_ Camp Aldershot 2013 Forty years later The Black Watch Atlantic Branch Association held 2013 reunion at Camp Aldershot this weekend.
blog:
CANADA
MILITARY NEWS: 11 September 2013-Tribute n photos of Canadians Sept. 11
2001-World Trade Center-New York USA/Photos and Memorial 2 Canadians sacrificed
Afghanistan- We Remember Always
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VIDEOS
World
War One (WWI) from a Canadian Perspective
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Proud
Canadian Soldier- SOLDIERS, SEAMEN, AIRMEN ONE AND ALL -BOER WAR-AFGHANSITAN
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Canada
Pride
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Canadian,
Please
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First
World War (WWI)
ARTICLE
CONTENTS: Going to War | War and the Economy |
Recruitment at Home | Other Canadian Efforts |
Borden and the Conscription Issue
| The Final Phase |
Suggested Reading | Links to Other Sites
The
First World War of 1914–1918 was the bloodiest conflict in Canadian history,
taking the lives of more than 60,000 Canadians. It erased romantic notions of
war, introducing slaughter on a massive scale, and instilled a fear of foreign
military involvement that would last until the Second World War. The great
achievements of Canadian soldiers on battlefields such as Ypres, Vimy and
Passchendaele, however, ignited a sense of national pride and a confidence that
Canada could stand on its own, apart from the British Empire, on the world
stage. The war also deepened the divide between French and English Canada, and
marked the beginning of widespread state intervention in society and the
economy.
Going
to War
The Canadian Parliament didn't choose to go to
war in 1914. The country's foreign affairs were guided in London. So when
Britain's ultimatum to Germany to withdraw its army from Belgium expired on 4
August, 1914, the British Empire, including Canada, was at war, allied with
Serbia, Russia, and France against the German and Austro-Hungarian empires.
The
war united Canadians at first. The Liberal opposition urged Prime Minister Sir
Robert Borden’s Conservative government to take sweeping powers under the new
War Measures Act. Minister of Militia Sam Hughes summoned 25,000 volunteers to
train at a new camp at Valcartier near Québec; some 33,000 appeared. On 3
October the first contingent sailed for England. Much of Canada's war effort
was launched by volunteers. The Canadian Patriotic Fund collected money to
support soldiers' families. A Military Hospitals Commission cared for the sick
and wounded. Churches, charities, women's organizations, and the Red Cross
found ways to "do their bit" for the war effort. In patriotic
fervour, Canadians demanded that Germans and Austrians be dismissed from their
jobs and interned (see Internment), and pressured Berlin, Ont, to rename itself
Kitchener.
World
War I, Map
World
War I, Map
War
and the Economy
At first the war hurt a troubled economy,
increasing unemployment and making it hard for Canada's new, debt-ridden
transcontinental railways, the Canadian Northern and the Grand Trunk Pacific,
to find credit. By 1915, however, military spending equalled the entire government
expenditure of 1913. Minister of Finance Thomas White opposed raising taxes.
Since Britain could not afford to lend to Canada, White turned to the US.
Also,
despite the belief that Canadians would never lend to their own government,
White had to take the risk. In 1915 he asked for $50 million; he got $100
million. In 1917 the government's Victory Loan campaign began raising huge sums
from ordinary citizens for the first time. Canada's war effort was financed
mainly by borrowing. Between 1913 and 1918 the national debt rose from $463
million to $2.46 billion.
Canada's
economic burden would have been unbearable without huge exports of wheat,
timber and munitions. A prewar crop failure had been a warning to prairie
farmers of future droughts, but a bumper crop in 1915 and soaring prices
banished caution. Since many farm labourers had joined the army, farmers began
to complain of a labour shortage. It was hoped that factories shut down by the
recession would profit from the war. Manufacturers formed a Shell Committee,
got contracts to make British artillery ammunition, and created a brand new
industry. It was not easy. By summer 1915 the committee had orders worth $170
million but had delivered only $5.5 million in shells. The British government
insisted on reorganization. The resulting Imperial Munitions Board was a
British agency in Canada, though headed by a talented, hard-driving Canadian,
Joseph Flavelle. By 1917 Flavelle had made the IMB Canada's biggest business,
with 250,000 workers. When the British stopped buying in Canada in 1917,
Flavelle negotiated huge new contracts with the Americans.
Recruitment
at Home
Unemployed workers flocked to enlist in
1914–15. Recruiting, handled by prewar militia regiments and by civic
organizations, cost the government nothing. By the end of 1914 the target for
the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was 50,000; by summer 1915 it was
150,000. During a visit to England that summer, Prime Minister Borden was
shocked with the magnitude of the struggle. To demonstrate Canadian commitment
to the war effort, Borden used his 1916 New Year's message to pledge 500,000
soldiers from a Canadian population of barely 8-million. By then volunteering
had virtually run dry. Early contingents had been filled by recent British immigrants;
enlistments in 1915 had taken most of the Canadian-born who were willing to go.
The total, 330,000, was impressive but insufficient.
Recruiting
methods became fervid and divisive. Clergy preached Christian duty; women wore
badges proclaiming "Knit or Fight"; more and more English Canadians
complained that French Canada was not doing its share. This was not surprising:
few French Canadians felt deep loyalty to France or Britain. Those few in
Borden's government had won election in 1911 by opposing imperialism. Henri
Bourassa, leader and spokesman of Québec's nationalists, initially approved of
the war but soon insisted that French Canada's real enemies were not Germans
but "English-Canadian anglicisers, the Ontario intriguers, or Irish priests"
who were busy ending French-language education in the English-speaking
provinces. In Québec and across Canada, unemployment gave way to high wages and
a manpower shortage. There were good economic reasons to stay home.
The
Canadian Expeditionary Force
Canadians
in the CEF became part of the British army. As minister of militia, Hughes
insisted on choosing the officers and on retaining the Canadian-made Ross
rifle. Since the rifle jammed easily and since some of Hughes's choices were
incompetent cronies, the Canadian military had serious deficiencies. A
recruiting system based on forming hundreds of new battalions meant that most
of them arrived in England only to be broken up, leaving a large residue of
unhappy senior officers. Hughes believed that Canadians would be natural
soldiers; in practice they had many costly lessons to learn. They did so with
courage and self-sacrifice.
At
the second Battle of Ypres, April 1915, a raw 1st Canadian Division suffered
6,036 casualties, and the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry a further
678. The troops also shed their defective Ross rifles. At the St Eloi craters
in 1916, the 2nd Division suffered a painful setback because its senior
commanders failed to locate their men. In June, the 3rd Division was shattered
at Mont Sorrel though the position was recovered by the now battle-hardened 1st
Division. The test of battle eliminated inept officers and showed survivors
that careful staff work, preparation, and discipline were vital.
Canadians
were spared the early battles of the Somme in the summer of 1916, though a
separate Newfoundland force, 1st Newfoundland Regiment, was annihilated at
Beaumont Hamel on the disastrous first day, 1 July. When Canadians entered the
battle on 30 August, their experience helped toward limited gains, though at
high cost. By the end of the battle the Canadian Corps had reached its full
strength of four divisions.
The
embarrassing confusion of Canadian administration in England, and Hughes's
reluctance to displace his cronies, forced Borden's government to establish a
separate Ministry of Overseas Military Forces based in London to control the
CEF overseas. Bereft of much power, Hughes resigned in November 1916. The Act
creating the new ministry established that the CEF was now a Canadian military
organization, though its day-to-day relations with the British army did not
change immediately. Two ministers, Sir George Perley and then Sir Edward Kemp,
gradually reformed overseas administration and expanded effective Canadian
control over the CEF.
Other
Canadian Efforts
While most Canadians served with the Canadian
Corps or with a separate Canadian cavalry brigade on the Western Front,
Canadians could be found almost everywhere in the Allied war effort. Young
Canadians had trained (initially at their own expense) to become pilots in the
British flying services. In 1917 the Royal Flying Corps opened schools in
Canada, and by war's end almost a quarter of the pilots in the Royal Air Force
were Canadians. Three of them, Maj William A.Bishop, Maj Raymond Collishaw, and
Col. William Barker, ranked among the top air aces of the war. An independent
Canadian air force was authorized in the last months of the war. Canadians also
served with the Royal Navy, and Canada's own tiny naval service organized a
coastal submarine patrol.
Thousands
of Canadians cut down forests in Scotland and France, and built and operated
most of the railways behind the British front. Others ran steamers on the
Tigris River, cared for the wounded at Salonika (Thessaloniki), Greece, and
fought Bolsheviks at Archangel and Baku (see Russian Civil War, Canadian
Intervention in).
