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Chapter
21 On the Home Front
A Veteran Remembers
Today, World War I seems a long time ago.
But for veterans of the war, the memories
are still alive and Remembrance Day is a
very special event. In 1999, Veterans Affairs
Canada estimated that there were about 600
Canadian World War I veterans still living.
Many are close to 100 years old. This is how
World War I veteran, Mr. B. Ham, remembers
the war.
Every November 11th my wife shines my
medals, I dress myself up, and we go
to . . . take part in the [Remembrance
Day] service. So many things go through
my mind. All those men who were killed.
How unnecessary. That they couldn’t have
died an ordinary natural death. A very
terrible thing that a man has to give his
life.
People don’t realize that these men
who enlisted didn’t even realize what they
were getting into. Maybe I was one of
them. Anyway, they went. Some gave their
lives, others gave their limbs. People don’t
seem to realize the sacrifices these men
made.
The meals they had to contend
with—bully beef (corned beef). Cold
weather—unprotected in pouring rain. No
home to go to. Maybe a barrack room or
an ordinary tent. Maybe no tent at all.
Maybe standing in a trench—muddy, cold,
and miserable.
I would feel very compassionate
toward any teenager who considers
November 11th just another holiday. I’d
say,“Well, I don’t blame you for feeling that
way. You’re young. Maybe if I were you I’d
feel the same way. If you’ve got a minute
or two to spare, come and sit with me and
I’ll tell you a thing
or two.”
I would try to
explain what some
of these men went
through. Some in
hospitals throughout the country
are still suffering.
We have to remember those fellows.
“Suppose something happened and
your father had to
go to war.You’d feel
badly if he were
killed in action or
lost an arm or a
A World War I veteran
leg.”
“Just think it over. Consider yourself
darn lucky to be a Canadian, living in a
free country. And it was fought not only
by the Canadians and the British, but by
Americans, Australians, and New Zealanders. They all helped to preserve the
freedom which you have today.”
Reflecting
1. The stories of veterans can tell us a
great deal about the real long-lasting
effects of the war. If you could talk
with a World War I veteran, what
questions would you ask?
2. World War I ended over 80 years ago
and no fighting ever took place anywhere in Canada. Nevertheless, the
war had a major effect on Canada.
How does this veteran’s message
reveal why the war was so important
to Canadians today?
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Unit 4: Canada and World War I, 1914-1919
Changes in Everyday Life
Canadians at home supported the troops
overseas in many different ways. People
made sacrifices to help ensure victory in
Europe. Many people planted “victory gardens” to produce as much food as possible.
Canadians were sending large amounts of
food to the fighting forces and the people of
other Allied countries. At home, families
tried not to waste anything and to reduce the
amount of food they kept for themselves.
On the prairies, many of the farm workers
were overseas fighting. Students in schools
were often dismissed early so that they could go
out and work on the farms. Groups of women
of all ages met regularly to organize community
fundraisers, roll bandages, and prepare parcels
for the troops. Every community held card
games, dances, and variety shows. The profits
from these evenings were used to send soap,
writing paper, pencils, and candy to the troops.
The Economics of War
By 1918, the war was costing Canada over $1
million a day! Workers helped to pay the enormous costs by buying Victory Bonds. Victory
Bonds were issued by the government. By buying them, citizens were loaning money to the
1914
1915
1916
1917
1918
$ 28 165
CANADA'S PRODUCTION
OF WAR SUPPLIES
$ 57 213 690
$ 246 505 260
$ 388 213 550
$ 260 711 750
Production by industries reached new heights
during World War I. Especially important was the
production of munitions (military weapons and
equipment). Factories manufacturing airplanes,
shells, and ships sprang up across the country. By
1918, 300 000 Canadians were working in these
factories. One-third of the shells fired by the
armies of the British empire were made in Canada.
government for the war effort. After the war,
the bonds could be cashed in at a profit.
Business owners also loaned over $1 billion to
the government. The loans would be paid back
with interest when the war was over.
