God Bless our Queen Elizabeth II and our Commonwealth Nations 3.2 Billion of us ... we love u - from Canada - God bless our troops and yours... always...
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is Queen of Canada. She has dedicated her life to public service and continues to serve Canada and Canadians after 60 years. On her 21st birthday (April 21, 1947), she addressed the Commonwealth and dedicated her life "whether it be long or short" to the service of others. In the interim years, she has been steadfast in keeping her promise — a promise quite valued by Canada, valued by the entire Commonwealth.
The Queen's Biography
Early life
Queen Elizabeth II was born on April 21, 1926. Her Majesty was the first child of King George VI (The Duke of York) and Queen Elizabeth.Princess Elizabeth was educated at home with her younger sister, the late Princess Margaret. During that time, the future queen learned French, which she speaks fluently.
Princess Elizabeth gave her first radio address at age 14 as bombs dropped on London during the Second World War, in which she served.
Marriage and family
On November 20, 1947, Princess Elizabeth married Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten, now His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh. They have four children:- Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales, Heir to the Throne;
- Princess Anne, The Princess Royal;
- Prince Andrew, The Duke of York; and
- Prince Edward, The Earl of Wessex.
Elizabeth becomes Queen
After her father's death, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953. Canadian guests at the coronation included the Prime Minister, Louis St. Laurent, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario Louis Breithaupt and his premier, Leslie Frost, as well as Premier of Saskatchewan Tommy Douglas, Quebec Cabinet ministers Onésime Gagnon and John Samuel Bourque, Mayor of Toronto Allan A. Lamport, and Chief of the Squamish Nation Joe Mathias.In 1953, a Canadian law, the Royal Style and Titles Act formally conferred upon Elizabeth II the title of Queen of Canada.
Charitable work and military appointments
The Queen of Canada continues to champion public and voluntary service around the world. Her Majesty is patron of more than 600 charities and organizations, of which 33 are in Canada. These include the Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian Nurses Association. This sense of service has been transmitted to all members of the Royal Family.The Queen continues to highlight the critical role of the Canadian Forces by serving as Colonel-in-Chief, Captain General and Air Commodore-in-Chief of the following units across Canada:
- Royal Canadian Air Force
- Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada
- The Calgary Highlanders
- Canadian Military Engineers
- The Canadian Grenadier Guards
- Governor General's Foot Guards
- Governor General's Horse Guards
- The King's Own Calgary Regiment
- Le Régiment de la Chaudière
- The Royal New Brunswick Regiment
- The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery
- Royal 22e Régiment
- 48th Highlanders of Canada
Tours of Canada
The Queen (then Princess Elizabeth) and The Duke of Edinburgh first toured Canada in the fall of 1951. Since her accession to the Throne, Her Majesty has completed more royal tours in Canada than to any other Commonwealth country.The Queen's 2010 tour marked her 22nd official tour of Canada as our Queen. The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh participated in many public events, including the Canada Day Noon Show on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on July 1 and participated in the celebrations of the centennial of the Royal Canadian Navy.
The year 2012 marked Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee, her 60th anniversary as Queen of Canada.
Canadian Heritage Resources
Other Resources
- Radio-Canada.ca : Élizabeth devient « Sa Majesté » (June 2, 1953) (available in French only)
- CBCnews - Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
- The official website of the British Monarchy
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4my mom, uncles n WWII baby memories, and Queen Elizabeth II,a song always cherished- We'll Meet Again - Vera Lynn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHcunREYzNY …
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Governor General of Canada David Johnston and Her Excellency Sharon Johnston
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CANADA'S SPACE ROCKSTAR: ...from the Queen
13 March 2013
I am pleased to transmit my personal best wishes, and those of all Canadians, to Colonel Christopher Hadfield as he takes command of the International Space Station on Wednesday. Our thoughts and best wishes are with him and the entire crew, as are our prayers for an eventual safe return to family, friends and fellow Canadians.
ELIZABETH R.
Le 13 mars 2013
Je suis heureuse de transmettre mes voeux les plus chaleureux ainsi que ceux de tous les Canadiens et Canadiennes au Colonel Christopher Hadfield, qui prend aujourd’hui le commandement de la Station spatiale internationale. Nos pensées et nos meilleurs souhaits accompagnent le Colonel Hadfield et tout son équipage, et nous prions pour qu’ils rentrent en toute sécurité auprès de leurs familles, amis et concitoyens.
ELIZABETH R.
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Governor General of Canada
Canada is a constitutional monarchy. As such, the governor general acts as the Crown’s representative, carrying out the tasks of the monarch – currently Elizabeth II – on Canadian soil.
Canada is a
constitutional monarchy. As such, the governor general acts as the Crown’s representative,
carrying out the tasks of the monarch
– currently Elizabeth
II – on Canadian soil. The governor general has extensive ceremonial
duties, but also fulfills an important role in upholding the traditions of Parliament
and other democratic institutions.
Without interruption since the beginning of European settlement in Canada, a governor or governor general has been at the head of the country as the resident representative of the Crown. Lord Monck, the country's first governor general at Confederation, was sworn in on 1 July 1867. Jeanne Sauvé, the 60th governor general, was the first woman to be appointed to the office, and Adrienne Clarkson, the 63rd governor general, was the first person without a military or political background and the first person of Asian heritage to be appointed to the vice-regal position. The office is currently held by David Johnston.
Evolution of Role
The office has developed with Canada's evolution from colony to nation. At first, governors general represented imperial governments and were responsible to various colonial ministers. After Confederation they were empowered to govern according to the wishes of the Canadian prime minister in all internal issues, but until the First World War they were still obliged to acknowledge British policy in external relations. After the Statute of Westminster of 1931, they became the sovereign's personal representatives. Finally, on 1 October 1947, George VI formally delegated to the governor general all the sovereign's authority in Canada. In 1952 Vincent Massey became the first Canadian since Pierre de Vaudreuil to be appointed governor general. Afterwards, a tradition of alternating anglophone and francophone governors general emerged.In Canada, as in many constitutional monarchies, there is a clear division between the head of state and the head of government. The head of government is the prime minister, an elected political leader. The head of state is the Canadian monarch, whose duties are carried out by the governor general. And like the sovereign, the governor general stands above politics. Appointed by the monarch on the prime minister's recommendation, the governor general usually holds office for at least five years. Whereas the prime minister speaks for the political majority, the governor general represents the whole country.