Vimy
and Passchendaele
British
and French strategists deplored diversions from the main effort against the
bulk the German forces on the European Western Front. It was there, they said,
that war must be waged. A battle-hardened Canadian Corps was a major instrument
in this war of attrition. Its skill and training were tested on Easter weekend,
1917, when all four divisions were sent forward to capture a seemingly
impregnable Vimy Ridge. Weeks of rehearsals, stockpiling, and bombardment paid
off. In five days the ridge was taken.
The
able British commander of the corps, Lt-Gen Sir Julian Byng, was promoted; his
successor was a Canadian, Lt-Gen Sir Arthur Currie, who followed Byng's methods
and improved on them. Instead of attacking Lens in the summer of 1917, Currie
captured the nearby Hill 70 and used artillery to destroy wave after wave of
German counterattacks. As an increasingly independent subordinate, Currie
questioned orders, but he could not refuse them. When ordered to finish the
disastrous British offensive at Passchendaele in October 1917, Currie warned
that it would cost 16,000 of his 120,000 men. Though he insisted on time to
prepare, the Canadian victory on the dismal and water-logged battlefield left a
toll of 15,654 dead and wounded.
Battle
for the Hindenburg Line
Battle
for the Hindenburg Line
Canadian
advance east of Arras, France: Cambrai on fire, October 1918 (courtesy Library
and Archives Canada/PA-3420).
Vimy
Ridge
Vimy
Ridge
Canadian
machine gunners dig themselves into shell holes on Vimy Ridge, France, April
1917 (courtesy Library and Archives Canada/PA-1017).
Sir
A.W. Currie, soldier, educator
Sir
A.W. Currie, soldier, educator
General
Sir A.W. Currie with "Muggins" of Red Cross Fame. Sir Arthur Currie
insisted that Canadian troops fight together so they could take pride in
battling together as Canadians (courtesy British Library).
Borden
and the Conscription Issue
A year before, even the patriotic leagues had
confessed the failure of voluntary recruiting. Business leaders, Protestants,
and English-speaking Catholics such as Bishop Michael Fallon grew critical of
French Canada. Faced with a growing demand for conscription, the Borden
government compromised in August 1916 with a program of national registration.
A prominent Montréal manufacturer, Arthur Mignault, was put in charge of Québec
recruiting and, for the first time, public funds were provided. A final attempt
to raise a French Canadian battalion—the 14th for Quebec and the 258th overall
for Canada—utterly failed in 1917.
Trenches,
Vimy Ridge
Trenches,
Vimy Ridge
The
preserved WWI trenches at Vimy Ridge, France (photo by Jacqueline Hucker).
Until 1917 Borden had no more news of the war
or Allied strategy than he read in newspapers. He was concerned about British
war leadership but he devoted 1916 to improving Canadian military
administration and munitions production. In December 1916 David Lloyd George
became head of a new British coalition government pledged wholeheartedly to
winning the war. An expatriate Canadian, Max Aitken, Lord Beaverbrook, helped
engineer the change. Faced by suspicious officials and a failing war effort,
Lloyd George summoned leaders of the Dominions to London. They would see for
themselves that the Allies needed more men. On 2 March, when Borden and his
fellow premiers met, Russia was collapsing, the French army was close to
mutiny, and German submarines had almost cut off supplies to Britain.
Borden
was a leader in establishing a voice for the Dominions in policymaking and in
gaining a more independent status for them in the postwar world. Visits to
Canadian camps and hospitals also persuaded him that the CEF needed more men.
The triumph of Vimy Ridge during his visit gave all Canadians pride but it cost
10,602 casualties, 3,598 of them fatal. Borden returned to Canada committed to
conscription. On 18 May 1917 he told Canadians of his government's new policy.
The 1914 promise of an all-volunteer contingent had been superseded by events.
Many
in English-speaking Canada—farmers, trade union leaders, pacifists—opposed
conscription, but they had few outlets for their views. French Canada's
opposition was almost unanimous under Henri Bourassa, who argued that Canada
had done enough, that Canada's interests were not served by the European
conflict, and that men were more needed to grow food and make munitions.
Borden
felt such arguments were cold and materialistic. Canada owed its support to its
young soldiers. The Allied struggle against Prussian militarism was a crusade
for freedom. There was no bridging the rival points of view. To win
conscription, Borden offered Sir Wilfrid Laurier a coalition. The Liberal
leader refused, sure that his party could now defeat the Conservatives. He also
feared that if he joined Borden, Bourassa's nationalism would sweep Québec.
Laurier misjudged his support.
Many
English-speaking Liberals agreed that the war was a crusade. A mood of reform
and sacrifice had led many provinces to grant votes to women and to prohibit
the sale or use of liquor (see Temperence). Although they disliked the
Conservatives, many reform Liberals like Ontario's Newton Rowell believed that
Borden was in earnest about the war and Laurier was not. Borden also gave
himself two political weapons: on 20 September 1917 Parliament gave the
franchise to all soldiers, including those overseas; it also gave votes to
soldiers' wives, mothers and sisters, as well as to women serving in the armed
forces, and took it away from Canadians of enemy origin who had become citizens
since 1902. This added many votes for conscription and removed certain Liberal
voters from the lists. On 6 October Parliament was dissolved. Five days later,
Borden announced a coalition Union government pledged to conscription, an end
to political patronage, and full Women's Suffrage.
Eight
of Canada's nine provinces endorsed the new government, but Laurier could
dominate Québec, and many Liberals across Canada would not forget their
allegiance. Borden and his ministers had to promise many exemptions to make
conscription acceptable. On 17 December, Unionists won 153 seats to Laurier's
82, but without the soldiers' vote, only 100,000 votes separated the parties.
Conscription was not applied until 1 January 1918. The Military Service Act had
so many opportunities for exemption and appeal, that of more than 400,000
called, 380,510 appealed. The manpower problem continued.
The
Final Phase
In March 1918 disaster fell upon the Allies.
German armies, moved from the Eastern to the Western Front after Russia's
collapse in 1917, smashed through British lines. The Fifth British Army was
destroyed. In Canada, anti-conscription riots in Québec on the Easter weekend
left four dead. Borden's new government cancelled all exemptions. Many who had
voted Unionist in the belief that their sons would be exempted felt betrayed.
The
war had entered a bitter final phase. On 6 December 1917 the Halifax Explosion
killed over 1,600, and it was followed by the worst snowstorm in years. Across
Canada, the heavy borrowing of Sir Thomas White (federal minister of finance)
finally led to runaway inflation. Workers joined unions and struck for higher
wages. Food and fuel controllers now preached conservation, sought increased
production and sent agents to prosecute hoarders. Public pressure to
"conscript wealth" forced a reluctant White in April 1917 to impose a
Business Profits Tax and a War Income Tax. An "anti-loafing" law
threatened jail for any man not gainfully employed. Federal police forces were
ordered to hunt for sedition. Socialist parties and radical unions were banned.
So were newspapers published in the "enemy" languages. Canadians
learned to live with unprecedented government controls and involvement in their
daily lives. Food and fuel shortages led to "Meatless Fridays" and
"Fuelless Sundays."
In
other warring countries, exhaustion and despair went far deeper. Defeat now
faced the western Allies, but the Canadian Corps escaped the succession of
German offensives. Sir Arthur Currie insisted that it be kept together. A 5th
Canadian division, held in England since 1916, was finally broken up to provide
reinforcements.
The
United States entered the war in the spring of 1917, sending reinforcements and
supplies that would eventually turn the tide against Germany. To help restore
the Allied line, Canadians and Australians attacked near Amiens on 8 August
1918 (see Amiens, Battle of). Shock tactics—using airplanes, tanks, and
infantry—shattered the German line. In September and early October the
Canadians attacked again and again, suffering heavy casualties but making
advances thought unimaginable. The Germans fought with skill and courage all
the way to Mons, the little Belgian town where fighting ended for the Canadians
at 11 AM (Greenwich time), 11 November 1918. More officially, the war ended
with the Treaty of Versailles, signed 28 June 1919.
Canada
alone lost 60,661 war dead. Many more returned from the conflict mutilated in
mind or body. The survivors found that almost every facet of Canadian life,
from the length of skirts to the value of money, had been transformed by the
war years. Governments had assumed responsibilities they would never abandon.
The income tax would survive the war. So would government departments later to
become the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Pensions and
National Health.
Overseas,
Canada's soldiers had struggled to achieve, and had won, a considerable degree
of autonomy from British control. Canada's direct reward for her sacrifices was
a modest presence at the Versailles conference and a seat in the new League of
Nations. However, the deep national divisions between French and English created
by the war, and especially by the conscription crisis of 1917, made postwar
Canada fearful of international responsibilities. Canadians had done great
things in the war but they had not done them together.