Children played a part by buying Thrift
Stamps. Each stamp cost 25¢. It was stuck on
a card. When $4.00 worth of stamps were
DISASTER! Early on the morning of 6 December 1917, a terrible explosion rocked the city of
Halifax, Nova Scotia. Halifax was a major shipping port for war supplies.The Mont Blanc, a French
ship carrying ammunition, collided with the Belgian vessel Imo in the harbour. Almost 3000 tonnes of
explosives were set off.The blast flattened large sections of the city. Fires roared through wooden
buildings. A huge tidal wave swamped other ships in the harbour and tossed them in pieces onto the
shore.Two thousand people were killed.Thousands more were injured or left homeless.The Halifax
Explosion was the worst disaster in Canadian history. It brought the horrors of the war to the
doorsteps of Canadians at home.
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Chapter 21: On the Home Front
329
collected, the child received a War Savings
Stamp. A War Savings Stamp could be cashed
in for $5.00 in 1924.
The Canadian government also introduced
income tax during World War I. The purpose
was to help finance the war. Income tax was
supposed to be a “temporary measure.” But as
we know, income tax has never been abolished.
Women During
the War Years
World War I brought great changes to the lives
of Canadian women. As soon as the war began,
hundreds of Canadian women volunteered to
work overseas as nurses or ambulance drivers.
Many women worked in field hospitals just
They experienced the horrors of the war firstbehind the front-line trenches. One operating
hand and worked long hours to care for the
room nurse wrote in a letter home, “We ...
wounded.
had 291 operations in ten nights, so that will
Women also played an important part in the
give you a fair idea of a week’s work.”
war effort at home in Canada. The number of
women working in jobs outside their homes
keynote feeling all through that First World War.
increased dramatically because so many men
Everybody was extremely patriotic, and everywere away fighting. Women drove buses and
body wanted to ‘do a bit.’ If there’s anything we
streetcars. They also worked in banks, on
could do to help, we must do it.”
police forces, and in civil service jobs. Thirty
thousand Canadian women worked in munitions factories and
other war industries.
These jobs in heavy
industry would have
been considered
unsuitable for
women before 1914.
Groups of women
of all ages met regularly to knit socks for
the soldiers. They
packed gift parcels to
Working conditions for women in the factories were difficult and sometimes
be sent to the troops.
dangerous. One woman recalled:
One woman said, “You
see, everybody felt they
I had a very hard job. I had to run a machine of weights into the shell, and
the weight had to be just exact.
had to do something. You
It was interesting work but very hard on your nerves. I was afraid the
just couldn’t sit there.
shells might blow up.There was a machine went on fire.This friend was on
There was a phrase,
the machine that blew up, and I ran to her and we had to go down on our
‘Doing your bit.’ Well,
hands and knees and crawl out of the place. So we had a little experience of
that was pretty well the
what it was like to be right in a war.
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Unit 4: Canada and World War I, 1914-1919
Culture
Link
War Posters
t the time of World War I,
television had not been
invented. There were radios, but
not everyone had one. Colourful
posters were the most effective
way of getting a message across
to a large number of people.
Posters were put up in post
A
offices and other public places
where everyone could see them.
They were also printed in magazines and newspapers. The
Canadian government used the
posters to encourage people to
support the war effort. Examine
the posters on these pages.
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Chapter 21: On the Home Front
331
1. List the different purposes for which the
6. Design your own posters. In groups, create
posters were used.
posters which could be used to:
2. What major images are used in each poster?
• recruit soldiers
Why do you think these images were used?
• encourage people to buy war bonds
3. Summarize the message of each poster in a
• help reduce waste and save food
sentence.
• encourage women and children at home
4. How successful do you think these posters
to work for the war effort.
would be? Why?
5. What means of communication
Advice for the Home
does the government use today
to get across messages to the
people? What kinds of mesThe government encouraged people to reduce
sages does the government
waste and make sacrifices for the war by sending
send out? Give some specific
out advice like this.
examples.
1. Use nut-butter or margarine.
2. Remake leftover bread into new bread, cake, or
pudding.
3. Instead of one beefless day, why not try for six
to make up for people less patriotic?
4. Eat as little cake and pastry as you can.
5. Use oats, corn, barley, and rye instead of wheat.
6. Use ham and pork bones in other dishes.
7. Chew your food thoroughly—you will be satisfied with less.
8. All kinds of cold cereal can be saved, and when
not enough to roll into balls to fry, they can be
used in batter cakes and corn breads.