Official Residences
On taking office (at a ceremony usually held in the Senate chamber), a governor general is accorded the title "Right Honourable" for life and "His Excellency" or "Her Excellency" for the period in office. Two official residences are provided: Rideau Hall, which forms part of a 36 hectare estate on the Ottawa River, and the Governor's Wing at the Québec Citadel. The governor general's personal standard (flag) flies wherever he or she is in residence and takes precedence over all other flags in Canada except the monarch's. It is dark blue with, at the centre, the gold Canadian crest – a crowned lion carrying a red, stylized maple leaf in its right paw.Heraldry
Upon taking the vice-regal position, the governor general designs his or her own heraldic symbol (see Heraldry). This allows the governor general to make both a personal statement of values and a statement about what he or she wishes to accomplish as vice regal. For instance, the heraldic symbol of Michaelle Jean, governor general from 2005-2010, contains a shell and broken chains to symbolize her ancestors' escape from slavery. It is flanked by two Simbis (water spirits) from Haitian culture, feminine figures that symbolize the vital role women have played in advancing social justice. Its motto, "Breaking down solitudes" (Briser les solitudes), underlies the objectives Jean hoped to accomplish during her tenure.Heraldic authority is a significant honour bestowed on select Canadians by the governor general. Until heraldry was patriated to Canada in 1988, Canadians who wished to acquire heraldic symbols from the Crown were required to apply to the Queen's offices in the United Kingdom. On 4 June, Governor General Sauvé authorized the creation of the Canadian Heraldic Authority, a Canadian-based organization responsible for the creation of coats of arms, flags and badges for Canadian citizens and corporate bodies, and for maintaining an international standard when bestowing heraldic symbols. Canada was the first Commonwealth country to patriate heraldic authority.
Duties and Powers
Parliament has three elements in which the governor general plays a significant role: The Senate, the House of Commons and the Queen. As the Queen's representative, the governor general summons, prorogues and dissolves Parliament, authorizes treaties, receives and sends ambassadors, commissions officers in the armed forces and gives royal assent to bills that have passed both the House and the Senate, thereby giving them the force of law. By constitutional convention, the governor general exercises these prerogatives only in accordance with ministerial advice. But by the same conventions, he or she retains special personal authority in times of emergency or in exceptional circumstances; in such cases, he or she may appoint or dismiss a prime minister and may dissolve Parliament. On at least two occasions since Confederation (1891 and 1893) governors general (Lords Stanley and Aberdeen) had to designate a prime minister, but they have never had to dismiss one. At least once (1926) a governor general (Viscount Byng) refused a prime minister's advice to dissolve Parliament (see King-Byng Affair).The governor general also holds the constitutional rights of the head of state: "the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, the right to warn." These are usually exercised by the receipt of Cabinet minutes and through regular visits from the prime minister and government officials. The governor general is the executive power of the governor-in-council, receiving advice from the Canadian Privy Council (the most important part of which is the Cabinet) and signing orders-in-council.
The governor general is also designated by law as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, is charged with swearing in Cabinet ministers and commissioning high officials of state. He or she is chancellor of the Order of Canada and the Order of Military Merit, and is responsible for the administration of the whole Canadian system of honours. The governor general is official host to visiting heads of state and can represent Canada abroad.
Extensive hospitality and travel within Canada make the governor general more familiar with the country, the people and the issues than most others can be. The office of governor general is also charged with symbolizing national community and continuity. It is a subtle presence above divisions and differences, affirming acceptance of inherited loyalties and permanent ideals.
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BLOGSPOT
CANADA MILITARY NEWS: Queen Elizabeth II's Beloved Mounties some history, facts and some fun
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QUOTE: 1939 "To travel
through so grand a country is a privilege to any man; but to travel through it
to the accompaniment of such an overwhelming testimony of goodwill is an
experience that has, I believe, been granted to few people in this world. We
shall never forget it." -- King George VI, speaking in Victoria, B.C., on
May 30, 1939, in a radio broadcast to the Empire.
Royal tour
of Canada 1939: 'It made us, the King and I'
- - -
The Royal Tour of 1939, the first visit to North America by a reigning Canadian sovereign, was the greatest public spectacle in our national history. Nothing before or since, except possibly the mobilization of troops for the First and Second World Wars, has matched the sustained exuberance and heartfelt passion that greeted King George VI and Queen Elizabeth -- the Queen Mother -- on their remarkable, 7,000-kilometre trans-Canadian journey.
In the spring of 1939, Canada had finally emerged from the Great Depression. Life was localized and tedious for many people. There was no national highway system and no inter-provincial air travel. It was a time before tell-all royal biographies and television. The King and Queen, only two years into their reign, were beloved but distant figureheads, known to their Imperial subjects only through newspapers and appearances on black-and-white newsreels.
No ruling monarchs had ever toured the Empire's far-flung dominions before, so their decision to travel to Canada for a month, with a week-long foray into the United States, was a momentous one. Their railway passage across the continent -- from Quebec City to Victoria and back east to Halifax in a dazzling blue-and-silver royal train -- was a unique and impressive odyssey for its time, witnessed by millions of citizens. In towns and cities from Kamloops to Cornwall, people put quarters on the tracks ahead of the oncoming train only to reclaim them later as squashed souvenirs of their fleeting brush with royalty.
The visit made history in many ways. It marked the first time a Canadian monarch met his Parliament, and personally gave royal assent to new laws.
In Ottawa on May 21, the King and Queen also pushed aside protocol and walked into waiting throngs of well-wishers on the world's first royal walkabout.
And each day during the tour, newspapers carried photographs of these events the same evening -- the first time Canadian pictures had been transmitted by wirephoto machines across the country.
For the King and Queen, the visit planted in their hearts a lifelong affection for Canada. The Queen Mother, as she was later known, returned here 12 subsequent times, lastly in 1989. But that first state visit in 1939 was a major test for Elizabeth and "Bertie," her quiet and nervous husband -- fresh as he was to high office after reluctantly assuming the throne following the abdication of Edward VIII in 1936.
Despite these anxieties, their journey to the New World was an instant triumph. Canadians were enthralled by the presence of the King on their home turf, and enchanted by "the little Queen," who made headlines wherever she went.
"Everyone who has seen her is talking about the Queen. The Queen's smile. The Queen's charm. The Queen's beauty. The Queen's lovely gowns," wrote Helen Allen in the Toronto Evening Telegram.
So successful were the couple in Canada that monarchists Arthur Bousfield and Garry Toffoli declared last year, in The Queen Mother and Her Century, that the 1939 visit was the "most significant of all royal tours of the 20th Century, by which all others are measured."
As the Queen herself said of the tour, upon returning to England: "It made us, the King and I. It came at just the right time."
More importantly, it came at the right time for Britain and its European allies, then girding themselves for an ugly war. In early 1939, Britain and France stood virtually alone against the threats of Adolf Hitler.
The true impetus behind the King and Queen's visit to North America, therefore, was not to brighten the lives of Canadians or to breathe the air of the Rockies, but to rally support for the Allied cause. The Royal Tour was a carefully calculated effort to unite Canadians behind the Mother country, and more specifically, to turn the tide of American isolationism that so worried Westminster.
It was a dark time for Europe. In March 1938, the German army had invaded Austria. In April, Hitler announced his plans for the annexation of Czechoslovakia at a mass rally at Nuremberg, and the Czech government turned to France for help. The French, in turn, asked Britain for support in the event of a French-German war over Czechoslovakia.
Britain, whose government had little appetite for a fight, and whose army and air force were unprepared to face the German military, stalled for time.
Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister, had been shuttling between Germany and London in search of a deal with Hitler and in September had returned to Downing Street predicting tranquility in Europe and "peace in our time." By March, 1939, however, Hitler shattered any British illusions of peace -- he had bullied the Czech leadership into surrendering their country and had made his first demands on Poland. A shaken British cabinet began preparations for war.
In this forbidding climate, the British government asked the King and Queen to make a state visit to North America. The previous summer the couple had warmed up icy Anglo-French relations after travelling to Paris and delighting the city with Elizabeth's elegance and easy charm.
Now it was hoped they could stir sentiment for the Empire in Canada, and they accepted a long-standing invitation from Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King to travel to Ottawa. When word spread that that the King and Queen would take a month-long journey across the entire country, Franklin Roosevelt, the U.S. President, seized on the opportunity to bring them to Washington in a bid to thaw American attitudes toward Britain.
Prior to the Second World War, the U.S. and Britain enjoyed no special affinity. Many Americans regarded the Empire with mistrust and ambivalence. Joe Kennedy, the U.S. ambassador in London, was warning politicians at home to keep out of any new European conflict. So the King and Queen's vital mission was to remind Americans of their European roots and to break down their hostility towards Britain.
On May 6, the couple slipped out of Southampton harbour on board the Canadian Pacific liner Empress of Australia. Meanwhile back in London, gas masks were being issued to civilians, the first trainloads of children were being evacuated from the city and anti-aircraft guns were being mounted on bridges across the Thames.
- - -
Eleven days later, after dodging icebergs in the North Atlantic and steaming up the St. Lawrence, the Empress of Australia docked at Wolfe's Cove, Quebec City -- and a Canadian monarch stepped for the first time on to Canadian soil. More than 10,000 people stared from the pier and the heights of the cove under the soft sunshine of a cool, spring morning.
The bells in the city's churches pealed forth and the guns of the Quebec Citadel thundered a 21-gun salute. "Vive le Roi," said the headline that day in the Quebec City newspaper Le Soleil.
Mackenzie King had invested vast time and effort overseeing details of the Royal Tour. He stood at dockside, on the cusp of one of his most impressive public relations coups, plump and stout and brimming with gold braid in his Windsor uniform. Then he nervously escorted the King and Queen down the gangplank and across the red-carpeted pier toward a dais brimming with lilies and hydrangeas and a phalanx of waiting officials, including Maurice Duplessis, the legendary Quebec Premier, plus every member of the federal cabinet.
Above the river in the city, the royal party drove toward the Quebec legislature through Old Town streets lined with crowds five deep.
Later, in the ivory ballroom of the Chateau Frontenac, 300 guests sat down for lunch with the royal guests.
"On behalf of the Canadian people," said Mackenzie King, in full repertorial flight, "a royal welcome to your Dominion of Canada. We are not unmindful of the sacrifices involved in parting for the time being with your children -- those cherished children of the Empire, the Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose."
King George, a shy man, calmed his nerves and replied: "You in Canada have already fulfilled part of the Biblical promise and obtained dominion from sea to sea, from the St. Lawrence to the Arctic snows."
Then switching to French he added: "The spirit of tolerance in which the two great races dwell side by side in this province is an example to the entire world. This harmony augers well for the future of Canada."
Across the country, newspapers exploded with fat, daily supplements of the tour, filled with lavish illustrations, maps, tributes and historical accounts of Canada's founding and development. Through May and June, shopping came to a standstill when the royal party rolled into a particular city.
Declared one newspaper ad showing closing times for Loblaws stores: "Canada Welcomes Her King and Queen."
Newspapers also devoted columns of commentary to the Queen and the sudden impact she was having on all who saw her.
"She's Most Charming Woman in the World," said The Vancouver Sun in one headline.
"Our Bonny Queen Has Stolen All Our Hearts," added the Toronto Evening Telegram.
And from Britain, The Sphere, an illustrated magazine, wrote that Elizabeth's smile had "charmed a continent."
Harold Nicolson, a British MP, said upon hearing about the early success of the tour that the Queen's secret was not her smile, but her eyes.
"She really does manage to convey to each individual in the crowd that he or she have had a personal greeting," he wrote to his wife. "It is due, I think, to the brilliance of her eyes. She is in truth one of the most amazing queens since Cleopatra."
The King and Queen had a genius for publicity, and Canada was the place where they would reveal themselves as the first modern royals, armed with a common touch. They shook hands with ordinary people, jumped down from cars to ask questions of First World War veterans, and stooped to share words with wide-eyed children. In cities where their motorcade paraded through the streets, the couple took turns leaning forward slightly in their limousine seats, so as not to obscure the public's view of each other. Their determination to meet as many citizens as possible meant they were constantly delaying their tour schedule by several hours.
"Royals had been seen before as gracious and doing their duty and all those things, but the human face of royalty -- the idea of royals as living, breathing, human beings who were approachable, who made direct eye contact with people -- this was new," says John Aimers, chairman of the Monarchist League of Canada.
Writes Robert Lacey, one of the Queen Mother's biographers: "[Previous royals] never smiled and they never, ever mingled with the common herd."
The 1939 visit changed all that. In Ottawa on May 20, the Queen laid the cornerstone of the Supreme Court building, being constructed west of Parliament Hill. Amid the pomp and formality of the ceremony, she beckoned to three workmen who had lowered the stone slab into place.
Down the workmen climbed from the steel girders of the courthouse, as dignitaries watched, for a quick personal chat with the Queen.
The following day in Ottawa, after the royal couple had unveiled the new National War Memorial, Elizabeth suggested to her husband that they meet the war veterans watching the event from the front of an immense crowd.
RCMP security officers watched in horror as the King in his morning coat and the Queen in her white pumps marched across Elgin Street and mingled for several minutes among the people. Lord Tweedsmuir, the Governor-General, was there, trying to keep up with his guests.
"It was an amazing sight, for we were simply swallowed up," he later wrote. "The American correspondents were simply staggered. They said that no American President would ever have dared to do that.... The visit is going to have an enormous effect in Canada and in the United States. Our monarchs are most remarkable young people."
Adds Mr. Aimers: "The visit showed the Queen's ability to relate to people in a variety of ways, which is now commonplace, but which was entirely revolutionary for royalty in that era."
Canadians were mesmerized by the young superstars travelling across the land. Everywhere they went, vast crowds came to see them, or to catch a glimpse of their train. Towns and cities with scheduled stops swelled to three times their size as citizens from Canada and the United States poured in to watch the pageantry.
There were concerns that French Canada may not earnestly welcome the British aristocrats, but Quebecers turned out in huge numbers. In Trois-Rivieres, an estimated 50,000 people jammed the area around the train station to sing Dieu Sauve le Roi. In Montreal, hundreds of thousands lined the streets during the couple's 37-kilometre drive through the city.
Observed Robinson MacLean, a reporter for the Evening Telegram, "They sat in tens and twenties in the bodies of dump trucks backed toward the street and paid $1 per seat for the pleasure along Park Avenue. A deep green cedar arch, studded with blue lights, welcomed the visitors to Outremont, and watchers cheered from delicatessen windows and staircases."