Author
Desmond
Morton. Revised by Tabitha Marshall and Richard Foot.
Suggested
Reading
E. Armstrong, The Crisis of Quebec, 1914-1918
(1974 reprint); Pierre Berton, Vimy (1986); W.R. Bird, Ghosts Have Warm Hands
(1968); M. Bliss, A Canadian Millionaire (1978); R.C. Brown, Robert Laird
Borden, vol II (1980); D.G. Dancocks, Legacy of Valour (1986) and Spearhead to
Victory: Canada and the Great War (1987); W.A.B. Douglas, The Creation of the
National Air Force (1986); D.J. Goodspeed, The Road Past Vimy (1967); J.L.
Granatstein and J.M. Hitsman, Broken Promises (1977); Desmond Morton, A
Peculiar Kind of Politics (1982), and Canada and War (1981); G.W.L. Nicholson,
Canadian Expeditionary Force 1914-1919 (1964); J.A. Swettenham, To Seize the
Victory (1965); J. Thompson, The Harvests of War (1978); B. Wilson, Ontario and
the First World War, 1914-1918 (1977); S.F. Wise, Canadian Airmen and the First
World War (1980).
Links
to Other Sites
Canadian
War Museum
The Canadian War Museum in Ottawa is dedicated
to the men and women who served with valour and distinction in Canada’s armed
services. Their website features a virtual tour of the museum and multimedia
online exhibits that depict how Canada met and overcame wartime challenges
throughout its history.
Archives
of Ontario
The collections held by the Archives of
Ontario are a rich resource for the study of the history of Ontario and its
people. Check out the historic photographs, paintings, documents, patriotic
posters, personal letters, audio files, and other online features.
Battle
of Passchendaele
This site provides links to a detailed
education guide that invites students to discover how the 1917 Battle of
Passchendaele became a defining event in Canadian history. Activities focus on
the analysis of vital primary sources, multimedia, and other resources.
Associated with the the major Canadian feature film "Passchendaele."
From Historica Canada.
CBC:
Vimy Ridge Remembered
A multimedia CBC feature devoted to the
stories of Canadian veterans who fought on the front lines at Vimy Ridge in the
First World War.
Canada
at War
A very detailed information source about
Canadian military activity in the First World War and the Second World War.
Also features an extensive database of Canadian soldiers who died in battle.
The
Canadian Wartime Experience: The Documentary Legacy of Canada at War
This website examines the impact of wartime
experiences on previous generations of Canadians. Peruse digitized images of
ink-stained personal letters, official documents, news clippings, old
photographs, and much more. Covers major military conflicts from the Red River
Rebellion to the Vietnam War. Also offers learning activities that relate to
primary source materials. From University of Manitoba Archives & Special
Collections.
The
Treaty of Versailles: Peace without Justice
A brief analysis of the historical impact of
the Treaty of Versailles from The Montréal Review.
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French
Canada and Recruitment during the First World War
Dispatches:
Backgrounders in Canadian Military History
Dr.
Serge Durflinger
Introduction
During
the First World War, the Canadian government used posters as propaganda
devices, for fund raising purposes and as a medium to encourage voluntary
enlistment in the armed forces. Posters were an important form of mass
communication in pre-radio days and hundreds existed during the war, some with
print runs in the tens of thousands.
Because
of Canada’s bilingual character, recruiting poster images and text reflected
different cultural traditions, outlooks and sensibilities. Recruiting posters
remain snapshots in time, helping historians understand the issues and moods of
the past.
The
French-Canadian recruiting posters on display in the Les Purs Canayens exhibit
reflect Canada’s pressing demand for manpower during the First World War. They
also indicate the underlying social, cultural and political strains which
affected Canada’s war effort and influenced military policy. Most
French-speaking Canadians did not support Canada’s overseas military
commitments to the same degree as English speakers.
At
the outbreak of war in August 1914, the Dominion of Canada was constitutionally
a subordinate member of the British Empire. When Britain was at war, Canada was
at war: no other legal option existed. Nevertheless, Ottawa determined the
actual nature of Canada’s contribution to the war effort, not London.
When
Canadians learned they were at war, huge flag-waving crowds expressing loyalty
to the British Empire drowned out voices of caution or dissent. The war would
be a moral crusade against militarism, tyranny, injustice, and barbarism.
“There are no longer French Canadians and English Canadians,” claimed the
Montreal newspaper, La Patrie, “Only one race now exists, united…in a common
cause.” Even Henri Bourassa, politician, journalist, anti-imperialist, and guiding
spirit of French-Canadian nationalism, at first cautiously supported the war
effort. Few Canadians could have predicted at this time that their nation soon
would become a major participant in the worst conflict the world had yet seen,
or that the war would place enormous political and social strains on Canada.
Recruitment:
Policy versus Reality
The
Conservative government of Prime Minister Robert Borden immediately offered
Britain a contingent of troops for overseas service. Thousands of men enlisted
in the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF), then assembling at Valcartier,
Québec under the personal, if chaotic, supervision of Sam Hughes, the exuberant
Minister of Militia and Defence. There was a surplus of volunteers and
selection standards remained high; some men, in fact, were turned away. On
October 3, a convoy of ships carrying nearly 33,000 Canadian troops departed
for Britain. In December 1914, Borden announced solemnly that “there has not
been, there will not be, compulsion or conscription”. To find whatever manpower
might be necessary, Borden placed his faith in Canadians’ patriotic spirit.
Fully
two-thirds of the men of the first contingent had been born in the British
Isles. Most had settled in Canada in the 15-year period of massive immigration
which had preceded the Great War. The same attachment to the Mother Country was
less obvious among the Canadian born, especially French Canadians, of whom only
about 1000 enlisted in the first contingent. At the time war was declared, only
10 percent of the population of Canada was British born. Yet, by the Armistice
in 1918, nearly half of all Canadians who served during the war had been born
in the British Isles. These statistics indicate that voluntary enlistments
among the Canadian born were never equal to their proportion of the population.
Following
the despatch of this first contingent, the Department of Militia and Defence
delegated the task of recruiting to militia units across the country. This
decentralized and more orderly system raised a total of 71 battalions — each of
approximately 1000 men — for service overseas. Posters, which appeared in every
conceivable public space, were an important part of this large recruiting
effort. The poster text and images were usually designed and printed by the
units themselves and tailored to local conditions and interests. Many of the
posters on display are good examples of these.
Recruitment,
however, was already tapering off in the fall of 1915. In October of that year,
Ottawa bowed to the pressure of patriotic groups and allowed any community,
civilian organization or leading citizen able to bear the expense to raise an
infantry battalion for the CEF. Some of the new battalions were raised on the
basis of ethnicity or religion, others promoted a common occupational or
institutional affiliation or a shared social interest, such as membership in
sporting clubs, as the basis of their organization. For example, Danish
Canadians raised a battalion, two battalions recruited “Bantams,” men under 5
feet 2 inches tall, and one Winnipeg battalion was organized for men abstaining
from alcohol. Up to October 1917 this “patriotic” recruiting yielded a further
124,000 recruits divided among 170 usually understrength infantry battalions.
In
July 1915, with two contingents already overseas and more units forming, Ottawa
set the authorized strength of the CEF at 150,000 men. Extremely heavy Canadian
casualties that spring during the Second Battle of Ypres indicated that
additional manpower would be required on an unprecedented scale. There would be
no quick end to the fighting. In October, Borden increased Canada’s troop
commitment to 250,000; by the new year, this had risen to 500,000. This was an
almost unsustainable number on a voluntary basis from a population base of less
than eight million. Within months, voluntary enlistments for Canadian infantry
battalions slowed to a trickle.
Unemployment
had been high in 1914-1915, and this perhaps had prompted the initially heavy
flow of enlistments, especially from economically-troubled Western Canada. By
1916, the booming wartime industrial and agricultural economies combined to
provide Canadians with other options and employers competed with recruiting
officers for Canada’s available manpower. Those keen to volunteer had already
done so; the rest would have to be convinced — or compelled.
World
War 1 French Canada Recruitment Poster, CWM AN 19900348-031
By
the end of 1916, the CEF‘s front-line units required 75,000 men annually just
to replace losses, which were extremely heavy among the infantry; yet, only
2800 infantry volunteers enlisted from July 1916 to October 1917 and not a
single infantry battalion raised through voluntary recruitment after July 1916
reached full strength.