9. Cut each slice of bread as required.
10. Mix your own cleanser (use white sand, washing soda, soap, and chalk).
11. Fifty million dollars is thrown away in garbage
cans annually.
12. Do not display the roast of meat on the table.
It is an inducement to eat more than you need.
13. Do not eat both butter and jam with bread.
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Unit 4: Canada and World War I, 1914-1919
Women Win the Right to Vote
Nellie McClung wrote, “Certainly women
belong in the home, but not 24 hours a day.
They should have exactly the same freedom as
men.” The work women did during World War I
helped to prove Nellie McClung was right.
Women did jobs once performed only by men.
The war brought women together in volunteer
organizations and in their new jobs. They began
to share ideas and work for greater equality
with men. They campaigned for better public
health, working conditions, and wages. They
pushed for equal opportunities in careers such
as medicine and law, and for the right to own
property.
Women also worked for suffrage (the right
to vote). As you saw in the last unit, the first
breakthrough for women’s suffrage came in
Manitoba. In 1916, women were given the
right to vote in that province. Within months,
Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, and
Ontario also granted women the right to vote in
provincial elections.
In 1917, women reached their main goal—
the right to vote in federal elections. The
Wartime Elections Act granted mothers, sisters, and wives of soldiers in the Armed Forces
the right to vote in the 1917 federal election.
Canadian nurses serving in the Forces could
Province
Suffrage First woman
(The Vote)
elected
Manitoba
Saskatchewan
Alberta
British Columbia
Ontario
Nova Scotia
New Brunswick
Prince Edward
Island
Newfoundland
Québec
January 1916
March 1916
April 1916
April 1917
April 1917
April 1918
April 1919
June 1920
June 1919
June 1917
June 1918
August 1943
June 1960
October 1967
May 1922
April 1925
April 1940
May 1970
May 1930
December 1961
Federal Dominion
of Canada
Close relatives December 1921
of members of
armed forces
September 1917;
all women May 1918
also vote. By the time the war ended, almost all
women over the age of 21 had the right to vote
in federal elections. The Dominion Elections
Act (1920) also gave women the right to run for
election to Parliament.
During the war, there were few men left to
work on the farms. Farm women brought in
the harvests and city women also went out
to help.
We decided to become “farmerettes”
when we read in the paper that there
was a big crop and they needed people
to come, and there were no men. So
this friend and I said that we would go.
We volunteered. Masses of young
women went out and brought the
harvest in.
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Chapter 21: On the Home Front
333
Skill Building: Using Media to Enrich History
Dramatizing key moments in history can make
them come alive again.Today, television, videos,
films, DVDs, computers, CD-ROMs, media software, the Internet, radios, compact discs, and
tapes are all media that people are using to relive
events. When you see historical events presented in these ways, you can almost go back in
time to be there—it’s like virtual reality!
One example of an important media project
is Canada’s “Heritage Minutes.” You have probably
seen them on television or in a movie theatre.
The “Heritage Minutes” are a series of 60-second
glimpses of Canadian history. Some dramatize
Canadian heroes such as Guglielmo Marconi
sending the first radio message from Signal Hill
in Newfoundland, or John McCrae composing
“In Flanders Fields” on the battlefield in World
War I. Other “Minutes” focus on the contributions of key women in Canadian history such as
Nellie McClung and Emily Murphy, or the lives of
Canadians such as the Ukrainians who built sod
houses on the prairies and the Chinese workers
who risked their lives to help build the Canadian
Pacific Railway.
View and Script One!
1. Watch the “Heritage Minute” on the Halifax
Explosion in 1917. It focuses on Vince Coleman, a
train dispatcher. How did Coleman save the lives
of 700 passengers on trains headed toward the
harbour? How did the explosion make the effects
of the war more real to the people at home?
2. Watch other “Heritage Minutes” such as
“Flanders” and “Valour Road.” Play the episode
with the sound turned off. Just watch the visual
images.Watch the episode a couple of times.
3. In groups, do some research on the topics.
Then, write your own script for the “Minute”
you have chosen. Project yourself into the time
and place, and into the lives of the people shown
in that moment of history.Write an introduction
and dialogue as needed. Remember to keep your
script within the time limit of the video.You can
also add music if you like.
4. Now play the “Heritage Minute” again with
the sound off, but this time read your script
along with the video.You may need to make
some changes or check your timing so that your
script fits smoothly with the video. Discuss the
results.