One man with property along the parade route was hawking grandstand seats for 25 cents. Seventy thousand more people crowded into Montreal Stadium and Molson Stadium at McGill University, where the couple made additional appearances. That evening an immense crowd gathered outside the former Windsor Hotel in Dominion Square, in the heart of the city, where the King and Queen were being feted. No public appearance was planned, but when the crowd started chanting for their Majesties, Camilien Houde, the mayor, suggested the couple step out on the balcony. They emerged in awe, as thousands cheered and a French-Canadian quartet broke into a series of folk songs.
Elsewhere, the crowds were also massive -- 1.5-million in Toronto, almost a million in Vancouver and 500,000 in Windsor [including about 200,000 who had swarmed across the border from Detroit].
In Edmonton, the couple drove through a stunning gauntlet of thousands crowded onto a three-km stretch of bleachers erected on both sides of Portage Avenue, which was later named the Kingsway. Canadians were captivated. But why? If the monarch came to Canada today, people would still welcome her, "but the mood wouldn't be the same," says Christopher Doty, a London, Ont., historian and film maker. "The Royal Tour of 1939 was unique, a mixture of events and emotions that has never been duplicated."
The Queen and her charisma were part of the reason, but not all. At a time when post-Depression society was still mostly rural, when few travelled outside their local county and when the faces of celebrities weren't flashed in glossy magazines or on television, the arrival of a King and Queen was a thrilling spectacle and a lucky break from daily routines -- a once-in-a-lifetime event. More importantly, these royals weren't foreigners, they were "our" sovereigns.
Even before their arrival, the office they held was widely respected.
While Americans who saw them may have cheered King George and Queen Elizabeth because of their celebrity, Canada was monarchist territory -- its people still cherished the Crown.
Certainly the country was no longer the British colony it had been in the 19th century; by 1939 Ottawa had severed many constitutional ties with Westminster and new immigrants were bringing a multicultural face to the nation.
But in the 1930s Canadian passports were still British. And, says Mr. Doty, "families kept scrapbooks of the Royal Family, wrote fan letters to Buckingham Palace and children made busts of the King and Queen out of modelling clay."
The royal couple attracted the kind of star-struck reverence and adoration now reserved for figures such as Wayne Gretzky, Luciano Pavarotti or Nelson Mandela. But there was something more. At a time of great uncertainty and rising fascism, the benevolent crown -- the foundation of British democratic institutions and civil liberties -- offered comfort.
"We were told that because we were in the British Empire, no matter where we were in the world, if somebody attacked us, the British Empire would fight back," says James Reaney, an author in London, Ont., who was a 13-year-old when the royal train sped past his hometown of Stratford in 1939.
"We got this feeling that we were protected by a family people, that the King and Queen were sort of like a family that we were part of. And that differed completely from what you heard about Adolf Hitler and Josef Stalin -- they were more apt to kill you. So when the King and Queen came, we saw them as father and mother figures."
As journalist Gregory Clark put it in The Toronto Daily Star: "In a world full of fear, anxiety and misgiving, we decked our streets for them, and a melancholy seemed to lift from us."
- - -
Despite the millions who witnessed the tour, there are few today who vividly recall it; many were only children then. Mary Jane Tanton was four when the King and Queen stopped in London, Ont., on June 7, 1939, for an hour. Mrs. Tanton's great-great-grandfather had been the city's first mayor and she was chosen to present flowers to the Queen during a civic ceremony.
Mrs. Tanton remembers her disappointment upon first seeing the Queen -- she appeared rather ordinary to the little girl, who had expected an imperious figure in a glittering gown and jewel-studded crown.
"Still, she was a beautiful person and the King was, too," Mrs. Tanton recalls. "I curtsied to him first, did the same to the Queen and gave her the bouquet. She leaned down to me afterwards and told me she was missing her two small daughters who she had left at home."
Twenty-four years later, on the morning of Mrs. Tanton's wedding day, a package arrived at her family's front door. "My father answered the door and took the parcel and said it was from Windsor," she says. "I had a brother living in Windsor, Ont., at the time, so I had my father open it and he said, 'I think you better come out here.' It was from Windsor Castle. It was a set of six demi-tasse spoons from the Queen Mother's lady in waiting."
The note said: "The Queen commands me to send you this gift in recognition of your wedding day and remembering the tour of '39."
In Hornepayne, Ont., Donald Schmidt met the King and Queen in his position as the 21-year-old master of the local Boy Scout troop. Hornepayne was a one-horse railroad town on the lonely CNR track north of Lake Superior. There was never much to do there except see the regular incoming trains. When the royal train arrived in June, 1939, 1,500 people were waiting at the station. During their brief stop, the King and Queen walked down the platform to inspect the waiting scouts and to say hello.
"We had wanted to impress on the couple what a famous town this was, and we couldn't think of very much," says Mr. Schmidt. "So we'd put this home-made 25-foot thermometer up at the station, showing that the lowest temperature ever recorded here was 72-below. They were quite impressed."
In Winnipeg, 16-year-old Gladys Killip sat for three hours in the rain on the back of a flat-bed truck parked on Main Street, waiting for the King and Queen to drive by.
"I remember seeing them and thinking how lovely they were and how beautiful she was," says Mrs. Killip today. "It must have been a very strenuous time for her, to take this long, long trip, right across Canada. We admired her strength and her power."
The King and Queen travelled west across the country on the Canadian Pacific Railway and east on Canadian National. Throughout the tour, however, two rail cars, built in the 1920s for the use of the governor-general, were their home. Today the cars stand in a giant hangar in suburban Ottawa among other treasures warehoused by the National Museum of Science and Technology.
The cars boast an oak-panelled sitting room cooled by an ice-fed air-conditioning system, a salon, a fully-equipped kitchen and a dining room that seats 12. Four bedrooms accommodated the King and Queen plus a lord and lady in waiting. One bathroom is still fully-covered in bright purple tiles, a favourite colour of the wife of Lord Tweedsmuir. At the rear of the train a door from a sitting room opens up onto the famous observation platform where the King and Queen made frequent appearances, showing themselves to the public in whistle-stop towns throughout the country.
Along with the royal party, the blue train, as it became known, carried the automobiles that the King and Queen used during longer visits to individual cities. Four convertibles were built especially for the occasion: a Chrysler, a Lincoln and two gleaming McLaughlin Buicks.
"Later in life, the Queen always said she remembered the McLaughlins," says David Monaghan, a curator at the Museum of Science and Technology, which has one of the Buicks in its collection. "The convertible top on the McLaughlin was made seven inches higher than normal in order to accommodate the plumed headdresses of the royal party."
For the King and Queen, the journey must have seemed a relentless series of wardrobe changes. They switched outfits dozens of times each day -- donning the appropriate uniform or gown for every ceremony, choosing the apparel from among 294 pieces of royal luggage.