French
Canada and Recruitment
Following
the nation-wide outbursts of patriotism in August 1914, French-Canadian support
for the war began to decline. There existed among French Canadians a tradition
of suspicion and even hostility towards the British Empire, and, while
sympathetic to France, Britain’s ally, few French Canadians were willing to
risk their lives in its defence either. After all, for over a century following
the British conquest of New France in 1760, France showed no interest in the
welfare of French Canadians. In North America, les Canadiens had survived and
grown, remaining culturally vibrant without French support. By 1914, while an
educated élite in French Canada professed some cultural affinity, most French
Canadians did not identify with anti-clerical and scandal-ridden France.
When
a French government propaganda mission toured Québec in 1918, Bourassa spoke
for French Canada when he wrote of the irony of the French “trying to have us
offer the kinds of sacrifices for France which France never thought of
troubling itself with to defend French Canada”. In short, neither France nor
Britain was “a mother country” retaining the allegiance of French Canadians.
The “patriotic” call to arms rang hollow.
French
Canadians’ language and culture seemed more seriously threatened within Canada
than by the war in Europe. In 1912, Ontario passed Regulation 17, a bill
severely limiting the availability of French-language schooling to the
province’s French-speaking minority. French Canada viewed this gesture as a
blatant attempt at assimilation, which it had resisted for generations.
Bourassa, who by 1915 saw the war as serving Britain’s imperial interests,
insisted that “the enemies of the French language, of French civilization in
Canada are not the Boches [the Germans]…but the English-Canadian anglicizers…”
Bourassa’s acerbic campaign against the “Prussians of Ontario” had a major
impact on recruiting for “Britain’s” war. The Montreal daily, La Presse, judged
Ontario’s unyielding Regulation 17 as the main reason for French-Canadian
apathy. To English Canada’s calls for greater French-Canadian enrollment,
Armand Lavergne, well-known nationaliste, replied: “Give us back our schools
first!” Wartime appeals for unity and sacrifice came at an inopportune time.
French
Canada’s views were reflected in low enrollment numbers. Yet, most Canadians of
military age, notwithstanding language, did not volunteer. Those tied to the
land, generations removed from European immigration, or married, volunteered
the least. Significantly, these characteristics applied most often to French
Canadians, although many rural English-Canadians were not enlisting either. If British
immigrants are not counted, the respective contributions of French and English
Canadians are more proportional than the raw data would suggest.
When
the first contingent of the CEF sailed in October 1914, it contained a single
organized French-speaking company (about 150 men). Sam Hughes at first refused
to authorize any French-language units. The second contingent of over 20,000
men, despatched to Britain in early 1915, had a single French-speaking Québec
battalion, the 22nd, later nicknamed the “Van Doos.” Besides this battalion,
the CEF was almost entirely an English-language institution, hardly an
inducement for a French-Canadian to volunteer. A mere 13 of 258 infantry
battalions formed during the course of the war were raised in French Canada, and
all struggled to attract and retain recruits. Those understrength
French-speaking battalions which proceeded overseas after 1915 were invariably
broken up to reinforce the 22nd and other units suffering severe infantry
shortages.
Occasionally
in 1915 and 1916, respected and battle-hardened officers of the 22nd would be
assigned to newly-formed French-language battalions in the hope that a claim to
some association with the famed “Van Doos” might encourage prospective
enlistees. It rarely did. In June 1916, the 167th Battalion, recruiting in
Québec City, even tried raffling an automobile to raise interest but only
raised 144 men for service at the front with the 22nd. One interesting unit was
the 163rd Battalion, raised in November 1915 by the noted nationaliste
journalist and adventurer, Olivar Asselin, who insisted on enrolling only
high-calibre men. Criticized by his nationaliste colleagues for enlisting,
Asselin explained in the pamphlet, Pourquoi je m’enrôle that, far from being a
hypocrite, he was helping to defend France and not the British Empire. Asselin
nicknamed his unit “les poils-aux-pattes” [hairy paws] and adopted the
porcupine as his regimental emblem, explaining that “qui s’y frotte s’y pique”
[stung are those who come into contact with it]. The unit’s recruiting poster,
on display in the exhibit, featured a soldier in French, not Canadian, uniform.
Asselin’s considerable efforts to raise a high-quality French-language
battalion were in vain: despite successful recruiting, the 163rd was despatched
to Bermuda for garrison duty, where it languished. It, too, was eventually
dismantled to reinforce the 22nd.
World
War 1 French Canada Recruitment Poster, CWM AN 19820376-821
French
Canada supplied approximately 15,000 volunteers during the war. Most came from
the Montreal area, though Québec City, Western Québec and Eastern Ontario
provided significant numbers. A precise total is difficult to establish since
attestation papers did not require enlistees to indicate their mother tongue.
Though French Canadians comprised nearly 30 percent of the Canadian population,
they made up only about 4 percent of Canadian volunteers. Less than 5 percent
of Quebec’s males of military age were enrolled in infantry battalions,
compared to 14-15 percent in Western Canada and Ontario. Moreover, half of
Quebec’s recruits were English Canadian and nearly half of French-Canadian
volunteers came from provinces other than Québec. The result was an angry
national debate concerning French Canada’s, and especially Québec’s, manpower
contribution.
Conscription
and its Aftermath
When
Borden pledged in 1914 that there would be no conscription in Canada he also
maintained that Canada would furnish whatever manpower was needed to help win
the war. By the spring of 1917, these two policies had become irreconcilable.
Voluntary enrollment was no longer producing the reinforcements necessary to
maintain Canada’s commitment in the field where the CEF had suffered appalling
casualties. Worse was yet to come.
In
May 1917, Borden visited Vimy Ridge in the immediate aftermath of that costly
Canadian victory. Moved by the hardships endured by the troops and proud of
their battlefield achievements, on May 18, upon his return to Canada, Borden
announced that “all citizens are liable for the defence of their country and I
conceive that the battle for Canadian liberty and autonomy is being fought on
the plains of France and Belgium.” The government began drafting the Military
Service Act.
Many
English Canadians hailed the step as a military necessity, but also as a means
of forcing French Canada to augment its low enlistment rate. Saturday Night
magazine insisted that “it is certainly not the intention of English Canada to
stand idly by and see itself bled white of men in order that the Québec shirker
may sidestep his responsibilities.” English Canada hated Bourassa as much as
the German Kaiser. There was little sympathy for French Canadians and little
understanding of the demographic, cultural or historical factors which might
have dissuaded them from enlisting.
The
Military Service Act became law on August 28. Former prime minister Sir Wilfrid
Laurier claimed the measure “has in it the seeds of discord and disunion”. He
was correct; anti-conscription demonstrations occurred regularly in Montreal in
the summer of 1917. Angry crowds broke office windows at the pro-conscription
Montreal newspaper, The Gazette. The home of Lord Atholstan, proprietor of the
equally pro-conscription Montreal Daily Star, was dynamited earlier that month
although he escaped unharmed. Recruiting officers in various parts of Québec
made themselves scarce for fear of their lives. Crowds chanted: “Nous en avons
assez de l’Union Jack!”
The
political truce which had prevented a wartime election ended. Parliament was
dissolved in October 1917 and pro-conscription Liberals joined Borden’s
Conservatives to form a Union Government, something of a misnomer since its
founding was the result of national disunity. Some labour groups, most farmers
and many Canadians of non-British origin were also firmly opposed to
conscription. J.C. Watters, the president of the Trades and Labour Congress
threatened that if conscription passed, Canadian workers “would lay down… tools
and refuse to work”.
The
ensuing December 17 “conscription” election was by far the most
bitterly-contested and linguistically-divisive in Canadian history. In the end,
the Unionists won 153 seats against the Laurier Liberals’ 82, including 62
obtained in Québec, but the popular vote was less than 100,000 in favour of the
Unionists. The result was profound alienation in French Canada. Conscription
was considered the result of the English-language majority imposing its views
over a French-language minority on an issue of life and death. Conceptions of
Canada and definitions of patriotism had never been further apart. Canadian
national unity had never seemed so fragile.
The
first group of conscripts were called in January 1918. There were slightly more
than 400,000 Class I registrants; that is, unmarried and childless males aged
20-34. Nationally, almost 94 percent of these men applied for various
exemptions from service (98 percent in Québec) and the appeal boards
established to review these cases granted nearly 87 percent of their requests
(91 percent in Québec). Some 28,000 others (18,000 in Québec) simply defaulted
and went into hiding to avoid arrest by military or civilian police.
Conscription was unpopular among those called, regardless of region, occupation
or ethnicity.
