Canada and World War 1
Outcome
• GL4 analyse the role played by WWI in shaping Canada’s
•
•
•
•
identity
identify and describe Canada’s various military roles and
contributions in WWI
analyse the impact of the war on Canada’s evolution
from colony to nation
explain how the war was a catalyst for societal change
(e.g., changing roles for women, minorities, children,
governments, and home front)
analyse some of the controversial decisions involving
Canadians (e.g., internments, 1917 election, racist
policies, and conscription)
Your mission: Complete the
organizer while we review and
discuss
Why did Canada enter the
“War to End All Wars”?
• When England declared war in August 1914
•
•
•
•
•
Canada was forced to enter
Regular force of 3110 men – unprepared for war
Not questioned that Canada would help England
December 1914 the first Canadian division of the
Canadian Expeditionary Force landed in France
(PPCLI)
Newfoundland soldiers remained British
Expeditionary Force
French Canadians felt the war was not theirs but
was a British and European affair
Are you going?
What you know in 1914…
• Summer of tension building – knew Europe was
•
•
•
•
•
beginning to feel tensions over land and economic
conditions
Germany painted as the aggressor
Germany, Austria (Austro-Hungarian Empire) Turkey
(Ottoman Empire) & Bulgaria v. England, France &
Russia
Know of Schliffen Plan (German plan to win a European
war introduced after the Franco Prussian incident)
Know of Belgium being worried they are between France
and Germany and are important in the plan
Know that unemployment is high and getting higher in
Canada
Are you going? What you see…
FYI…
Central
Involved Allied
Powers
Marginal
Involvement
German Empire,
August 1914 November 1918
Austro-Hungarian
Empire, August 1914 November 1918
Ottoman Empire
(Turkey) October 1914
- October 1918
Bulgaria, October
1915 - September
1918
Serbia, 28 July 1914 - October 1915 (in exile
- November 1918)
Russian Empire, 1 August 1914 - November
1917
France, 3 August 1914 - November 1918
Belgium, 4 August 1914 - November 1918
British Empire, 4 August 1914 - November
1918
Includes Canada, Australia, New Zealand,
South Africa, and India
Montenegro, 8 August 1914 - January 1916
(in exile - November 1918)
Japan, 23 August 1914 - November 1917
Italy, 23 May 1915 - November 1917
Portugal, 9 March 1916 - November 1917
Romania, 27 August 1916 - December 1917,
November 1918)
United States: 6 April 1917 - November 1917
Brazil: 27 October 1917 - November 1917
Greece (National Defence faction only),
November 1916 - July 1917
Cuba, 8 April 1917 - November
1917
Panama, 9 April 1917 November 1917
Siam, 22 July 1917 - November
1917
Liberia, 4 August 1917 November 1917
China, 14 August 1914 November 1917
Guatemala: 25 April 1918 November 1917
Nicaragua: 7 May 1918 November 1917
Costa Rica: 25 May 1918 November 1917
Honduras: 19 July 1918 November 1917
Haiti: 25 July 1918 - November
1917
Important Battles
• Remember your
Organizer…
•
•
•
•
Vimy
Somme
Passchendaele
Ypres
Vimy Ridge April 1917
• Considered the defining battle for Canadians in
•
•
•
the war – Made Canada known and feared (“The
machine guns didn’t bother the canucks. They
just leaned into them like an ol’ gale and went
for the hun.”)
