German-Canadian Identity

One year into the war, relations between English and German Canadians still remained reasonably civil. As the conflict between Canada and Germany dragged on, however, it became more and more awkward for Ontarians to live and do business in a city named Berlin. In May 1915, the Berlin Daily Telegraph was reporting instances in which buyers were refusing to purchase goods with ‘Berlin’ printed on the label. This situation was gradually hurting local manufacturers, who were a significant component of the local economy. This economic argument in favour of changing the city’s name continued a debate that had been slowly intensifying since the war began. Unlike an article in the Berliner Journal, however, the English papers did not yet make any specific reference to ‘Kitchener’ as a possible replacement for ‘Berlin.’

Berlin Daily Telegraph, May 27, 1915.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Although the Berliner Journal generally avoided harassment from other papers about its own content, the editors at the Journal still needed to be careful not to appear too sympathetic to Germany during the war. In early August, the Berliner Journal printed an anniversary piece summarizing the first year of the war, just as all of the other local papers had. Later in the month, however, the Telegraph printed this article from the London Advertiser condemning the Journal for being inflammatory. The full article went on to claim that such mischievous journalism could only serve to “cast suspicion on thousands of loyal Germans” who otherwise would be undisturbed. For the coming year, it was suggested that the Journal take more care to commend the triumphs and cause of the British, rather than focus on the German perspective. Considering the article in question was printed shortly after the death of one of the Journal’s main editors, John Rittinger, one wonders if the loss of his voice at the German newspaper was already affecting its ability to function in the awkward situation that the war had created.

Berlin Daily Telegraph, August 19, 1915.