The
tension in Québec was palpable. At the end of March 1918 a mob destroyed the
offices of the Military Service Registry in Québec City. Conscript troops were
rushed from Toronto and on April 1 they opened fire with machine guns on a
threatening crowd, killing four demonstrators and wounding dozens of others.
The extent of the violence shocked the country. Religious leaders and civic
authorities successfully appealed for calm. The rioting stopped, but the bitter
memories would linger for decades.
Of
the 620,000 men who served in the CEF, about 108,000 were conscripts. Fewer
than 48,000 of these proceeded overseas and, before the war ended in November
1918, only 24,000 actually served at the front. Although all of the conscripts
would have been urgently needed at the front if the war had continued into
1919, as expected, conscription hardly seemed worth the effort given the
severity of the national disunity it caused. In the postwar period,
French-Canadian nationalistes would point to the conscription crisis as
evidence of the impossibility of reconciling the views of French and English
speakers in Canada. The events of 1917-1918 forced the government of William
Lyon Mackenzie King to tread warily over the same issue during the Second World
War.
Further
reading:
•Robert
Craig Brown; Donald Loveridge, Unrequited Faith: Recruiting the CEF 1914-1918,
Revue Internationale d’Histoire Militaire, No. 51, 1982.
•Marc
H. Choko, Canadian War Posters, Méridien, Montreal, 1994.
•Gérard
Filteau, Le Québec, le Canada et la guerre 1914-1918, L’aurore, Montréal, 1977.
•Jean-Pierre
Gagnon, Le 22e Bataillon, Les Presses de l’Université Laval en collaboration
avec le ministère de la Défense nationale et le Centre d’édition du
gouvernement du Canada, Ottawa et Québec, 1986.
•J.L.
Granatstein and J.M. Hitsman, Broken Promises: A History of Conscription in
Canada, Oxford University Press, Toronto, 1977.
•Desmond
Morton and J.L. Granatstein, Marching to Armageddon, Lester and Orpen Dennys,
Toronto, 1989.
•Desmond
Morton, When Your Number’s Up, Random House, Toronto, 1993.
•G.W.L.
Nicholson, Canadian Expeditionary Force 1914-1919, Ottawa, Queen’s Printer,
1964.
----------------------------
Black
Watch reunion draws vets to Aldershot
The
Black Watch Atlantic Branch Association held 2013 reunion at Camp Aldershot
this weekend.
by
Kirk Starratt
Photos
John Decoste, www.kingscountynews.ca
More than 40 years after the regiment was
disbanded in 1969, the veterans of the Black Watch still answer the call to
reunions every two years, drawn by the chance for camaraderie with former
comrades in arms.
In
1953, the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) began its part in the long
history of the North Kentville base. When the unit returned to Canada after
service in the Korean Conflict, the First and Second Battalions were stationed
at Camp Aldershot, along with additional units at Camp Debert. From 1953 to
1959, Camp Aldershot saw significant use while housing this regular force unit.
At one point, some 2,300 soldiers were stationed at the facility.
President
Arthur Snow said more than 320 people registered for the weekend reunion.
Members from across Atlantic Canada attended, the Amherst man said, with some
coming in from as far away as Australia, England, the United States and
Montreal.
“In
just about every reunion I meet someone who has never been here,” Snow said.
Although the association started holding reunions in 1979, there are still
members attending for the first time. Snow said there are five new association
members registered for this year’s reunion, including one Second World War
veteran.
“I
can’t wait to meet him,” Snow said just before the reunion started.
Snow
said, sadly, the association has lost 115 members since their last reunion two
years ago. However, even if members are ill, the reunion is important to them
and they work hard to make it. Snow said the reunion is important to him, too,
as the members are very appreciative of his organizing efforts. Snow said the
part he enjoys most is getting to see his friends again, although he also
enjoys meeting new members with a connection to the Black Watch.
The
activities got underway Aug. 30 with a meet and greet: a chance for everyone to
get reacquainted, reminisce about days gone by and talk about what is currently
happening in the association. The association’s annual general meeting was held
Aug. 31, as well as a dinner and dance.
The
reunion included some special presentations this year. Saturday afternoon,
members in uniform, led by the pipes and drums, marched on the Camp Aldershot
parade square. The reviewing officer inspected the soldiers and presented Queen
Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medals to 10 members. An 11th medal will be
presented later to a member in New Brunswick who is unable to make the trip
following the reunion.
The
Black Watch’s stint at Aldershot was memorable, but short. The unit was rotated
to West Germany in 1959 and was stationed at the newly constructed Camp
Gagetown in New Brunswick upon its return.
The
Purpose (Get Up Weary Soldier)
-----------------
Battle
of York 200th Anniversary Parade Third Battalion, Royal Canadian
Published
on May 26, 2013
On
April 27th 2013, Toronto had the largest military parade in the city since WW2
to commemmorate the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of York, when American
forces captured the town from the British Regulars and Canadian Militia.
This
footage shows the Third Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, that earlier in the
day recieved new Regimental Colours from their Commander in Chief, Prince
Philip.
-----------------
Proud
Canadian Soldier
Canadian
Forces Tribute-A Single Maple Leaf
Canada
Pride
CANADA'S
TROOPS KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN
Portraits
of Honour (Canadian Forces) 2012
The
hand painted Portraits of Honour 10' x 50' mural features the faces of the 157
Canadian Forces troops who have lost their lives while serving in Afghanistan.
The
Portraits of Honour National Tour will travel across Canada starting June 1,
2011.
For
more information, visit www.portraitsofhonour.ca
or
call 1-888-9-HONOUR
comment:'
Visited
Dave at the studio, there are now 158 portraits on the canvas.
Amazing
tribute.
NOVA
SCOTIA-cfb greenwood
New
health centre at 14 Wing officially opened
Major
Christine Drab and WO Dan Dospital explained the benefits of the virtual
patient in the Emergency Care Simulator, used by military Medical Technicians
and Physician Assistants to maintain and upgrade their clinical skills. Nancy Kelly-www.kingscountynews.ca
Published
on May 23, 2013
Topics
: William Hall Victoria Cross Building ,
Royal Air Force , William Hall Centre- Britain
By
Nancy Kellynkelly@kingscountynews.caKingsCountyNews.ca
14
Wing Greenwood’s new health services centre will significantly improve the
standard of health care provided to the military community, says the commanding
officer of the base’s medical health units.
“This
new facility offers all the benefits of collaborative care,” said Major
Christine Drab.
The
William Hall Victoria Cross Building was officially opened during a special
ceremony held May 14.
“Ensuring
the health and safety of our personnel is our priority and this new health care
facility will help provide the care required,” said Defence Minister Peter
MacKay, who was on hand at the grand opening.
The
new 40,000-square foot building is three times the size of the former facility.
It replaces the old quarters that were built in the 1940s, when the base served
as a training centre for pilots in Britain’s Royal Air Force, and added onto
throughout the years as more capacity was required.
“Up
until now, staff have made do with space and facilities that have presented
some logistical challenges. But that old building served us well for 70 years,”
said Drab.
The
new facility brings all health care services under one roof. Until recently, dental
services were housed in a trailer and mental health services were located in
the Morphee Centre.
The
fact that patients can now have access to all services under roof is a very
good thing, said staff psychologist Dr. Eileen Donahoe.
“It’s
bright, it’s light and we now have the added convenience of shared care.”
Designed
to be environmentally- and patient-friendly, the LEED Green-certified building
makes use of natural light and incorporates waiting areas in each area of
patient care. One section of the building is devoted to the cadet population,
which is housed in barracks directly across the street.
“In
the summer, the cadet organization brings in their own health services team.
They now have a place that is devoted to their use,” explained Drab.
The
building features work spaces and clinical areas for physicians, dentists,
physiotherapists, mental health practitioners and support staff. It is equipped
with a fully-functional lab and x-ray facility, a pharmacy and emergency
treatment and preventative health departments.
Physician
Assistant Warrant Officer Dan Dospital is particularly proud of the emergency
care simulator, a space dedicated to providing ongoing training for medical
technicians. Using a virtual patient, med-techs can “practice anything they
want, anytime and constantly be improving their clinical competency,” he said
The
William Hall Centre has been open since January and Drab said the staff and
patients have settled well into their new environment. The former health centre
is now being prepared for demolition.
