An assassination in the Serbian capital of Sarajevo in June 1914 went almost unnoticed in Canada. Few Canadians expected that it would lead them into war; fewer still anticipated the sacrifices Canada would be called to make. Yet, the First World War was to change the world they lived in, and in a very real sense, the Canadian nation was born on the battlefields of Europe.
The summer of 1914 in Europe was a time of dangerous tension and strained international relations between two armed camps. The Great European Powers were ranged against each other in two alliances – the Triple Alliance, made up of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy, and the Triple Entente, which included France, Russia and Great Britain. The situation was heightened by economic and imperial rivalries, national pride, ambitious statesmen, and geopolitical instability in Eastern Europe, particularly the Balkans, where the Ottoman Empire was collapsing. All the ingredients were there for a small international fire to become a raging inferno. Once started by a few fatal shots, efforts to stop the blaze proved futile.
On Sunday, June 28, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, was shot and killed by a Serbian nationalist during a visit to Sarajevo. Convinced the Serbian government was involved in the plot, Austria-Hungary, supported by Germany, sent a harsh ultimatum to Serbia. Although Serbia met nearly every demand, Austria-Hungary, bent on conquest, declared war. The fire spread. Russia, the self-proclaimed protector of the Slav nations, mobilized. Germany demanded promises of peace from Russia and France. On August 1, 1914, when there was no answer, she declared war on Russia. Two days later, she declared war on France. Looking for support, France turned to Britain.
Although Britain was not bound by a formal treaty to join France in a war, Sir Edward Grey, the Foreign Secretary, had made an informal agreement with the French. There was, however, strong opposition within the British Cabinet with regards to participation in a European war. But on July 30, 1914, German Chancellor, Dr. Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg, sent a proposal that included a strong bid that Britain remain neutral as well as an indication that Germany intended to violate neutral Belgium’s borders. As a guarantor of Belgian neutrality, this document did much to change the British Government’s attitude.
Then on August 4, in conjunction with its attack on France, the German Army invaded neutral Belgium. Britain sent an ultimatum demanding withdrawal of German troops, as well as reminding Germany of the Treaty of 1839 guaranteeing Belgium's neutrality, to which Germany was also signatory. Unanswered, the ultimatum expired at midnight on August 4, 1914. Britain was at war. And, when Britain was at war, Canada was at war because of its legal status as a British Dominion, which left foreign policy decisions in the hands of the British Parliament. That was her sole obligation. How Canada reacted to the war and what measures she took in support of Britain was up to her own government. Thus, the Canadian Parliament met in an emergency session on August 18 to debate the nature and extent of that support.
The fact that Canada was automatically at war when Britain was at war was unquestioned, and Canadians from coast to coast pledged support for Britain. Leader of the opposition at the time, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, spoke for the majority of Canadians when he proclaimed, "It is our duty to let Great Britain know and to let the friends and foes of Great Britain know that there is in Canada but one mind and one heart and that all Canadians are behind the Mother Country." Prime Minister Robert Borden, calling for a supreme national effort, offered Canadian assistance to Great Britain. The offer was accepted, and immediately orders were given for the mobilization of an expeditionary force.
With a regular army of only 3 110 men and a fledgling navy, Canada was ill-prepared to enter a world conflict. The Minister of the Militia and Defence, Sam Hughes, was ordered by Prime Minister Borden to train and recruit an army for overseas service. From Halifax to Vancouver, thousands of young Canadians hastened to recruiting offices. Within a few weeks, more than 32 000 men gathered at Valcartier Camp near Quebec City; and in October, 1914, the First Contingent, Canadian Expeditionary Force, was on its way to England in the largest convoy ever to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Also sailing in this convoy was a contingent from the still separate British self-governing colony of Newfoundland. A suggestion that Newfoundland's men should be incorporated into the Canadian Expeditionary Force had earlier been politely, but firmly rejected.
Upon reaching England, the Canadians endured a long, miserable winter of training in the mud and drizzle of Salisbury Plain. In early 1915, they were deemed ready for the front line.
The first Canadian troops to arrive in France were the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, which had been formed at the outbreak of war entirely from ex-British Army regular soldiers. The "Princess Pats" landed in France in December 1914 with the British 27th Division and saw action near St. Eloi and at Polygon Wood in the Ypres Salient. Today, their battalion memorial stands on the high ground of Bellewaarde Ridge.
Early in February 1915, the 1st Canadian Division reached France and was introduced to trench warfare by veteran British troops. Following this brief training, the Division took over a section of the line in the Armentières sector in French Flanders. Faced with the realities of dirt, disease and death, their illusions of military glory quickly disappeared. The years to come would be incredibly dark and painful and, yet, through it all, Canada’s identity as a nation would be forged.
Canada's sacrifices and contributions to the First World War changed its history and enabled it to become more independent. For the first time in its history, Canadian forces fought as a distinct entity, first under a British commander and then under a Canadian-born commander.
Conditions in the trenches were miserable and the fighting in 1916 and 1917 was difficult, but the Canadians persevered, learning at every opportunity, becoming more professional with each passing day. Their victory at Vimy Ridge on April 9-12, 1917, was the turning point, to be followed by successes at Hill 70, Passchendaele, and in the tough battles between August 8 and November 10, 1918, when, in what became known as “Canada’s Hundred Days,” the soldiers of the Canadian Corps earned a reputation as the “shock troops” of the Allied armies.
Canada's total casualties at the end of the war stood at 67 000 killed and 25 0000 wounded, out of an expeditionary force of more than 620 000 people mobilized. The freedom and pride that Canada enjoys today has come with great sacrifice.
*Content collated from the following sources:
1. Veterans Affairs Canada web site; www.veterans.gc.ca
2. James Ciment; Thaddeus Russell (2007). The Home Front Encyclopedia: United States, Britain, and Canada in World Wars I and II. ABC-CLIO.
3. Russell Hart (2001). Clash of Arms: How the Allies won in Normandy. Lynne Rienner Publishers.
4. Norman Leach (2008). Passchendaele: Canada’s Triumph and Tragedy on the Fields of Flanders: An Illustrated History. Coteau Books.
5. Colonel G. W. L. Nicholson (1962). Canadian Expeditionary Force 1914-1919. Queen’s Printer and Controller of Stationary.
