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Berlin’s Soldier Boys (14 August 1914)

By • On • In German-Canadian Identity, Summer 1914, Summer 1914 -

On 14 August, a poem was published in the Berlin Daily Telegraph that honoured the young men who enlisted in Berlin, Ontario. The first stanza states that Berlin’s sons who had enlisted were the pride of their community. They were loyal and true Canadians, ready to defend England’s honour. The poem concluded with encouragement to give the Berlin men a good send-off as they go off to carry out “Deeds of valour and might.” This poem emphasized that Berlin men, regardless of their ancestry, felt and were seen to be proud members of the British Empire. This message was emphasized by the fact that the poem was written by “A Britisher.” It is here, once again, that a member of the Waterloo Region emphasized the Canadian and imperialistic sentiment and identity of the region.

(“Berlin’s Soldier Boys,” Berlin Daily-Telegraph, 14 August 1914.)

 

Berlin’s Soldier Boys (14 August 1914)

 

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Germans in Canada (14 August 1914)  

By • On • In Politics, Summer 1914, Summer 1914,

On 14 August, the Hamilton Speculator published an article that defended the honour of Sir Adam Beck, which was reprinted in the Berlin Daily Telegraph. The article explained that although Beck was of German parentage he was thoroughly Canadian and a “thorough Briton.” The article stated that Beck was an example of the German population in the heart of Western Ontario, who all love the “land of their adoption” more than the land where their forefathers came from.

Not unexpectantly, the issue of how to regard German-Canadians was a question that was posed by regular citizens and even prominent politicians and businessmen. Beck was the Minister without Portfolio in Parliament from 1905 to 1914 and was a member of the Remount Committee of the Military Council of Canada, with the rank of Colonel. King George V knighted Beck in 1914 for his promotion of hydro-electricity in Ontario and Canada. Beck later built and expanded the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario, making him an important figure in Ontario and Canadian history. Despite his service to Ontario and Canada, there were still some who questioned his loyalty when war was declared against Germany. Clearly all German-Canadians would experience some type of scrutiny during the war.

(“Germans in Canada,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 14 August 1914, “Sir Adam Beck Ready,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 14 August 1914; http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/sir-adam-beck/)

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