----------------------------------
Standing
Strong & True (For Tomorrow) Official Music Video (HD)
WeSaluteOurHeroes1·3
videos
for
more info: www.wesaluteoutheroes.ca
--------------
Amazing
Grace (Inuit)
Native
American-Susan Aglukark-Amazing Grace (Inuit)with pic of the NorthernLights
-------------
CANADA'S
SGT.ELTON ADAMS- wrote the first song on PTSD (2008-2009) to make us aware of
haunted souls of our troops with PTSD
The
Battle of the mind - Operational Stress & PTSD
-------------
WOUNDED
WARRIORS.CA- Amazing Grace
CANADA: "Freedom" Support our troops
---------------
PTSD-
Walking 4 Military Minds Canada and Wounded Warriors Canada
Walking
for mental health
Hike
to Ottawa suppor ts soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder
AARON
BESWICK TRURO BUREAU
abeswick@herald.ca
@CH_ABeswick
Kate
MacEachern isn’t done walking yet.
At
the Canso Causeway on Tuesday morning, the Antigonish County native hiked her
rucksack onto her shoulders and began putting one foot in front of the other.
She’s
headed for Ottawa.
The
former tank driver with the Canadian Forces aims to raise awareness about the
mental health issues facing soldiers and first responders along the way.
She
also wants to raise more than $50,000 for the Military Minds Association, which
offers support to soldiers suffering from mental health issues such as
post-traumatic stress disorder.
“My
walk last year has changed who I am," MacEachern said Wednesday, during a
break along Highway 104 near Heatherton, Antigonish County.
“I
heard so many stories from soldiers, first responders and their families and I
carry thos e with me."
Last
year, MacEachern walked from Canadian Forces Base Gagetown to Antigonish,
raising $20,000 for the Soldier On Fund that supports retired military
personnel with a chronic illness or injury.
This
year’s focus is on the mind rather than the body.
“I’ve
seen too many friends and families o f friends just hang on by their
fingernails dealing with this stuff," said MacEachern. “Posttraumatic
stress disorder is never going to go away but we can change how we deal with it
by bringing the issu e out into the open."
Driving
MacEachern’s support vehicle for the first 21 days of her estimated 45-day walk
is Kevin Berry. The former s oldier with the 3rd Battalion Royal Canadian
Regiment underwent treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism
in 2010. He now works with Military Minds, helping guide other military
personnel suffering from mental health issues back toward the light.
“We’re
moving away from the ‘suck it up’ attitude," said Berry. “It’s that
attitude that we need to break down so that people can come forward and talk
about their problems."
MacEachern,
who left the military during the past year, expects to average 40 kilometres a
day over the course of her 1,864-kilometre walk.
PHOTO
Antigonish
County native Kate MacEachern began her walk Tuesday from the Canso Causeway to
Ottawa to raise awareness of mental health issues facing soldiers and first
responders. AARON BESWICK • Tr Turo Bureau
------------------
beautiful
article- tells how WWI Canada- all Canadians took part in the Great War- all
races, creeds, colours, religion- and always First Peoples of Canada 10,000
years
Army
display gets reinforcements
Province
gives $61,000 to help improve First World War exhibit at Halifax Citadel
SHERRI
BORDEN COLLEY STAFF REPORTER
sborden@herald.ca
@CH_BordenColley
Nova
Scotians, and visitors from across the country, will have an opportunity to
learn about Canada’s First World War triumphs and sacrifices through new
stories and artifacts that will be part of an exhibit opening next year at the
Halifax Citadel National Historic Site.
Titled
The Road to V imy and Beyond, the exhibit, developed for the Army Museum, will
open in May 2014 and run until Remembrance Day 2018.
During
a news conference at the museum Thursday, Leonard Preyra, provincial
communities, culture and heritage minister, announced that Nova Scotia is
contributing $61,000 toward the design work required to improve the exhibit’s
visual impact.
The
improvement will be the largest exhibit transformation in the museum’s 60-year
history.
Preyra
was joined by retired military officers and volunteers for the announcement o f
the upgrades that will be carried out ahead o f the up coming centennial of the
First World War.
Also
known as the Great War, it began in August 1914. It ended more than four years
later on Nov. 11, 1918.
“One
of the important reasons for supporting this exhibit is because it fills an
important gap in our knowledge . . . of World War I history," Preyra said
following the announcement .
“Essentially,
it talks also about the contributions of groups like the African-Nova Scotian
battalion (No. 2 Construction Battalion Canadian Exp editionary Force that is
also known as the Black Battalion), the Jewish regiments, the Mi ’kmaq, a
whole range of groups that participated in World War I and World War II whose
stories have just not been told, at least they’re not widely known ."
During
the next four years, the museum’s project team will continu e to expand on the
stories and artifacts commemorating the regiments and the lives of individual
Nova Scotian soldiers who served Canada during the Great Wa r.
“As
an army museum, we believe we have a sacred trust to commemorate and honour
the service of the heroes of World War I and all the other heroes that came
after them in subs equ ent wars," said retired army major Ken Hynes,
director of the World War I Centennial Project.
One
of the two exhibit rooms will include a two-metre-tall model of the Vimy Ridge
Memorial in France.
Noting
that the Battle of Vimy Ridge was a seminal event in Canadian history, Hynes
said it is “unfortunate that Canadians don’t have the opportunity to see where
so many soldiers sacrificed themselves in the birth of our nation as an
independent state."
The
years 2012 to 2015 also mark the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812. In 1814,
Halifax saw the arrival of Chesapeake Blacks by ship from the United States.
Between
1813 and 1815, about 2,000 American blacks, refugees from that war, settled in
the Maritimes.
The
Army Museum board of governors presented the province with Freedom Halifax
1814, a print from an original painting illustrating the arrival by
award-winning Halifax artist Richard Rudnicki.
Through
the painting, Rudnicki said he really wanted to capture the feelings of the
people arriving at King’s Wharf in Halifax.
“The
clothing, the ship, the uniforms of the British, that’s all available in
research papers but the people’s faces were very important to me and the mix
of feelings of anticipation, excitement, nervousness, fear, the children ,
the men and women and als o I wanted to tell the story o f the women in
there," Rudnicki said in an interview.
“They
would have had a couple of hours warning that they were leaving so they just
grabbed whatever they could and left. Can you imagine the courage it would have
taken, although they were escaping slavery?"
PHOTO
Leonard
Preyra, Nova Scotia’s communities, culture and heritage minister, examines a
First World War-era rifle with Ken Hynes, director of the World War I
Centennial Project at the Army Museum on Citadel Hill in Halifax on Thursday.
ADRIEN VECZAN • Staff
WWI
Canadian Army Museum- Citadel Hill, Halifax Nova Scotia
--------------------------
Top
Canadian general defends success of Afghan campaign
By David Pugliese, OTTAWA CITIZEN September 4,
2013
Canadian
soldiers patrol an area in the Dand district of southern Afghanistan on Sunday,
June 7, 2009. American and British criticism of Canada’s long and often bloody
military efforts in Afghanistan has a ring of revisionism that ignores key
facts, experts say. (Colin Perkel/The Canadian Press)
Photograph
by: Colin Perkel , THE CANADIAN PRESS
As
the U.S. military community grapples with what seasoned officers are calling
the failure of the counter-insurgency campaign in Afghanistan, Canada’s top
soldier in that country is labelling the strategy a success.
Karl
Eikenberry, the former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan and a commanding general
of forces there from 2005 to 2007, has published a scathing critique of the
counter-insurgency doctrine, known by its military acronym as COIN, in the
latest issue of Foreign Affairs magazine.
West
Point professor Col. Isaiah Wilson III, who worked on the U.S. Afghan strategy,
also writes in the new issue of the American Interest magazine about concerns
over the failure of COIN in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
The
counter-insurgency doctrine was adopted by the U.S., Canada and other nations
and stressed the need to protect civilian populations, eliminate insurgent
leaders and help establish a legitimate government that could deliver services
to its people. “In short, COIN failed in Afghanistan,” Eikenberry wrote.
But
Maj.-Gen. Dean Milner, the most senior Canadian officer in Afghanistan,
counters that isn’t the case. “I’ve seen tremendous improvement over the last
couple of years and I continue to see it,” Milner said Wednesday in a phone
interview from Kabul. “I think the counter-insurgency strategy may have been
employed a little later than we would have liked, but in essence I think it’s
moved this country in the right direction.”
“The
bottom line is that I actually think for the most part the situation continues
to improve,” he added.
The
debate over the counter-insurgency doctrine comes as U.S. forces continue their
withdrawal from Afghanistan with an eye to winding down combat operations by
2014. Questions are being raised in the U.S. whether the costly war will
accomplish anything in the long term or whether the Taliban will return to
power once western troops leave.
Canada,
which has about 800 military personnel in Afghanistan, is also pulling out its
forces. All Canadians will be home by the end of March 2014, Milner said.
In
his critique, Eikenberry questioned the COIN doctrine’s principles. He noted
that the strategy talks about the need to protect the local population, which
coalition forces did, at least from the Taliban. “But what about criminal
narcotraffickers, venal local police chiefs, or predatory government officials?”
