Timeline

Censorship is a natural part of any war, and during the First World War, efforts were made to sanitize war images, whether they were real or not. This article is a good example of this phenomenon. The Ontario Provincial Board of Censors, in communication with the Militia Department, decided that any images of war, real or fake, that showed “ghastly scenes of actual bloodshed,” would not be permitted. Marching troops with colours flying and bands playing were allowed, but any ghastly images or scenes had to be removed.

The removal of these types of images occurred throughout the war; even newsreels and films that were sent to Canada by Britain for propaganda purposes had scenes removed. These included the removal of scenes of Entente soldiers suffering after the Battle of the Somme in the British film Battle of the Somme and in 1918 the less graphic film Heart of the World had some of its battle images removed in fear that it could cause rioting as tensions caused by conscription were rising. Short articles such as this one are but one part of a much larger censorship movement.

“War Pictures Barred from Ontario Movies,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, June 24, 1915.

Jeffery A. Keshen, Propaganda and Censorship During Canada’s Great War (Edmonton: University of Alberta Press, 1996).

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.

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.

Advertisements using the war came in many forms and Jordan Harbor Peach Ranch advertised in a very patriotic way. The company stated that starting in September, they would be shipping 100,000 gallons of hospital sized cans of peaches, each containing six and a half to seven pounds of peaches, to hospitals in the British Isles, France and Belgium, distributed through the Red Cross Society. The advertisement also stated the cost for one of these large cans to be sent was 50 cents and both their company and the Canadian Red Cross Society would be accepting donations, allowing these cans to be sent overseas to feed wounded soldiers.

“A Tremendous Offering of Peaches to the Canadian Red Cross Society,” Ayr News, August 26, 1915.