On their return railway journey, the blue train crossed into the United States at Niagara Falls and proceeded to Washington watched by the same curious wayside crowds that had shadowed the trip in Canada. Now began the crucial political business of the royal tour -- wooing Americans to the British cause. Any anxieties about their reception were quickly forgotten, however; photographs of the couple's open-air procession through Washington on June 8 show the city's streets brimming with enormous crowds, fascinated by the royal visitors.
Eleanor Roosevelt, the First Lady, wrote about the day in her diary: "In the course of a long life I have seen many important events in Washington, but never have I seen a crowd such as lined the whole route between the Union Station and the White House ... they have a way of making friends, these young people."
At a state dinner at the White House, the looming war in Europe was not far from people's minds. In his dinner speech, President Roosevelt told the King and Queen that Canada and the United States offered the world a better way.
"It is because each nation is lacking in fear of the other that we have unfortified borders between us," he said. "It is because neither of us fears aggression on the part of the other that we have entered no race of armaments, the one against the other."
From Washington the King and Queen travelled to New York City and back into Canada through Eastern Quebec and the Maritimes. They departed Halifax on June 15, cheered by 150,000 people -- a display of "loyalty, pride and affection that will not be repeated in our time," said the Halifax Herald. "History of this kind seldom repeats itself."
In her parting speech, the Queen said the tour had filled her with memories "that the passage of time will never dim.... To one and all on this great friendly continent, I say thank you. Au revoir et Dieu vous benisse."
Then King George, speaking from the Halifax waterfront, bid Canada a wistful and sombre farewell. "From the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the Tropics to the Arctic, lies a large part of the earth where there is no possibility of war between neighbours, whose peoples are wholly dedicated to the pursuits of peace, a pattern to all men of how civilized nations should live together.
"It is good to know that such a region exists, for what man can do once he can do again. By God's grace yours may yet be the example which all the world will follow."
King George & Queen Elizabeth, Canadian Tour 1939/5/22
Uploaded on Sep
17, 2006
King and Queen Wildly Welcomed On Canadian Tour
-"Quebec: Impressive scenes as King George and Queen Elizabeth begin their
royal tour of the Dominion! His Majesty, at a state dinner at the Chateau
Frontenac, extends his official greetings to his subjects. Montreal: The royal
couple is wildly hailed by thousands of loyal Canadian children at a huge
stadium fete as a climax to a stirring trip through the city. Ottowa: The
special train brings them to thrilling ceremonies and the trooping of colors at
Government House. later the Queen dedicates the cornerstone of a new Supreme
Court Building." scenes of King speaking; Montreal: crowd cheers King and
Queen in car; Ottawa: railroad train arrives, crowd cheers, King reviews
troops, King and Queen ride in carriage, Queen waves from window, troops march
in parade, Queen speaks. (partial newsreel)
CANADA’S
Uploaded on Oct
28, 2009
The actual funeral of the 'Unknown Soldier' after WW1
.A tree is felled from the grounds of Hampton Palace. It is made into a coffin
of English Oak. Fixed atop is a 16th century crusaders sword, taken from the
Tower of London.
A British soldier, unknown by name or rank, is exhumed from the battlefields of World War 1.
In France 1000 school children form a mile long procession in front of his coffin.
In England a King and Country wait to honour him. A cenotaph is unveiled to him and all the glorious dead. Lest we forget.
A British soldier, unknown by name or rank, is exhumed from the battlefields of World War 1.
In France 1000 school children form a mile long procession in front of his coffin.
In England a King and Country wait to honour him. A cenotaph is unveiled to him and all the glorious dead. Lest we forget.
The Actual "Unknown Soldier" - Remembrance Day - WW1
------------
Royal Profiles
The Queen's role in Canada
The Queen has a unique relationship
with Canada, entirely separate from her role as Queen of the United
Kingdom or any of her other realms.
As in all her realms, The Queen of Canada is a constitutional monarch, acting entirely on the advice of Canadian Government ministers. She is fully briefed by means of regular communications from her ministers, and has face-to-face audiences with them where possible.
The Queen personifies the state and is the personal symbol of allegiance, unity and authority for all Canadians. Legislators, ministers, public services and members of the military and police all swear allegiance to The Queen. It is for this reason that all new Canadian citizens swear allegiance to The Queen of Canada. Elections are called and laws are promulgated in The Queen's name.
The Queen is represented in Canada on a day-to-day basis by a Governor General at the federal level and by a Lieutenant Governor in each of the ten provinces. The Governor General is appointed by The Queen upon the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Canada while the Lieutenant Governors are appointed by the Governor General upon the recommendation of the Prime Minister.
By granting honours, Canada pays tribute to outstanding people. The Governor-General, representing The Queen as the fount of the Canadian honours system, presents a variety of orders, decorations and medals, headed by the Order of Canada. Each province also has a series of honours that are, as well, awarded to deserving citizens in the name of Her Majesty by her representative the Lieutenant Governor.
The Queen and her eleven vice-regal representatives send anniversary messages to individuals celebrating notable birthdays and anniversaries.
The Governor General and Lieutenant Governors also promote identity and unity in their jurisdictions, meeting Canadians from all walks of life at various ceremonies and events including New Year’s Levees. In promoting the central role of the Canadian Crown, they are key participants in significant ceremonies such as Canada Day, Victoria Day and Remembrance Day.
Even though many duties have been delegated to her Canadian representatives, The Queen herself has a very personal involvement with Canada and Canadian in every region of the country. This involvement is based on a deeply held affection for and loyalty to a country that she first toured as Princess Elizabeth in 1951 and to which she has returned over twenty times since.
One form of involvement is support for the work of Canadian charities and public organisations. The Queen's patronages include the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Nurses' Association, the Canadian Red Cross Society, the Royal Canadian Humane Association, and Save the Children - Canada.
The Queen retains a special relationship with The Canadian Armed Forces, acting as Colonel-in-Chief of various regiments: the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery; the King's Own Calgary Regiment; Le Royal 22e Régiment; the Governor-General's Foot Guards; the Governor-General's Horse Guards; The Canadian Grenadier Guards; Le Régiment de la Chaudière; the Calgary Highlanders; The Royal New Brunswick Regiment; 48thHighlanders of Canada; The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada; Canadian Forces Military Engineers Branch; the Air Reserve and the Canadian Armed Forces Legal Services Branch .
While resident in the United Kingdom, The Queen honours Canadian achievement (read The Queen's message to Colonel Hadfield) and shares words of comfort at moments of disaster through messages to the country (read The Queen's message following the train crash at Lac-Mégantic).
Canada is the country most visited by The Queen over her reign of over sixty years. She has often stated that it was her 'second home', feeling totally at ease in Canada, meeting as many Canadians as possible from all walks of life and backgrounds in the communities where they live.
The Queen of Canada's Royal style and title is Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom, Canada and Her other Realms and Territories, Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.
View a gallery of images of The Queen of Canada.
As in all her realms, The Queen of Canada is a constitutional monarch, acting entirely on the advice of Canadian Government ministers. She is fully briefed by means of regular communications from her ministers, and has face-to-face audiences with them where possible.
