German-Canadian Identity | First World War

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Waterloo North as a Canadian Community (1911)

By acoadmin • On January 2, 1911 • In German-Canadian Identity, Pre 1914

While the Region is marked by a uniquely German heritage, Waterloo North, which is of primarily German descent, was distinctly “Canadian” by 1911. According to the 1911 Census of Waterloo North’s 33, 619 people, 25, 352 were of German origin; furthermore, 29, 134 citizens were Canadian-born, with 29,026 born specifically in Ontario. The people of Waterloo North, despite their German ancestry, were second, third, and even fourth generation Germans by the outbreak of the First World War, as immigration between 1901 and 1911 had slowed to just over 1200 people, primarily from Germany. An example of this trend are the prominent Berlin citizens Albert Loborious Breithaupt, Louis Jacob Breithaupt, and Louis Jacobs’ daughter Catherine Breithaupt, who were born in Ontario and of German ethnic ancestry, but used English even in their personal journals. By the outbreak of the war, the individuals living in Waterloo North had developed a unique Canadian identity – they were German-Canadians, but most importantly Canadians.

(McLaughin, Ken, and John English. Kitchener: An Illustrated History. Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 1983.; McLaughin, Ken. The Germans in Canada. Ottawa: The Canadian Historical Association,1985; Celebration of Cityhood 1912. Berlin: The German Printing and Publishing Co of Berlin, 1912; Fifth Census of Canada 1911, Volume I. C.H.Parmelee: Ottawa, 1912; Fourth Census of Canada 1901, Volume I. Ottawa: S.E.Dawson, 1902; Third Census of Canada, 1890-91. S.E.Dawson, 1893; Second Census of Canada, 1880-81. Maclean, Roger & Co: Ottawa, 1883; First Census of Canada, 1870-71. Ottawa: I.B. Taylor, 1873.)

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Berlin Becomes a City (1912)

By acoadmin • On January 1, 1912 • In German-Canadian Identity, Pre 1914, Storyboards

In 1912, the town of Berlin became officially incorporated as the 18th city in Canada.

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Waterloo Region Cadets Attend Camp in London, Ontario (23 July 1914)

By acoadmin • On July 23, 1914 • In German-Canadian Identity, Summer 1914, Summer 1914 -

In the summer of 1914, London, Ontario hosted the annual Cadet camp, at Carling Heights, for the competition of South-western Ontario Cadet Corps. This was the largest Cadet camp to date since their founding in 1879. Over 1400 cadets participated in this camp. Cadet Corps from Waterloo Region attended this camp and competed in a number of competitions.

In the shooting competitions for the Beck Trophy (named in honour of Sir Adam Beck, Minister without Portfolio in Parliament from 1905 to 1914), the Waterloo Cadets placed second, only four points behind the winners from London. Chatham, Galt and Essex took the subsequent places. The Waterloo Region, therefore, had two of their Cadet corps place in the top four positions, a testament to their skill. The Waterloo and Galt corps continued to place in the top ranks in the other competitions. The oldest cadets at the camp were described as having the assuredness and steadiness of regulars. Unbeknown to them, this type of training would help prepare young Canadians for an upcoming war.

(“Cadet Camp at London,” Waterloo Chronicle- Telegraph, 23 July 1914; “Photo Origin: London Advertiser, 11 July 1914.”)

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‘We Will Support Mother’ (31 July 1914)

By acoadmin • On July 31, 1914 • In German-Canadian Identity, Home Front, Summer 1914, Summer 1914 -

Canada watched as the Austro-Serbian war began on 28 July and saw the ripple effect it caused through international markets. Canadians, including those in Waterloo Region, were reminded to keep working to maintain the Canadian economy. Canada needed to remain strong, so that when Great Britain called on citizens for support Canadians could display their loyalty through monetary and material support.