Canadian force told to capture the ridge
Previous French efforts had failed – 100,000
French dead or lost
Barrage enemy for over a week before the
attack – this was supposed to destroy enemy
fortifications like wire and artillery pieces
Vimy Ridge April 1917
• 5:30 am 9 April 1917
• 15,000 Canadian infantry overrun German
•
•
•
machine guns and trenches
3,598 Canadians were killed and another 7,000
wounded
Many stories of bravery come from the battle
and made the battle one of the more important
defining elements of Canadian character
After this battle the Germans were famous for
saying - Anyone but the Canadians…
• Hill 152 was the highest point of the ridge and
•
had the most Canadian causalities
Memorial opened in 1922 by surviving veterans
and officially donated by the French to Canada
The Somme 1916
• Locked into Trench Warfare
• Joint attacks planned for 1916 on the Eastern,
•
•
•
Western and Italian fronts to break the
stalemate
The Somme chosen for joint French/British
attack (British = Canada)
German general jumped the gun and decided to
attack – whole point was to kill soldiers – their
side had more
February 21 1915 Germans began a 10 month
barrage of British and French positions at
Verdun
The Somme 1916
• When the battle was over Verdun was
German and 680,000 were dead or
missing
• British were begged by French to do
something and a new attack plan had the
British and her empire/commonwealth
taking more heat
• July 1, 1916 – November 18, 1916
The Somme 1916
• The French and British agree to take different parts of
•
•
•
•
•
•
the German line at Beaumont Hamel to take back the
town
Allied barrage failed – the Germans hid underground
Newfoundland Regiment - 233 killed and 477
wounded/missing in the first ½ hour
37,000 British killed or missing in the first day
Canadians entered the battle in September
Canadians captured village of Courcellette
Total gains – 13km, Total loss – 1.5 million combined
dead and missing
The Somme 1916
• First World War: Battle of the Somme - Digital
•
•
Archives - CBC Player
Today in History
July 1 Newfoundland – Memorial Day
Passchendaele 1917
9 Victoria Crosses for Canada
• Instrumental in the battle
• Capture German occupied Belgium ports by
capturing heavily fortified ridges surrounding the
port access
• Launched from the only allied controlled piece of
Belgium – Ypres Salient
• Canadian Plan – Step by Step – attack smaller
pieces of territory and slowly crush German lines
Passchendaele 1917
• Nothing remained of the salient – it was attacked and
•
•
•
•
pillaged concurrently through the war
October 17 1917 Canadians begin expanding
transportation networks for the battle and realize the
horrid conditions of Ypres after 3 years of war
November 10 1917 battle is over with no real ground
gained by either side.
Canadian victory with the least amount of casualities and
more “useable” land including the highest points of hills
and ridges, Germans still dug in the western salient and
hillsides.
4028 Canadian causalities 15,654 combined causalities
Passchendaele1917
• Original WW1 Battle Footage Passchendaele
1917 Pont des Arts – YouTube
Ypres 1915 - 1917
• Canadians moved from quiet part of the line to
•
•
•
•
•
battle in 1915
Lee Enfield Rifles – Canadian standard issues –
breaking, misfire when wet or dirty, not accurate
Ypres Salient – became the name given to the
piece of land outside the city surrounded by hills
April 22, 1915 Germans attempted to remove
allied presence through the use of chlorine gas
Left a 4 mile gap in the line
Germans unprepared with men and equipment
so they could not take advantage of the break
Ypres 1915 - 1917
• Canadians filled in the gap overnight
• Germans attack again in May 1915 –
this time ready to take advantage of
breaks, the Canadians hold the line
• In less than 48 hours – 6035
causalities with 2000 dead or missing
Ypres 1915-1917
• Canadian divisions moved in rotation to
the rear for rest after 2nd battle of Ypres
• Went on to the Somme and Vimy
• Returned to Ypres in the battle of
Passchendaele
Ypres 1915-1917
• CBC Digital Archives - The First World War:
•
Canada Remembers - First World War: Gas! Gas!
(Radio)
World War One - After the Battles of Ypres in
France - YouTube
Now do you go?
Next Class…
• Keep the Home Fires
Burning - YouTube
• Pack All Your Troubles (in
your old kit bag) YouTube
• Nothing happens in a bubble…
• People at home needed to Keep the Fires
Burning and the soldiers needed to Pack All your
Troubles- Why is that?