The Queen personifies the state and is the personal symbol of allegiance, unity and authority for all Canadians. Legislators, ministers, public services and members of the military and police all swear allegiance to The Queen. It is for this reason that all new Canadian citizens swear allegiance to The Queen of Canada. Elections are called and laws are promulgated in The Queen's name.
The Queen is represented in Canada on a day-to-day basis by a Governor General at the federal level and by a Lieutenant Governor in each of the ten provinces. The Governor General is appointed by The Queen upon the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Canada while the Lieutenant Governors are appointed by the Governor General upon the recommendation of the Prime Minister.
By granting honours, Canada pays tribute to outstanding people. The Governor-General, representing The Queen as the fount of the Canadian honours system, presents a variety of orders, decorations and medals, headed by the Order of Canada. Each province also has a series of honours that are, as well, awarded to deserving citizens in the name of Her Majesty by her representative the Lieutenant Governor.
The Queen and her eleven vice-regal representatives send anniversary messages to individuals celebrating notable birthdays and anniversaries.
The Governor General and Lieutenant Governors also promote identity and unity in their jurisdictions, meeting Canadians from all walks of life at various ceremonies and events including New Year’s Levees. In promoting the central role of the Canadian Crown, they are key participants in significant ceremonies such as Canada Day, Victoria Day and Remembrance Day.
Even though many duties have been delegated to her Canadian representatives, The Queen herself has a very personal involvement with Canada and Canadian in every region of the country. This involvement is based on a deeply held affection for and loyalty to a country that she first toured as Princess Elizabeth in 1951 and to which she has returned over twenty times since.
One form of involvement is support for the work of Canadian charities and public organisations. The Queen's patronages include the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Nurses' Association, the Canadian Red Cross Society, the Royal Canadian Humane Association, and Save the Children - Canada.
The Queen retains a special relationship with The Canadian Armed Forces, acting as Colonel-in-Chief of various regiments: the Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery; the King's Own Calgary Regiment; Le Royal 22e Régiment; the Governor-General's Foot Guards; the Governor-General's Horse Guards; The Canadian Grenadier Guards; Le Régiment de la Chaudière; the Calgary Highlanders; The Royal New Brunswick Regiment; 48thHighlanders of Canada; The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada; Canadian Forces Military Engineers Branch; the Air Reserve and the Canadian Armed Forces Legal Services Branch .
While resident in the United Kingdom, The Queen honours Canadian achievement (read The Queen's message to Colonel Hadfield) and shares words of comfort at moments of disaster through messages to the country (read The Queen's message following the train crash at Lac-Mégantic).
Canada is the country most visited by The Queen over her reign of over sixty years. She has often stated that it was her 'second home', feeling totally at ease in Canada, meeting as many Canadians as possible from all walks of life and backgrounds in the communities where they live.
The Queen of Canada's Royal style and title is Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom, Canada and Her other Realms and Territories, Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.
View a gallery of images of The Queen of Canada.
http://www.royal.gov.uk/MonarchAndCommonwealth/Canada/TheQueensroleinCanada.aspx
--------------------
National War Memorial
The National War Memorial in Ottawa was
originally built to commemorate Canada's sacrifice in the First World
War (1914–18). It now honours all who have served Canada in wartime.
H.M. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth unveiling the National War Memorial, 21 May 1939 (courtesy Library and Archives Canada/C-002179)
The National War Memorial in Ottawa was originally built to commemorate Canada's sacrifice in the First World War (1914–18). It now honours all of Canada's war dead. Sacrifices made in the journey from war to peace are symbolized by a series of bronze figures emerging through a great arch. Overhead, two figures symbolize peace and freedom.
The 1925 competition to create the monument was open to architects, sculptors and artists living in the British Empire or allied nations, and to those who were British subjects by birth. The budget was advertised as $100,000. According to the competition regulations, the monument was to be "expressive of the feelings of the Canadian people as a whole, to the memory of those who participated in the Great War and lost their lives in the service of humanity."
From the 127 replies (66 from Canadians), the committee chose the entry of Vernon March, a British sculptor. He had completed other noted sculptures, including the Samuel de Champlain monument in Orillia, Ontario.
March's winning design —“the Great Response of Canada” — comprised the bronze figures now seen emerging through an archway. March died in 1930 with the work unfinished, but his siblings completed the project. Canadian officials inspected the work and made several changes to the figures to reflect authentic Canadian uniforms and equipment.
The finished figures, cast in England, went on public display in London's Hyde Park for six months in 1933. The contract to build the granite archway was only granted in 1937, following years of bickering in Ottawa over its location.
The impressive structure includes 22 bronze figures marching through the archway. Leading the way (in a hierarchy approved at the time) are infantrymen, a mounted cavalryman, a mounted artilleryman, followed by an aviator, a sailor, a sapper, a forester, a stretcher-bearer and nurses, among others.
In 1982, the Memorial was rededicated to honour, along with veterans of the First World War, those who served in the Second World War (1939–45) and the Korean War (1950–53). On Remembrance Day, 11 November 2014, the monument was rededicated to honour all who had served Canada in wartime. The federal government announced that the dates of the South African War (1899-1902) and the military mission to Afghanistan (2001-2014) would be added to the memorial, along with a new inscription: "In Service to Canada."
The Tomb was the scene of a violent attack on 22 October 2014, when a lone gunman, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, shot and killed army reservist Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, who was standing on ceremonial guard at the Tomb. After shooting Cirillo, Zehaf-Bibeau went on a brief shooting spree inside the Centre Block of nearby Parliament Hill, where was shot dead by security officers. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/national-war-memorial/
There are only six songs in the McMaster collection that take the relationship between Canada and Britain as their principal theme,2 but many others make reference to it less centrally. It is worthy of note that all of these pieces were published in Canada, not a single one in Britain, which suggests that the appeal to Canada to aid Britain in her time of trial came not from British composers but from Canadian ones. This interesting trend demonstrates the British attitude towards her colonies at the time of the war. Britain took for granted that Canada would support the war to the full extent of her abilities, and therefore, British composers saw no need to compose the songs that would convince her to do so. The call of the motherland was thought to be sufficient, without need of song to back it up. Recognizing that the imperial ties between Canada and Britain were a powerful motivating force, Canadian composers who drew on this relationship in order to convince their fellow Canadians to do their patriotic and colonial duty. It was one more tool that composers could use as they sought to compel men to enlist voluntarily.
