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Elimination of German Language in Public Schools (18 March 1915)

By • On • In 1915, German-Canadian Identity

Berlin’s Public School Board voted 5 to 3 to remove the study of German from the public school curriculum beginning the following September. Many spoke in opposition to the movement, including Berlin Mayor J.E. Hett who insisted that bilingualism would be an advantage to the 1400 Berlin students currently learning the language. Prominent business man and president of the German School Association, L.J. Breithaupt stated both in public and in his diary that there was strong support in the community to keep German language classes in the schools. He stated that the fact that over two thirds of pupils studied German in school was proof of its popularity.
Those who defended the removal of German said that the war was not a factor in their decision. They claimed that German was removed in order to accelerate the teaching of more essential or practical subjects, especially since many students left school before completing the highest grade. (The Berliner Journal also reported this story.)

(“Teaching of German Language in Berlin’s Public Schools Will Be Eliminated after Present School Term,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 18 March 1915.; Breithaupt Diary Collection, Rare Books Room at Dana Porter Library, University of Waterloo)image-7 (2)

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Professor F.V. Riethdorf and Reverend C.R. Tappert (30 March 1915)

By • On • In 1915, German-Canadian Identity, Timeline

F.V. Riethdorf was a professor of German at Woodstock College. He was born in Germany, and he served in the German army before moving to Canada. During the war he was famous for his position as a native German with strong loyalty to the British Empire and deep opposition to the Kaiser. Articles published from Toronto to Kelowna, B.C. reported on Riethdorf’s defense of the German people and hatred of Prussian militarism which he blamed for the war.
Rev. C.R. Tappert, also a native German, was the new pastor at the new St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Berlin, and had just moved up from the United States. Tappert challenged Riethdorf’s claims, and defended the German system of government.
Responses to their disagreements, even from Toronto, were sympathetic to Riethdorf and suggest that many Canadians did not fault a German for his love of his native country, but were outraged by the pro-German sentiment of men like Tappert.

(“War Over in Few Months,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 22 March 1915.; “Traiters to the New World,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 26 April 1915.; “Remarkable German Denunciation of Present War, Kelowna Record, 3 September 1914.; “Mr. Tappert’s First Love,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 26 March 1915.; “As Others See Us,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 30 March 1915.; “Prof. F.V. Riethdorf, Woodstock, Replies to Rev. C.R. Tappert,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 30 March 1915.
Visual: http://generations.regionofwaterloo.ca/getperson.php?personID=I80451&tree=generations)

Reverend C.R. Tappert

Reverend C.R. Tappert

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“Berlin Is Now Called Kitchener?” (20 April 1915)

By • On • In 1915, German-Canadian Identity

Ten months before Berlin would hold a plebiscite asking citizens if the city should change its name, an article was published in the Berlin Daily Telegraph (the Berliner Journal also reported on this) which reported on an article published in Berlin, Germany. The article, written on December 15, 1914, prophetically reported that the city’s name had become offensive, and that Berlin, Ontario was now called Kitchener. In June 1916, “Kitchener” would be a last minute addition to the ballot of choices for Berlin’s new name. It was added to the ballot only after the death of British secretary of war, Lord Horatio Herbert Kitchener. His death is also the accepted reason for the name’s popularity among voters, yet it had been predicted in Germany by accident 18 months before.
The German article also erroneously reported that special constables in “Kitchener”, as in all smaller Canadian towns, were arresting anyone with a German accent and that all German-language papers would soon be prohibited in Canada.

(John English and Kenneth McLaughlin, Kitchener: An Illustrated History, (Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 1996): 124-125.; “Berlin Is Now Called Kitchener?” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 20 April 1915.)

Portrait of Lord Kitchener at Kitchener City Hall

Portrait of Lord Kitchener at Kitchener City Hall

 

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Prussian Militarism, Not German People Criticized in Waterloo Region Press and in Public Gathering (28 January 1915)

By • On • In 1915, German-Canadian Identity

A handful of editorials throughout January criticized German militarism and tyranny. German belligerence was frequently juxtaposed against the democracy and freedom of the British Empire. Yet, while supportive of the war, the articles differentiate between the majority of Germans on one hand and the militarized, German elite on the other. Indeed, the fight against “Prussian Militarism” was presented by the war’s proponents as the primary reason for continuing the fight against Germany.

Similar opinions were being propagated in the Waterloo Region itself. In late January, The Waterloo County Canadian Club hosted a luncheon with guest speaker S. J Robins at Waterloo’s Mason Hall. Members of the Canadian Club were said to have thought well of his opinions on the current war and the state of the German nation, which Robins saw as divided between the majority of Germans and a powerful minority of militarized elites.

(“Great Britain and Her Allies at War to End War Altogether,” Waterloo Chronicle-Telegraph, 28 January 1915; “It is a War to Free World,” Elmira Signet, 14 January 1915; “It is a War to Free World,” Ayr News, 21 January 1915; “Germany Found Wanting,” Elmira Signet, 7 January 1915.)