5. Finally, play the “Heritage Minute” again and
listen to the sound. Compare your script with
the script the original creators of the video
wrote. In what ways are they the same? In what
ways do they differ? Which did you like best?
Why?
Create Your Own!
In groups, create your own episode of a
“Heritage Minute.” You can follow roughly the
same process that people who produce the
“Heritage Minutes” actually use.
First, choose your topic and brainstorm ideas.
Next, work out a storyline for your episode.Ask
yourself who will be involved and what will happen.Then produce a storyboard with pictures or
drawings as well as a script. Present your storyboard to other groups.You could also dramatize
your episode and videotape it.
Possible topics:
Life in the Trenches
Billy Bishop Goes to War
The War at Sea
Women Working in Factories and on Farms
Children Doing Their Bit During World War I
Unknown Heroes of the War
Living Veterans of World War I
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Unit 4: Canada and World War I, 1914-1919
Civics &
Society
Many Canadians are angry
when the government
breaks its promise and
introduces conscription.
The anger is especially
strong in Québec. As the
war dragged on, many
French Canadians lost
enthusiasm for Britain’s war.
Those who had signed up
were not treated well by
their English commanders.
Many English Canadians,
however, believe that
Québec is not doing its
part in the war. Farmers are
also worried that the last
few men working on the
farms will have to go and
fight. Families fear the loss
of their few remaining sons.
The Conscription Crisis 1917
t the beginning of the war,
soldiers who went to fight
were all volunteers. The government made a promise that soldiers would not be forced to go
to war. There would be no conscription. Conscription means
A
that all able-bodied men would
be required to join the Armed
Forces. But in 1917, after three
devastating years and many lost
lives, the issue of conscription
reared its head again.
Timeline of Events
1914
Thousands of Canadians rush
out to volunteer for the Armed
Forces
1916
Number of volunteers declines
as the war drags on
1917
Number of volunteers is not
keeping up with the thousands
being killed or injured
June 1917
Military Service Bill makes
conscription a law
October 1917
Conservatives and Liberals
who believe in conscription
form a Union Government
December 1917 Military Voters Act
Military service is required for all
able-bodied males aged 20 to 45.
Exemptions are possible for:
• men in vital war industries
• the sick
• conscientious objectors
(those who choose not to
fight for reasons of their
religion or other beliefs)
Wartime Elections Act
Union Government wins the
federal election in a landslide
November 1918
By the end of the war, only
45 000 conscripts reached
the battlefields. Resentment
over the issue of conscription
lingers in the country for a
long time afterwards.
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Chapter 21: On the Home Front
1. Describe in your own words how you would
have felt about conscription if you were one
of the following people in 1917 Canada.
a) a young man, age 21, living on a farm and
who is part of a family of four
b) the young man’s parents
c) the young man’s fiancée
d) the young man’s younger brother, age 19
e) a young French Canadian
f) a young man of British origin
2. Do you think conscription was justified?
Debate the issue.
Enlistment/Casualty Rate for 1917
Month
January
March
May
July
September
November
Enlistments
9 194
6 640
6 407
3 882
3 588
4 019
Casualties
4 396
6 161
13 457
7 906
10 990
30 741
Only French-speaking
Liberals in Québec and a
handful of English-speaking
Liberals in the rest of Canada
stand against conscription in
the House of Commons
Soldiers
overseas are
allowed to
vote
Union government wins overwhelming majority across Canada,
but only three seats in Québec.
French and English Canadians are
dangerously divided. Canada is split
for and against conscription.
Female relatives of soldiers
and nurses overseas are
allowed to vote.They are
expected to vote for conscription and a government
that promises to support
their loved ones overseas.
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Unit 4: Canada and World War I, 1914-1919
Effects of the War
on Canada
What was the cost of the war to Canada? The
heaviest cost was in the numbers who died.
A total of 60 661 Canadians lost their lives.
Another 173 000 were wounded or gassed.
Many thousands more were injured and lived
on for years in veterans’ hospitals. For these
veterans, the suffering of war never ended.
They were victims who had lost arms or legs,
whose lungs had been destroyed by gas
attacks, or who suffered severe mental and
emotional stress.