Throughout the course of World War I, Canada became gradually less biddable, less tractable and less willing to follow the orders of British military leaders. Initially, Britain saw Canada as merely another colony to be manipulated for the benefit of the Empire, but grudgingly, this attitude changed. Canada's gradual journey to independence is reflected in the songs preserved in the McMaster collection. Of all the references to the Canada/Britain relationship, most are found in the songs of 1914 and 1915, and no explicit ones arise after 1916. While Canada's decision to commit to fighting Germany was based on many factors, certainly the initial decision was primarily based on the obligation to help Britain. However, as the war went on, Canadian troops suffered just as much as the rest of the Allies, and this gave Canada her own reasons to fight the war independent of the ones Britain was providing. This more personal motivation to fight had much more impact than the call of England. Increasingly as the war wore on, Canadians were not fighting because Britain told them to, they were fighting because Canadians were dying in Flanders and the need to punish somebody for the terrible Canadian losses was very strong. By 1917, Canada's former deference to Britain was all but forgotten in the musical record. Canada had proven to the world that she was a strong, independent nation, and no longer wanted to be subordinate to an old colonial power that was fast losing its importance on the international stage.
rench Canadians wanted nothing to do with a war they did not feel it was their duty to support. In the aftermath of the earlier Boer War, Henri Bourassa stated that French Canada had done its duty to the Empire and urged that Canada separate from Britain so that she would not be dragged into wars that did not concern her.11 Surprisingly, Bourassa initially did offered limited support to the British cause when World War I broke out, urging Canada to build up her national naval defenses and form French Canadian battalions.12 However, as the Quebecois watched the insensitive and derogatory treatment of French Canadian troops13 and the war dragged on with no end in sight, Bourassa soon opposed the war, just as he had the Boer War. He feared the consequences of Canada's commitment to help Britain win the war at all costs and most of all the threat of conscription.14 Thus for the remainder of the war, Bourassa continued to voice the opinions of many Quebecois that this was not their war and they had no desired to be drawn into it. While the French Canadians no longer felt any obligation to France, feeling as though they had been abandoned to British rule, they certainly felt no obligation to Britain either. In fact, due to recent developments in Canadian politics, like the introduction of Regulation 17, which limited French language teaching in schools, many agreed with Bourassa that the war was merely serving British imperialist aims, and wanted no part of it.15 Therefore songs that drew on the Canada/Britain relationship were intended for those who already felt a connection and an obligation to the Empire, predominantly those with British ancestry. None of the songs in the McMaster collection are written in French and were certainly not intended for francophone Quebec. The only song that directly appeals to Quebec (Freedom is Our Battle Cry, WWI 15) targets an English speaking audience in the Eastern Townships.
imagery is underscored by the frequent presence of the image of the Union Jack on the cover of these pieces. Hats Off to the Flag and the King (WWI 22) centrally displays the flag fluttering patriotically, while The Best Old Flag on Earth (WWI 1-2) uses the Union Jack as the cover of the piece, with the words of the title superimposed at the top. While the Union Jack was not the flag of Canada, it was still an image that tied Canada to Britain as a smaller Union Jack was present in the upper corner of Canada's flag, reminding Canada of her Imperial connections. To a lesser extent, many of these songs also employ the symbolic value of the office of king to highlight Canada's obligation to Britain. In a way that the Prime Minister could not represent all Canadians because of the inherent contest in party politics, the King was a symbol of the unity of the Empire and thus an inspiring symbol to all. Therefore, songs like Will the King be Proud of Canada? (WWI 59) vow that "We'll win the battle for Britain's King", accenting the words "win the battle" for extra emphasis. Others (e.g. WWI 20-21, 44) include the lyrics of God Save the King carefully incorporating the tune of this anthem into the tune of the song. Only once in this group of songs (England's Daughter, WWI 13) is the reverse symbolism used, offering up the German Kaiser as a symbol that unifies Canada and Britain in their common hatred from this enemy. Although not common in the songs that take the relationship between Canada and Britain and their central theme, the Kaiser appears equally effectively as a symbol in other parts of this collection. Finally, the presence of symbols of Canada must also be noted. The composers do not allow these symbols to detract from the connection between Canada and Britain by portraying them in contrast to the symbols that unite these two nations. Instead, when Canadian symbols, particularly the maple leaf, are mentioned, it is always in conjunction with some symbol of the British Empire (see, for example, Hats Off to the Flag and the King WWI 22: "Whil'st the Maple Leaf is our Emblem dear Hats off to the Flag and the King"). The ties between Canada and Britain are thus strongly affirmed.
Even though Canada's role in the First World War earned her the admiration of many and a greater degree of national independence, this country was still strongly linked to Britain even after the war. Despite the fact that Canada won the right to sign the Treaty of Versailles as a nation separate from England, the sense of a familial connection between Canada and England remained. During the war, aspects of the British identity like the Union Jack and the anthem God Save the King were integral to the definition of what it meant to be Canadian (see Take Me Back to Canada, WWI 44). Even after the war these things would remain part of the Canadian identity, never truly separable from Canada's colonial origins. In the McMaster song collection, the continuing interdependence and familial connection between England and Canada shows up as late as 1928, a decade after the end of the war and more than a decade before another war would compel England to call on Canada again. The song is O Canada My Home (WWI-WWII 3) and just like the songs of the WWI collection, it refers to Canada as the "Child of Britain". Clearly the family ties between Canada and Britain were not to be severed easily.
-2), privileging the civilian point of view over the military one. As in the recruiting songs, some of these pieces also endeavour to include women, a significant portion of the audience for this type of music. God Bless Our Empire (WWI 16) says that it is both 'sons and daughters" who are helping England to see this war through and not only praises the "lads across the sea" in the chorus, but also the women at home, "the Empire's pride and joy". Other songs emphasize the idea that the war effort is not merely an effort on the part of the soldiers, but rather includes the whole country. When the soldiers leave for the front they are not just bringing their skill at arms, they also bring "the pray'rs of our people"; moreover it isn't just the soldiers who are moved by the call: "All Canada is stirring in a vast a mighty host" (The Call of the Motherland, WWI 9). Lastly, these songs appeal to those on the home front by identifying an unexpected goal of the fight to which Britain was calling Canada. Some songs portray the aim of the war not as the preservation of the empire, but rather the return of the soldiers. "We will go to the front," announces Will the King Be Proud of Canada? (WWI 59), "but we'll come back". Whether or not this was realistic, it certainly appeals to those at home, anxiously awaiting the return of loved ones from France. This also reminds those on the home front of their importance to the war, not to the physical war in France, but to the struggle to maintain the home front so that the soldiers would have something to fight for. It is a clever ploy on the part of these songs, an attempt to get not only the potential soldiers on side, but the rest of Canada as well. It directs the call of Britain to all Canadians and thus increases the chance that these songs might serve their intended purpose of calling more Canadian soldiers to the British banner.