Eikenberry asked.
He
also questioned the assumption that U.S. military personnel without the
appropriate language skills and only a superficial understanding of Afghan
culture could bring development to Afghan villages. “The typical 21-year-old
marine is hard-pressed to win the heart and mind of his mother-in-law; can he
really be expected to do the same with an ethnocentric Pashtun tribal elder?”
Eikenberry wrote.
He
also warned that Afghanistan is too reliant on foreign countries for financial
support. In recent years, the U.S. and other donors have paid for 90 per cent
of Afghanistan’s total public expenditures, including for security forces.
Milner
confirmed that Canada intends to provide financial support for Afghanistan
after the 2014 pullout.
Milner
said the first phase of the Canadian withdrawal will take place in October when
the number of personnel drops from around 800 to about 650. The personnel are
currently training Afghan security forces.
By
Christmas the number will drop to around 375 and by January there will be fewer
than 100 Canadian personnel in Afghanistan.
The
Canadian military has been involved in Afghanistan since late 2001. One hundred
and fifty-eight Canadian Forces personnel have died and more than 1,800 were
injured.
In
July 2011, the Canadian Forces ended its combat mission in Kandahar province
and focused on training Afghan security forces.
That
mission, called Operation Attention, has cost taxpayers around $500 million.
Most Canadian soldiers are in or near Kabul but a small number are located in
the northern centre of Mazar-e-Sharif.
Milner
said that the size of Afghanistan’s security forces has increased from 192,000
in 2009 to the current 345,000. He said there are far fewer insurgent attacks,
and Afghan forces, not western militaries, are involved in providing security
and going after insurgents. “NATO is no longer in the lead,” he said. “We don’t
even plan these operations.”
He
said the situation in Kandahar has also improved. “It gives me comfort to tell
you today that the areas in Kandahar province where so many of our Canadian men
and women fought against a determined insurgency have improved significantly in
terms of security and stability as a result of our efforts and sacrifice,” he
added.
Milner
described Afghanistan as a “painful and productive mission” for the Canadian
military.
--------------------
Canadian
troops ready to end Afghan training mission
After
almost 12 years in Afghanistan, Canada's military is ready to end its final
mission in the war-torn country and return soldiers home by March.
By:
Bruce Campion-Smith Parliament Hill,
Published on Wed Sep 04 2013
OTTAWA—After
nearly a dozen years in Afghanistan, Canadian soldiers are getting ready to
return home for the last time, leaving the uncertain security of the war-torn
country in the hands of Afghan soldiers and police.
Canada’s
current mission training Afghan police and soldiers begins to wind down in
October, marking the end of a military presence in the country that began in
the months after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
Returning
soldiers leave behind questions whether Afghans are up to the task to securing
their own country from the terror threats that prompted Canada and its allies
to deploy to the country in 2001.
But
Maj.-Gen. Dean Milner, commander of the Canadian force and deputy commander of
the NATO training mission, said the police and Afghan National Army are already
taking the lead.
“We
continue to see their confidence growing. It’s significant,” Milner said
Wednesday.
“We’ve
built a very large, capable force . . . the biggest focus for us right now is
sustaining this force. . . . There’s no doubt in my mind that it’s going to
take more time to assist them,” Milner said.
Since
2009, the Afghan security forces has grown from about 192,000 with limited
mobility and firepower to an army and police contingent that today numbers
around 345,000 personnel, Milner said.
Milner
said the “absolutely impressive” improvements in abilities of the Afghan
security forces are “like night and day” compared to what he saw during his
previous tour in Kandahar two years ago.
He
said the Afghan army, police and intelligence services have assumed
responsibility for security operations — and as a result are suffering heavier
causalities from their place on the frontlines.
During
the traditional summer fighting season, he said the Afghans have done an
impressive job preventing the Taliban from achieving their objectives.
“There
have been a few high-profile attacks here in Kabul and other large cities but
far fewer than the Taliban were hoping for,” Milner told journalists in a teleconference.
But
Milner’s commander, U.S. Gen. Joseph Dunford, has warned that the Afghans are
suffering heavy losses in combat that may require further intervention by
western forces.
“I’m
not assuming that those casualties are sustainable,” Dunford said in an
interview with the Guardian.
Canadian
infantry soldiers, engineers, medical personnel, signallers and air force staff
are all on the ground teaching Afghans their respective trades, Milner said.
Most of the training happens at sites around Kabul with a smaller contingent
based at Mazar-e-Sharif in the north.
The
800-strong contingent will be reduced to 650 in October and 375 by Christmas.
By January, a small team of 100 will be left to wrap up the mission. By the
time the last soldier returns home in March, almost 40,000 Canadian troops will
have served in Afghanistan, from Kabul to a gruelling combat mission in
Kandahar that ended in 2011 and back to Kabul.
“It
has been both a painful and productive mission,” Milner said, adding that he’s
mindful of the 158 Canadian soldiers who died during the Afghan mission.
But
he said experiences in Afghanistan have been good for the Canadian military,
giving it exposure to tough military operations working alongside coalition
partners.
“There’s
no doubt in my mind that it’s been a good experience for us,” Milner said.
“Working
with our coalition partners. Fighting a difficult fight. It’s a complex fight,
the counter-insurgency. We’ve learned lots of lessons.”
While
troops are pulling out, Milner said Canada will continue to back Afghan
security forces with financial help of up to $110 million a year.
“I
know that Canada is absolutely going to continue to support Afghanistan into
the future,” Milner said.
--------------------
Work
out. Aldershot Camp- Nova Scotia (Canada)
Ed's
Up! 1x8 - Battle School
Ed's
Up! - 1x8 clip - Battle School - Camp Aldershot, Nova Scotia
(Peace
Point Entertainment Group)
CAMP
ALDERSHOT- NOVA SCOTIA- Cadets,
Reservists, Militia, Military since early 1900s
Camp
Aldershot
Andy
Barker Published on July 18, 2013
Topics
: Army Cadet , Grand Falls Station , AND
Company , Kentville , Nova Scotia ,
Michael
Being
in the army cadets and going to Camp Aldershot in Kentville, Nova Scotia was
once a thing to do. My time there, as a St. Michael's Army Cadet, was the
summers of 1961 and 1962.
The
first time trip to camp began near midnight at Grand Falls Station. Once aboard
we took off our school army cadet uniforms, but hardly slept in our berths as
the excitement had us peering out into the darkness and talking. It was then my
longest train trip (at age 7 I rode up from Bishop's Falls to the mill yard on
AND Company's train with my mother).
At
Port aux Basques we crossed on the MV William Carson (sunk off Labrador 1977)
which was quite an experience for an inland 15 year old - first time on a ship
and first time ever view of the endless ocean. The smell of food in the
Carson's cafeteria still lingers deep in my mind and the ferry's roly-poly
sailing was practically invitation for landlubbers to be sea sick.
At
North Sydney we paraded to the railway station (abandoned but still standing)
and boarded another train that took us to a siding right inside of Camp
Aldershot. Once stopped, a sergeant came aboard, and in a forceful loud voice,
hustled us teenagers quickly off the train - a startling welcome to army life.
The
second camp trip was another first - Trans-Canada Air Lines, Vanguard turboprop
from Gander to Halifax - and then on to Camp Aldershot. On the flight we were
brought to the cockpit to see the flying first hand and chat with the crew. In
today's world, even touching the cockpit door could be the last thing you do!
Six
weeks at camp meant more than half the summer away from home and living the
army life seven days a week. We were paid $100 ($783 - 2013) with two $10 pay
periods at camp and the balance paid at home. The line up of 500 boys or so to
be paid cash was one thing, but the sight of the military police - Provost,
armed with the biggest handgun I've ever seen, was something else.
At
Camp Aldershot we had a medical then were issued all our gear - boots, socks,
hat, shirts, shorts, putties, belt, t-shirts but used our Newfoundland Regiment
caribou badge in our hat. Issued as well, a combo of knife, fork and spoon that
clicked into a single unit and known as "gut wrenches". At the mess
we returned our dirty dishes but washed our gut wrenches to take with us.
Our
barracks was H shaped - the joining centre for washing clothes, toilets (no
doors), sinks and showers with the two long extensions full of evenly spaced,
steel bunk beds. A Militia corporal was assigned to our section. He slept at
one end and oversaw our quieting down on lights out and getting us up early.