In addition to monetary and material support, the Canadian government notified their citizens that Canada would send a contingent to Europe in the event of war. On 31 July, Waterloo Region and the rest of Canada were informed that a plan was in place to send a 20,000 man contingent if war was declared. Additional contingents would be sent if needed.

(“Canada Will Be Ready to Help Motherland,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 31 July 1914.)

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Celebration at the Declaration of War (4 August 1914)

By acoadmin • On August 4, 1914 • In German-Canadian Identity, Home Front, Summer 1914, Summer 1914 -

On the evening of 4 August, hundreds of people had been waiting impatiently on the streets for any type of war news. When news reached Berlin, and the rest of Waterloo Region, at 9:30 p.m. that Great Britain had declared war on Germany, the people were gripped with wild excitement. The news was posted on the window of the Berlin Daily Telegraph office, and was later followed by an “Extra.” When it was announced that Germany responded with her own declaration of war against Great Britain, the Star Theatre pianist began to play “Rule Britannia” and the crowd began to cheer.

While some celebrated the declaration of war, it is evident that others in the community had mixed feelings about the war. Catherine Olive Breithaupt, the seventeen-year-old daughter of the Louis Jacob Breithaupt, who was the president of the thriving Breithaupt Leather Company, stated: “I am not extra proud of my Teutonic blood tonight.” This diary excerpt depicts the conflict German-Canadians in Waterloo Region would face during the upcoming war with Germany.

(“Wild Excitement When News Reached Berlin That War Was Declared,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 5 August 1914; Breithaupt, Catherine Olive. 1914 Diary (Breithaupt Diary Collection, Rare Books Room at Dana Port Library, University of Waterloo), 3 August 1914.)

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Berlin Band Concert This Evening (6 August 1914)

By acoadmin • On August 6, 1914 • In German-Canadian Identity, Home Front, Summer 1914, Summer 1914 -

Life proceeded normally in Waterloo region for the first few days after war was declared. Waterloo region’s industries continued to bustle, and so did their festivities. On 6 August, the Berlin City Band played in the Market Square. They performed many traditional German, Czech, Italian and British songs. What is important to note about their program is the emergence of songs like “The Volunteers” with its patriotic message. As the month progressed, patriotic songs became more prominent in band concerts across the region in response to the war. This demonstrated the region’s urge to display patriotism and their support of the British Empire during the war.

(“Band Concert This Evening,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 6 August 1914; “Patriotic Band Concert,” Ayr News, 13 August 1914; “Band Will Play Tonight,” Ayr News, 20 August 1914; “Concert a Fine One,” Waterloo Chronicle Telegraph, 27 August 1914.)

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German Canadians and the War (7 August 1914)

By acoadmin • On August 7, 1914 • In German-Canadian Identity, Summer 1914, Summer 1914 -

On 7 August, the Berlin Daily Telegraph reprinted an article from the Toronto Globe on the presence of German-Canadians, including those in Berlin and Waterloo, during the crisis. The politically charged article stated that the war was not against Germany, or Germans, but against the Bismarckian system of government that reigned over Germany. The article stated that this government system threatened the freedom of the rest of the world and that Britain, and subsequently Canada as well, needed to stand against this threat. Britain was therefore fighting for freedom, not for glory or gain.

The article addressed the sentiment of the thousands of citizens in Berlin and Waterloo, and the smaller German communities across Ontario and Canada. Austrians and Germans with Canadian citizenship were willing to join in the fight against their ancestral countries. This did not mean that these citizens did not still love their ancestral lands. They would answer Great Britain’s call to arms because it was for freedom and because:

“They know better than an English-Canadian or French-Canadian among us, that the whole system of autocratic and militarist despotism, is doomed, damned and doomed.”

(“German-Canadians and the War,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 6 August 1914.)