The war also brought a deepening resentment between French and English Canadians.
Many English Canadians believed that Québec
had not sent enough volunteers to fight. Québec
had provided only 20% of the volunteers in
proportion to its population. The Maritime
provinces had provided 38%, Ontario 63%,
Manitoba and Saskatchewan 81%, Alberta 92%,
and British Columbia 104%. Many French
Canadians also opposed conscription in 1917.
The distrust between English and French
Canada over this issue lingered after the war.
The war also had a devastating effect on
people labelled as “enemy aliens.” When war
broke out, there were about 500 000 German
and Austrian citizens living in Canada. Canada
had promised them free land, a bright future,
and political freedom. The Wartime Elections
Act took away the right to vote from people
born in countries considered to be the enemy.
Many people of Austrian, German, and later
Italian, Russian, and Ukrainian descent lost
their jobs or had their homes or businesses
vandalized. Some were put in remote labour
camps. All had had their civil rights (freedom,
the right to vote, etc.) taken away from them.
Many had to start all over again to find jobs
and build a new life for themselves after
the war.
The war also put a major burden on
Canada’s finances. In 1913, Canada’s national
debt was $463 million. By 1918, the debt had
risen to $2.46 billion! The government had to
keep collecting income tax to raise money.
On the positive side, World War I had produced a great boom in Canadian industry and
agriculture. Steel and munitions production and
manufacturing had grown fantastically. The
production of field crops increased by 163%.
During the war, almost everyone who could
work had a job.
By the end of the war, Canada had also
grown to become a more independent country.
Canada’s war effort had earned international
respect. The outstanding contribution of
Fast Forward
Changing Place Names
The names of some Canadian cities were permanently changed during World War I.
Kitchener, Ontario, and Alderson, Alberta, are
just two examples of cities whose names
changed during the war. Before World War I,
Kitchener was called Berlin. Many people of
German ancestry lived in the city and had
named their town after the famous German
city of their homeland. During the war,
German citizens were considered “enemy
aliens.” They tried to show they were loyal to the
British side in the war by changing the name of
their town to Kitchener, after the British War
Minister. Carlstadt in Alberta also changed its
name to Alderson after the British commander of
the Canadians at Ypres. Other changes had a more
positive history. Pine Street in Winnipeg became
Valour Road to honour three young men who won
the Victoria Cross during the war.
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Chapter 21: On the Home Front
CANADA'S ECONOMIC GROWTH, 1913–1919
Production in Canada’s
key industries increased
1913
fantastically over the
war years. Calculate the 1919
percentage increase in
each industry using
the figures in this picto- 1913
graph. Which two
1919
areas of the economy
showed most growth?
Suggest why.
Field Crops
$ 552 771 500
$ 1 452 437 500
Fisheries
= $100 000 000
$ 33 389 500
= $10 000 000
$ 58 000 000
= $10 000 000
Forest products
= $10 000 000
$ 77 887 700
1913
$ 131 668 100
1919
Minerals
$ 145 634 800
1913
1919
$ 173 075 900
Trade — Exports 223% increase
Canada’s soldiers won a separate place for
Canada at the peace conference after the war.
Before the war, Britain would have signed the
peace treaty on behalf of Canada and all other
members of the British empire. Now Canada
signed the treaty as a separate nation. Canada
had earned the right to be an equal partner
with Britain in world affairs.
The support of the people at home for the
war effort also helped to make Canada a different country in 1918 than it had been four years
earlier. While people did not forget the horrors
of the war for years afterwards, they had
worked together to support the soldiers and
their country. Canada had a new sense of itself
as a nation.
When the memorial at Vimy Ridge was
unveiled in 1936, Mrs C.S.Woods saluted
on behalf of the many mothers who lost
their sons or loved ones in World War I.
Mrs Woods lost eight sons. She is wearing
their medals.This photo is a reminder not
only of those who died, but also of all those
after the war who suffered the grief and
devastation of loss.
