Canada - The National Archives

Overview

Located at the northern part of the American continent, Canada extends from the Atlantic to the Pacific with its northern coastline situated in the Arctic Ocean. Canada is the world’s second largest country by area and in 1914 had a population of 7,879,000.

Western Front

Dominion Detention camp at Emerald, British Columbia, Canada, 4 September 1916. FO 383/240

Following the outbreak of war in August 1914, the Canadian government approved plans for the mobilisation of the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF). The CEF was made up only of those who volunteered for service, and reported to the Ministry of Overseas Forces of Canada.

The first contingent of 30,000 men, which included 17 infantry battalions, left Quebec harbour in October 1914. It set sail for England in a flotilla of 32 vessels. The contingent reached Plymouth on 14 October and was sent to Salisbury Plain for training. No sooner had it arrived in England than a second contingent initially totalling 22,000 men was despatched.

The growing size of the Canadian forces led to the creation of the Canadian Corps, initially commanded by British Lieutenant General Sir Edwin Alderson. The CEF eventually numbered 260 (numbered) infantry battalions, two named infantry battalions (The Royal Canadian Regiment and Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry), 13 mounted rifle regiments, 13 railway troop battalions, five pioneer battalions, as well as a number of medical and other service units. In total, from over 630,000 men and women who enlisted for military service as soldiers, nurses and support staff, 424,000 went overseas as part of the CEF. Approximately 50,000 were killed in action and 4,000 died from other causes (CAB 24/55/9).

The Canadian forces fought at Neuve Chapelle (March 1915), Ypres (April 1915), the Somme (September 1916), Vimy Ridge (April 1917), and Passchendaele (October 1917). The battle for Passchendaele still arouses strong feelings in Canada. For 16 days, the Canadian forces endured appalling conditions incurring 15,654 casualties with over 4,000 dead to take a ridge which was given up without fighting a few months later (WO 158/425-429).

One of the units involved in the fighting was the 27th (City of Winnipeg) Battalion who were awarded two Victoria Crosses (WO 95/3831). The first Victoria Cross was awarded posthumously to Lieutenant Robert Grierson Combe for his actions near Achevill, France on 3 May 1917 (WO 98/8/374). Private James Peter Robertson was posthumously awarded the second VC for his actions at Passchendaele on 6 November 1917 (WO 98/8/466). In the final days of the war, the Canadian troops led the assault on German forces in Amiens and broke through the Hindenburg line.

The last Canadian soldier to be killed was George Lawrence Price who was fatally shot in the heart by a German sniper in town of Ville-sur-Haine at 10:58, two minutes before the armistice took effect at 11:00 on November 11 1918. Traditionally he is recognised as the last soldier of the British Empire to have been killed in the First World War.

Home Front

Dominion Detention camp at Morrissey, Vancouver, Canada, 19 August 1916. FO 383/240

The declaration of war polarised the Canadian nation, with French speaking Quebec nationalists reluctant to serve in the armed forces of the British Empire. This position intensified in 1917 with the passage of the Canadian Military Services Act which introduced conscription. Leading Quebec nationalists including Henri Bourassa and Sir Wilfrid Laurier campaigned against conscription, arguing that it pitted Canadians against each other. The issue led to the fall of the government.

The subsequent election was fought under new legislation (War Time Elections Act) that enfranchised over half a million women. The newly established Union government under Sir Robert Borden won the election with 153 seats but with only three from Quebec.

As the war progressed, there was concern expressed within the British Canadian community that immigrants from enemy countries – Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Turkey – might have allegiances to their former homelands. Fear of saboteurs led to the internment of over 8,500 enemy aliens with others forced to register with the authorities. Internment camps were established in Canada’s interior at Banff, Jasper, Mount Revelstoke and Edgewood with the last closing in 1920 (CAB 24/55/12).

On 6 December 1917, a French cargo ship, the Mont Blanc, fully loaded with wartime explosives, collided with a Norwegian vessel close to Halifax Harbour. The collision resulted in a fire which ignited the explosives on board. This resulted in a devastating explosion that levelled the Richmond district of Halifax and sent a white cloud billowing 20,000 feet above the city. Over 2,000 people were killed by debris, fires, and collapsed buildings with 9,000 more suffering injuries (ADM 1/8507/273). The blast was the largest man-made explosion seen to that date with a force estimated at 2.9 kilotons of TNT.

Other forces

Damage caused by explosion after collision between ships Imo and Mont Blanc, Halifax, Nova Scotia, December 1917. CN 1/29 pt1

In addition to the Army, the Canadian Navy and Air Force played a small put important role. At the outbreak of the war, the Royal Canadian Navy consisted of two ships, the Niobe and Rainbow, and two submarines originally built for the Chilean government. These were soon joined by the ships the Canada and Margaret, forming a six vessel naval force which was placed at the disposal of the Royal Navy. A seventh vessel, HMCS Shearwater, joined the force in 1915. The naval ships guarded the Canadian coastline with the Niobe patrolling as far as New York City with the submarines deployed in the Pacific. The Niobe was heavily damaged in the December 1917 Halifax explosion (CAB 24/55/7).

On 27 June 1918, the Canadian hospital ship Llandovery Castle was torpedoed off the south coast of Ireland. Twenty-four people survived the sinking, while 234 doctors, nurses and patients died in the attack. The sinking was the highest loss of life at sea that Canada suffered during the conflict (CO 323/785/68).

Although the Canadian Air Force was not established until 1920, Canadian Flyers served with distinction in the Royal Flying Corps with two pilots, Lieutenant Colonel William Avery Bishop and Lieutenant Colonel William George Barker awarded the Victoria Cross. Barker returned to Canada in May 1919 as the most decorated Canadian of the war, with the Victoria Cross, the Distinguished Service Order and Bar, the Military Cross and two Bars, two Italian Silver Medals for Military Valour, and the French Croix de Guerre. He was also mentioned in despatches three times (WO 98/8/615)