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Will Arrest German Reservists if They Try to Leave Canada (7 August 1914)

By acoadmin • On August 7, 1914 • In German-Canadian Identity, Summer 1914, Summer 1914 -

Almost immediately after Canada entered the war, the issue of German officers and reservists in Canada arose. As early as 7 August, the Canadian Militia Department and the Dominion Cabinet took steps to ensure that German officers and reservists were prevented from returning to Germany. German reservists were encouraged the report to authorities to state their intentions; a failure to do so would likely lead to arrest and confinement. Despite this hostility, reservists in the Waterloo region were assured that if they wanted to remain in Canada and proceed with their normal daily life, under parole, they would not be harassed. Any German reservist in Berlin and Waterloo was to report to Captain Osborne, Captain of the “C” Squadron of the 24^th Grey’s Horse Regiment, stationed in Waterloo Region.

(“Will arrest German Reservists if they seek to leave Canada,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 8 August 1914; “Will arrest German Reservists if they seek to leave Canada,” Waterloo Chronicle-Telegraph, 13 August 1914; “German Reservists in Dominion must state intention at once,” Waterloo Chronicle-Telegraph, 13 August 1914; “Reservists Handed in Their Parole,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 8 August 1914; “Reservists Handed in Their Parole,” Waterloo Chronicle Telegraph, 13 August 1914; “War News,” Elmira Signet, 13 August).

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Young German Warned to Keep Quiet (10 August 1914)

By acoadmin • On August 10, 1914 • In German-Canadian Identity, Summer 1914, Summer 1914 -

On 10 August, a young German named John Winterburg was arrested in Dutton, Ontario. He faced a charge of vagrancy. The young man had planned to leave Dutton and travel to Cleveland so that he could return to Germany. He was caught when he failed to keep his plan secret and was arrested by a local constable. The County Magistrate informed Winterburg that he would not be leaving for Germany and that he would be kept under strict surveillance for the remainder of the war, although he would not necessarily be detained for the duration of the war.

This article, originally printed in St. Thomas, Ontario (also part of Elgin County) demonstrated to those living in Waterloo Region that local law enforcement were taking the Canadian Militia Department and the Dominion Cabinet’s orders to prevent German reservists from leaving the country seriously. Both the Berlin Daily Telegraph and the Waterloo Chronicle Telegraph reprinted this story for their Waterloo Region readers. Articles like these demonstrated that law enforcement and the Canadian government would not hesitate to use their power over Germans and German-Canadians during the war.

(“Young German Warned to Keep a Quiet Tongue,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 11 August 1914, “Young German Warned to Keep a Quiet tongue,” Waterloo Chronicle-Telegraph, 13 August 1914.)

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Raising Funds for the War Effort (11 August 1914)

By acoadmin • On August 11, 1914 • In German-Canadian Identity, Home Front, Summer 1914, Summer 1914 -

On 11 August, a suggestion was made in various localities across Canada, to establish a Patriotic Fund much like the one that had been established during the South African War. During the South African war, approximately $500,000 was raised to provide relief to the families of men who were at the front and men who had taken sick or been wounded during their service. Almost $150,000 of this money was never paid out, and it was suggested that this sum form the beginning of the new Patriotic Fund. Individuals, companies, and communities would then be asked to raise more money for the fund.

In addition to considering another patriotic fund, Canadians also started raising a fund for a Canadian Hospital ship. On 11 August, the British Admiralty accepted the offer made by the women of Canada to provide a Hospital Ship for the British Army. In the Waterloo Region, the Princess of Wales Chapter of the Daughters of the Empire explained that it was the desire of the “women of Canada to equip a Hospital ship to be placed at the disposal of the Admiralty.” Anyone wishing to donate to the fund could do so at Roos’ and Swaisland’s Drug Stores in Berlin and at E.M. Devitt’s Drug Store in Waterloo. The press would publish any donation made at these locations.

(“Would Join Force,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 11 August 1914, “To Raise Funds for Canadian Hospital Ship,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 11 August 1914, “Hospital Ship is Accepted,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 11 August 1914, “Hospital Ship is Accepted,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 12 August 1914)