PrussianMilit

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German War Bread A Cause of Hatred (8 May 1915)

By • On • In German-Canadian Identity, Home Front, Timeline

During war, the diet of civilians and soldiers changed based on the availability of food. This article claimed that for Germans, bread was starting to become a controversial topic. German soldiers were able to eat wheat bread as they were living on the food stuffs of France and Belgium. This was not the case for German civilians, who had to eat “K” bread, or potato bread. “K” bread, “K” meaning kavtoffeln, German for potato, was even being eaten by the Kaiser and the kings of Saxony and Bavaria. This bread’s nutritional value was sub-par compared to wheaten bread as potatoes are pure starch. All this extra starch would create a strain on the stomachs of German citizens. An article printed in the Berlin Daily Telegraph stated the hatred German citizens now had for Britain came from this bread as it caused irritation, depression, moodiness, and despondency.

“German War Bread A Cause of Hatred,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, May 8, 1915.

 

 

 

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German Brutality to British Prisoners of War (11 May 1915)

By • On • In German-Canadian Identity, Home Front, Timeline

Prisoners of war were common in the First and Second World Wars, and their treatment varied. However, if they wrote home or escaped, their experience could shape how the home front viewed prisoner camps and could either ease or increase their fears for a loved one if they were captured. Major C.B. Vandaleur was a British officer who had escaped from a prisoner camp at Crefeld. He claimed he was cursed at, pushed around, and he and fifty-two other prisoners had been confined to a wagon and starved on the three day journey from Douai to Cologne.

 

“German Brutality to British Prisoners of War,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, May 11, 1915.

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Pro-German Man Rejoicing (11 May 1915)

By • On • In German-Canadian Identity, Home Front, Timeline

4Around noon on May 10, Arthur Kimpel was at the Car and Coach Company plant expressing his pro-German views, including praising the sinking of the Lusitania, a passenger ship torpedoed by the Germans on May 7. Cassel, a British man, was listening and a fight ensued. Kimpel and his father went to Magistrate Webster after dinner, wanting Cassel to be arrested. While at the Magistrate’s office, father and son spoke highly of the German army, prompting the Magistrate to write up an arrest warrant for the two men and they were arrested by Chief Crawford twenty minutes later and were held in the local police cells until they could be transported to London.

 

“Pro-Germans Rejoiced over the Murder,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, May 11, 1915.

 

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Outfit Was Too German, A Simple Mistake (12 May 1915)

By • On • In 1915, German-Canadian Identity, Home Front, Timeline

3Theodore Hotacker was a young German man who had come to Canada to learn farming techniques and was also working as a clerk at the Merchant Bank. Unfortunately, his new farm clothes caused him to receive suspicious looks on King Street as the cut of the suit was similar to that of a German soldier and was tucked into black boots. He caught the attention of Chief of Police O’Neill, who asked to speak with him privately. After learning that Hotacker wanted to become a Canadian citizen and had not realized the similarities between the suit he had made for farm work and a German soldier’s uniform, O’Neill advised Hotacker to only wear the suit on the farm, to which Hotacker agreed. This incident, despite the tensions between those of German heritage and non-German heritage, was depicted as a simple misunderstanding and is favourable towards Hotacker’s character.

 

“Outfit was too German,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, May 12, 1915.

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The Status of Germans in Canada (19 May 1915)

By • On • In 1915, German Newspapers, German-Canadian Identity, Timeline

After the sinking of the RMS Lusitania, the Berliner Journal reported an increasing number of anti-German incidents. Several times Germans were arrested due to their ethnic origin as they were suspected of spying. For example, a German bank employee in Berlin was arrested because his suit looked like a German uniform. In Toronto, a promotional sign for a beer brewed in Berlin, Ontario, had to be taken down due to the name Berlin. Even though the sign showed the British flag and said “Made in Canada”, the Toronto city council prohibited the use of the advertisement.

On May 19, the editors published another article regarding anti-German sentiment. The article sympathized with the emotional reactions of the Canadians, stating that the sinking of a German ship would have caused just as much outrage among Germans. Furthermore they praised the Canadian government for intervening in violent actions against the German population. The article encouraged Germans to stay quiet and refrain from patriotic statements in order to show their loyalty and remain safe.

BJ-1915-05-19-The Status of Germans

(“In Preston” Berliner Journal, 12 May 1915; “Ein junger angestellter Deutscher” Berliner Journal, 19 May 1915; “Protest gegen deutsche Bieranzeige” Berliner Journal, 19 May 1915; „Unsere Stellung im Lande unserer Wahl“ Berliner Journal, 19 May 1915)

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Canadian Prisoners of War Treated Well (27 May 1915)

By • On • In 1915, German-Canadian Identity, Home Front, Timeline, War

Censorship in the First World War varied and became more intense as the war continued. This article, however, is still surprising. A Canadian prisoner of war being held in Giessen claimed that he and some others had surrendered after being heavily fired upon for two days and nights by rifles, machine guns, and shells. This soldier himself had bullets go through his sack and cap. While he hoped that those at home would understand why they surrendered and not be disgraced by their actions, they were being treated well. Their prison was very clean and they were well fed, receiving three meals per day, including bread and coffee for breakfast and vegetable soup for dinner and supper and they could buy butter and sardines. The soldier claimed in regards to cleanliness and comfort, they were better off in the prison than at Salisbury Plain. The experiences of this Canadian soldier and British officer C.B. Vandaleur stand in stark contrast to each other.

“Canadian Prisoners of War are Well Treated,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, May 27, 1915.