Camp
life meant marching everywhere including meals, but we could causally return
from the mess hall. After breakfast it was back to finish up around your bed -
sweep, mop, dust and make a perfectly rectangle shaped bedroll with the
bedding. Then it was on with the dress parade khakis - hat, shirt, shorts,
below the knee socks, and cloth putties that wrapped around to blend the top of
your boots with the socks.
Next
it was a stand by your bed inspection and then outside of the hut for a platoon
form up for the final inspection before full parade (A-B-C-D Companies and Tech
Training) on the parade square. That routine we did five mornings a week
parade. Our company sergeant major would send a cadet, whose dress was not to
code, to hide under a nearby bridge during the full parade.
Dress
code readiness took place five nights a week after supper - boots and brass
polished and shined, shirts and shorts washed and pressed, hat squared off and
buttons sewn on, if necessary.
After
morning parade we marched off to an instruction area - map reading, knot tying
and so on. Or we went to the range to shoot the FN rifles and have our turn in
the bunker blow the targets where we used long pole indicators to show those
shooting how well they were doing. We had lunch brought to us wherever we were
- chocolate milk and peanut butter sandwiches. Around 2 pm we marched back to
the hut and changed - white t-shirt and blue shorts to attend sporting events
or swimming at Sunken Lake.
On
weekends we either dressed in our regular school cadet gear or had day leave to
enjoy what Kentville had to offer; or it was a Company outing to nearby
historic sights.
Memories
of those two Camp Aldershot summers also include:
-
Writing home (girl in the same grade) on birch rind. Hey, once an Indian always
an Indian!
-
Shiniest army boots ever, had to be Dennis Budgell's of Grand Falls Academy who
was in my hut.
-
Figuring out the difference between "wet" and "dry"
canteen. Dry meant no booze thus us our drink was Frostie root beer.
-
Being asked to accompany an officer and troubled cadet. They chatted as we
drove around the Annapolis Valley. And as the third man in I realize now
(sexual abuse scandals) it was a smart move by the officer to have me along for
the ride.
-
Marching out into the country and having an overnight bivouac.
-
Plenty of food including loads of fresh cold milk.
-
Meeting guys I would later meet at St F.X. University.
-
Chosen to march in the Natal Day Parade in Halifax and not knowing that a
future brother-in-law was in the same parade.
-
Sergeant Major Shirley and Sergeant Major Poff, one Militia and the other
Regular Army, both tough lovable men.
-
Learning about army life, military jargon, nuclear war, Nova Scotians and
others on the mainland and our place in Canada, which in the summer of 1961 was
just 12 years old.
Camp
Aldershot was definitely an adventure from a different era, a time when we didn't
have access to TV let alone the then unimaginable computers, cell phones and
texting. It was a time of just boys and adult leaders in each other's spaces
and faces for six weeks - tough and demanding but lots of fun and laughs and
full of life changing experiences.
Makes
one wonder though would a Camp Aldershot today be considered a place of cruel
and unusual punishment not just for youth, but also for adults?
comment:
Why
don't you check it out yourself! Sea Cadets - https://www.facebook.com/AcadiaCdts?fref=ts
Army Cadets - https://www.facebook.com/ArgonautCdts?fref=ts Air
Cadets - https://www.facebook.com/GreenwoodCdts?fref=ts I
was a sea cadet myself for 7 years from 1995-2002 and I am currently a CIC
Officer running the sea cadets in Grand Falls-Windsor, 67 RCSCC Windsor. The
cadet program is the best youth program in the country. The routine today isn't
much different that what is outlined, although this column makes it appear much
more harsh than it actually is. I loved attending as a cadet, and the cadets
today still love going! Check the link above to see what kind of adventures and
activities the cadets are involved in (I may be a little bias, but I think the
Sea Cadet link is the best one). Cheers!
comment:
Thanks
for the trek back in time, Andy. Summers in Aldershot were a remarkable
experience, and as a mere lad tucked away in Grand Falls, heading off to the
mainland was as though I was being whisked away to some foreign destination. I
recall the four-inch tan we all acquired between the pants and hose tops. And
the seventy-dollar cheque that was mailed to us once we got home was enough to
outfit me with a new suit, school supplies, comic books, many visits to Baird's
and hefty containers of chips from McPherson's for some time. We were
fortunate, indeed.
-------------------
Camp
Aldershot was bustling 98 years ago
Kings
County News
Published
on August 4, 2013
Topics
: Nova Scotia Highland Brigade , YMCA ,
Soldiers Service League ,
Aldershot , England , France
In
honour of the 99th anniversary of the start of the First World War Aug. 4, we
remember with this piece.
By
John Cunningham
It
had been two years since the guns opened up on the the Western Front when a
visiting Yarmouth Times reporter wrote, "Aldershot has become, as if by
magic, a military town."
Training
in Camp Aldershot in the summer of 1916, as Canadians marked the second
anniversary of this country’s entry into the First World War, were four
battalions of the Nova Scotia Highland Brigade and the Royal School of
Artillery.
As
many as 7,000 troops at a time were at the facility, named after Camp Aldershot
in England, said author-historian Brent Fox, in his book Camp Aldershot -
Serving Since 1904. The terrain, with its barren sand dunes, provided a
landscape well-suited for drills and maneuvers.
The
program was arduous and discipline strict, it was noted in The Nova Scotia
Highlander, an in-house camp newspaper published in 1916. Battalion bands
marched the soldiers with measured precision through daily changing of the
guard ceremonies. Soldiers, responding to barking commands of non-commissioned
officers, bustled about.
The
ordinary rank soldiers slept six to eight men in damp, musty tents on the
plains.
"We
are not ducks, but we expect to be if the rain continues," said Pte.
Garnet White, in a letter published in a June 1916 Advertiser.
At
any given time, 100 to 160 men were being treated because of illness or
training accidents at the camp infirmary. Hospitalized soldiers, keenly
interested in keeping up with the war news, could follow coverage of the
fighting in Belgium and France through fairly current copies of newspapers,
provided by the men of YMCA. The "Y" volunteers also honed the dull
razors to lessen the "pain and unpleasantness" of "men who must
be their own barbers."
In
what was revolutionary and unique for the times, the YMCA, in conjunction with
the Soldiers Service League, put on concerts of music played over gramophones
that were moved from one YMCA tent to another. A call went out to the civilian
community to send on any "good double-disc records of which they have
grown weary."
A
robust sports program of baseball, football and track and field helped keep the
soldiers entertained and in shape during off-duty hours. Wives and girlfriends
were rarely allowed on campgrounds, so other than the reading rooms and the
gramophone concerts, there was little evening entertainment.
Soldiers
lucky enough to be granted leave found, after a short railway trip into
Kentville, that the town welcomed them. Restaurant and merchants had quickly
adapted to accommodate army needs and tastes. E.J. Bishops was taking orders
for suits and raincoats for military officers. Campbells, on Main Street,
carried a full line of badges, whistles and cords. Teddy’s Khaki Restaurant
billed itself as an eating establishment where "every soldier is
King." Mrs. A.C. More’s Green Lantern Restaurant tempted soldiers with
ice-cold sodas, milkshakes and banana splits.
Back
in Aldershot, officers and men of the Nova Scotia Brigade were standing by the
camp rail depot at 6 a.m. for the mid-June arrival of Canada’s Minister of
Defence, Sir Sam Hughes. A march past involving the entire four-battalion unit
took place, along with an inspection supervised by the general, who was
visiting camp as part of a cross-Maritime tour.
Hughes
had high praise for the men training at Kentville. He said that from all
reports, the soldiers had exhibited exemplary character while working in camp
or on leave in town.
"Their
work showed the most careful training," he said.
The
men were training for the trenches at a time casualty tolls were reaching an
almost-incomprehensible level. British Forces had attacked the Somme region of
France July 1, 1916, preceded by an artillery barrage that could be heard on
the south coast of England. What was to have been a triumph had turned into
"the darkest day in British military history," when 57,000 soldiers
were either killed, wounded or reported missing. The Canadians, fighting
further north in Flanders, were about to move down to the Somme.
Most
of the men from Aldershot would soon cross to England for more training before
crossing over to the Battlefields of France and Belgium. These young men, when
war was declared Aug. 4, 1914, had viewed it as an opportunity for adventure
and glamour, but were now well aware it was not going to be easily won by
Christmas.
Camp
Aldershot had been established in 1904 to prepare Canadian soldiers to fight
for their county and its values despite the conditions of war. It shows
"the determination of Nova Scotians to discharge their duty and obligation
to their country," a visiting Yarmouth Times reporter said 98-years-ago.
“(Its) debt to the nation, a blood tax as real as any other tax."
John
Cunningham is a retired newspaper reporter and is currently writing a book on
the First World War.
------------------
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