Imports 37% increase
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Unit 4: Canada and World War I, 1914-1919
Fast Forward
Canada’s Veterans
November 1998 was the 80th anniversary of the end of
World War I. War veterans made a special pilgrimage to
the battlefields and cemeteries where they had fought
and their comrades had died. The names of Canadians
who fought and died in the Great War are listed in a
special “Book of Remembrance” which is kept in the
Memorial Chamber of the Peace Tower on Parliament
Hill in Ottawa. Each year the newspaper columnist
Ann Landers encourages readers to send valentines to
veterans in care facilities across Canada and the
United States. Canadians from coast to coast send
messages of thanks and good wishes to Canada’s veterans. One student sent a card that said, “Thank you for
what you did for our country. If you ever feel sad or
depressed, you can read this card and think of me.
Here’s a hug for you!”
You can find out more about Canada’s war veterans and
send a message to them by visiting the web site of
Veterans Affairs Canada at www.vac-acc.gc.ca.
In November 1998, veterans
took part in special ceremonies
to mark the 80th anniversary
of the war’s end. In this photo,
a painting of the Vimy Ridge
Memorial is being presented
to Mr. Métivier, a veteran of
the war.
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Chapter 21: On the Home Front
Activities
Understanding Concepts
1. Add these new terms to your Factfile.
veterans
Victory Bonds
Halifax Explosion
suffrage
Wartime Elections Act
1917
Dominion Elections
Act 1920
conscription
Military Voters Act 1917
enemy aliens
2. Describe how each of the following contributed to the war effort at home.
a) women
b) workers
c) children
d) families in their homes
3. Why did a spirit of excitement and confidence exist in Canada at the outbreak
of the war in 1914? How and why did this mood change?
4. a) What were the terms of the Military Voters Act and the Wartime Elections
Act? Who was given the right to vote by these acts?
b) Why did the government want these people to vote?
5. What was the Union Government? Who formed it and why?
6. a) Explain why Canadians were considered to be part of the British army.
b) How did this relationship between Britain and Canada change by the end of
the war?
Digging Deeper
7. WRITE/CREATE Imagine the reactions to the Halifax Explosion in 1917.
Create a front-page article that would appear in a Canadian newspaper the day
after the explosion. Include photos or sketches.
8. MEDIA/ROLE PLAY Prepare on-the-spot television coverage of a women’s
suffrage march in 1917.Work in groups and assign the following roles:
a) TV interviewer
b) Nellie McClung and other suffragists
c) opponents of women’s suffrage
d) a camera operator/recorder of events
Research arguments for and against suffrage so that you can create signs or
placards for your march.
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Unit 4: Canada and World War I, 1914-1919
9. WRITE Imagine your family belonged to the so-called group of “enemy aliens”
in Canada during World War I.What problems might you face at school and in
the community? How would you feel about the Canadian government? Write a
journal entry expressing your views and experiences.
10. SPEAK/LISTEN Work with a partner. One person presents evidence that
Canada emerged from World War I as a more independent and respected
nation.The other person presents three facts to support this statement: “The
growth in Canada’s economy from 1914 to 1919 was mainly due to World War I.”
Your partner listens to your evidence, makes sure it is clear and correct, and
asks any necessary questions.
11. a) THINK “Any nation’s chances of winning a war depend largely on the efforts
of the home front.” Explain what this statement means. Do you think this was
true in Canada during World War I? Support your ideas with examples.
b) CREATE/VIEW Create a photo story or picture gallery showing the
contribution of the home front in Canada to the war.
12. RESEARCH Research the lives of prominent Canadian individuals associated
with World War I. Consider soldiers, artists, leaders, and social reformers.
Examples include Sir Arthur Currie, Sam Hughes, Nellie McClung, Sir Robert
Borden, Henri Bourassa, and Lord Beaverbrook. Prepare a history card or role
play interviews with these people for the class.
Making New Connections
13. DEBATE Debate the cost of World War I to Canada.Were the results of the
war worth the terrible cost?
14. INVESTIGATE Make a list of ways the Canadian government could help
soldiers return to civilian life after the war.What could they do for the families
of those who had been killed? What could they do for those who were
temporarily or permanently injured? Do some research to find out how
Veterans Affairs Canada actually looks after the needs of war veterans.
15. WRITE/SPEAK Write a brief speech stating your views on World War I to be
delivered during a Remembrance Day assembly.
16. MEDIA Create a web site for people today showing what Canadians should
know and remember about World War I. Decide what your site should include
and create an index of topics or site map.Then discuss the pictures and text
you would use for each topic. Present your ideas on a poster board.