lost the war – an outcome that was starting to seem like a possibility.

Elmira Signet, August 12, 1915.

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Bulgaria and Romania (12 August 1915)

By Ben Toews • On August 12, 1915 • In 1915, War

With the stalemate continuing on the western front and tense uncertainty about who held the overall advantage, everyone was eager to encourage new allies to join their side. Countries like Romania and Bulgaria had motives for entering the war, but were cautious about choosing which alliance to join, thus creating competition between the Entente and the Central Powers for their loyalty. On August 12, 1915, the Ayr News suggested that the Crown Prince of Servia was regrettably a hindrance to the recruitment of Bulgaria, which coveted parts of Servian territory inhabited by ethnic Bulgarians. In order to secure Bulgaria as an ally, which the article is convinced would quickly end the war, the Prince of Servia would have to agree to forfeit control over part of his own country. In other words, one ally within the Entente would have to be betrayed in order to secure another.

Ayr News, August 12, 1915.

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Canadian Innocence (12 August 1915)

By Ben Toews • On August 12, 1915 • In 1915, German-Canadian Identity

Prior to the First World War, not all Canadians saw their country as a militant nation, and for good reason. Before 1914, Canada did not have a particularly strong military history. The United States had been Canada’s only potential enemy and it was considered much wiser to appease them diplomatically than to try to intimidate them with a show of arms. Even though many people in Canada celebrated the outbreak of war, a quieter section of the population was less enthusiastic about the prospect of getting involved. The author of this article from the Elmira Signet, writing shortly after the one-year anniversary of the war, lamented a certain loss of innocence that had been forced upon Canada by the necessity to take up arms and keep the expansionist German Empire “at bay.” The author hoped that Canadian militancy would subside after the war, but feared that the next generation might never experience what it meant to live without an enemy.

Elmira Signet, August 12, 1915.

Morton, Desmond. A Military History of Canada. Toronto: McClelland and Stuewart, 93, 117.

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Fall of Warsaw (12 August 1915)

By Ben Toews • On August 12, 1915 • In 1915, War

With stalemate the most common news from the western front in 1915, Canadians looked for reassurance from their powerful ally in the east. The mobility of armies that still existed in the east meant there was more opportunity for rapid progress. Unfortunately for Waterloo residents, the news coming from this campaign was becoming ever more dire. Although Canadians were told that the Russians fought with great valour, their armies still relied too heavily on numbers rather than modern weaponry. The eastern campaign had become one of steady Russian retreat.

On August 12, the Ayr News reported disaster on the eastern front. Warsaw, the third largest city in the Russian Empire, had fallen to the Germans and the Russian army was forced to withdraw behind the Vistula River, destroying the bridges behind them as they crossed. Although undoubtedly a serious setback to the Entente, area residents were not ready to give up on their Russian allies. Even as they retreated from the ‘jewel of Poland,’ the Ayr News applauded the Russians’ “steadiness” and “fierce counter-attacks” that allowed their safe retreat to higher ground, from which they would renew their efforts against the enemy.

Berlin Daily Telegraph, July 31, 1915.

Ayr News, August 12, 1915.

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Boy Scouts and the Red Cross (12 August 1915)

By Michael Etienne • On August 12, 1915 • In 1915, Home Front

Everyone was expected to do their part, and the Boy Scouts were no exception. Local Boy Scouts helped the Red Cross roll bandages and collect razors to donate to soldiers overseas.
Donations of razors to soldiers were very common. As of August 1915, 70 000 razors had been donated from across the Empire. One store owner from Ayr reportedly had a donation box for razors in his shop. Donations to the local Boy Scouts were generous.
Berliner, Private Allen Smith read about the Boy Scouts’ efforts while in the trenches and wrote to the scoutmaster about his experience as a Boy Scout and how useful Boy Scout training was for future soldiers.

(“Boy Scouts Helping in Red Cross Work,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 6 August 1915.; “Responding to the call…,” Ayr News, 12 August 1915.; “Results Are Encouraging,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 13 August 1915.; “Letter to the Boy Scouts,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 24 August 1915.)