2. WWI 1-2 ? The Best Old Flag on Earth (1914)
WWI 9 - The Call of the Motherland (1914)
WWI 13 ? England's Daughter (1914)
WWI 16 - God Bless Our Empire (1916)
WWI 22 ? Hats Off to the Flag and the King (1916)
WWI 59 ? Will the King be Proud of Canada? (1915)
3. Kathryn Bindon. More Than Patriotism. (Toronto: Personal Library Publishers, 1979), 16.
4. Serge Durflinger. French Canada and Recruitment During the First World War.
http://search.civilization.ca/dwesearch.asp?showDoc=96227&page=1&resultsetToken=IKT000012562.1149356611&Lang=en&docType=
5. Bindon, 27.
6. Bindon, 104.
7. Bindon, 88, 114.
8. L. G. Desjardins. Canada, England and the Great War. (Quebec: Chronicle Print, 1918).
9. Desjardins, 11.
10. Desjardins, 51.
11. Henri Bourassa. The French Canadian in the British Empire. (London: John Murray, 1902), 26, 30-31.
12. Casey Murrow. Henri Bourassa and French Canadian Nationalism. (Montreal: Harvest House, 1968), 87-88.
13. Bindon, 29.
14. Murrow, 85.
15. Murrow, 91 and Durflinger
http://search.civilization.ca/dwesearch.asp?showDoc=96227&page=1&resultsetToken=IKT000012562.1149356611&Lang=en&docType=
16. Arthur Conan Doyle. To Arms! (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1914), 32.
Contact: adriana.brook@sympatico.ca
Royal Tour, 1939
H.M. King George VI and Queen Elizabeth unveiling the National War Memorial, 21 May 1939 (courtesy Library and Archives Canada/C-002179)
The National War Memorial in Ottawa was originally built to commemorate Canada's sacrifice in the First World War (1914–18). It now honours all of Canada's war dead. Sacrifices made in the journey from war to peace are symbolized by a series of bronze figures emerging through a great arch. Overhead, two figures symbolize peace and freedom.
'Sacrifices and Heroism'
A national memorial in Ottawa was proposed by the government of Prime Minister Mackenzie King in 1923. The opposition supported of the idea but criticized the cost. In response to his opponents in the House of Commons, King said, “When a nation loses what is signified by its art it loses its own spirit, and when it loses the remembrance of the sacrifices and heroism by which it has gained the liberty it enjoys, it loses all the vision that makes a people great.”The 1925 competition to create the monument was open to architects, sculptors and artists living in the British Empire or allied nations, and to those who were British subjects by birth. The budget was advertised as $100,000. According to the competition regulations, the monument was to be "expressive of the feelings of the Canadian people as a whole, to the memory of those who participated in the Great War and lost their lives in the service of humanity."
From the 127 replies (66 from Canadians), the committee chose the entry of Vernon March, a British sculptor. He had completed other noted sculptures, including the Samuel de Champlain monument in Orillia, Ontario.
March's winning design —“the Great Response of Canada” — comprised the bronze figures now seen emerging through an archway. March died in 1930 with the work unfinished, but his siblings completed the project. Canadian officials inspected the work and made several changes to the figures to reflect authentic Canadian uniforms and equipment.
The finished figures, cast in England, went on public display in London's Hyde Park for six months in 1933. The contract to build the granite archway was only granted in 1937, following years of bickering in Ottawa over its location.
Unveiling
Confederation Square, at the intersection of Elgin and Wellington streets — Mackenzie King's preferred location — was finally chosen as the memorial site. A Toronto contractor was hired to beautify the area with stone walkways and terraces. On 21 May 1939, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth dedicated the memorial in a public ceremony during the first visit by a ruling Canadian monarch to Canada.The impressive structure includes 22 bronze figures marching through the archway. Leading the way (in a hierarchy approved at the time) are infantrymen, a mounted cavalryman, a mounted artilleryman, followed by an aviator, a sailor, a sapper, a forester, a stretcher-bearer and nurses, among others.
In 1982, the Memorial was rededicated to honour, along with veterans of the First World War, those who served in the Second World War (1939–45) and the Korean War (1950–53). On Remembrance Day, 11 November 2014, the monument was rededicated to honour all who had served Canada in wartime. The federal government announced that the dates of the South African War (1899-1902) and the military mission to Afghanistan (2001-2014) would be added to the memorial, along with a new inscription: "In Service to Canada."
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
In May 2000, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was added to the memorial. The remains of this unidentified Canadian First World War soldier were exhumed from Cabaret-Rouge war cemetery in France, close to Vimy Ridge, and flown to Canada where they lay in state on Parliament Hill before being interred in the newly constructed tomb at the base of the National War Memorial. The tomb has since become a touching focus of the annual 11 November Remembrance Day ceremonies.The Tomb was the scene of a violent attack on 22 October 2014, when a lone gunman, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, shot and killed army reservist Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, who was standing on ceremonial guard at the Tomb. After shooting Cirillo, Zehaf-Bibeau went on a brief shooting spree inside the Centre Block of nearby Parliament Hill, where was shot dead by security officers. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/national-war-memorial/
The Canada/Britain Relationship
War Songs from the first half of 20th century
Table of Contents
Canada - A British Colony
The legacy of British colonialism in Canada has been felt again and again throughout Canadian history and has been central in Canada's development as a nation. The record of Canadian involvement in the First World War is no exception. When Britain declared war on Germany on August 4, 1914, it was assumed tacitly that Canada would also join the war as Britain's ally and subordinate. For the most part, Canadians accepted this and took up Britain's cause as their own. Most Canadians felt a strong connection to the British Empire because of the pro-British bias of school curricula, the "Anglophilia" that suffused popular culture and the large number of recent immigrants from Britain living in Canada.1 The strong imperial bond between these two countries was an important factor in Canada's decision to participate wholeheartedly in World War I, and influenced many in their decision to join the army. The story of the relationship between Canada and Britain is therefore closely related the story of recruitment. By drawing on the historical ties between motherland and colony, these songs called on Canada to send soldiers to the front. This section explores how the Canada-Britain relationship was portrayed in popular song and how this relationship was used as leverage to push Canadians to fight overseas.There are only six songs in the McMaster collection that take the relationship between Canada and Britain as their principal theme,2 but many others make reference to it less centrally. It is worthy of note that all of these pieces were published in Canada, not a single one in Britain, which suggests that the appeal to Canada to aid Britain in her time of trial came not from British composers but from Canadian ones. This interesting trend demonstrates the British attitude towards her colonies at the time of the war. Britain took for granted that Canada would support the war to the full extent of her abilities, and therefore, British composers saw no need to compose the songs that would convince her to do so. The call of the motherland was thought to be sufficient, without need of song to back it up. Recognizing that the imperial ties between Canada and Britain were a powerful motivating force, Canadian composers who drew on this relationship in order to convince their fellow Canadians to do their patriotic and colonial duty. It was one more tool that composers could use as they sought to compel men to enlist voluntarily.
Canada's Progress toward Independence and Nationhood
The relationship between Canada and Britain, particularly in military matters, evolved over many years. As early as 1900, Canada sought to control its own military destiny with Sir Wilfrid Laurier calling for Canada to make a decision independent of Britain on whether or not to involved herself in the Boer War.3 Canada did not gain this independence during the Boer War, nor did Canada make its own choice on whether or not to fight in the First World War. It was not until 1940, when Canada declared war on Germany in during World War II, that this country finally asserted its military independence from Britain. Although it took many years to reach this final separation, throughout World War I Canada nonetheless progressed towards increased national autonomy. From the start, the government assured Canadians that while Canada had no choice in the matter of whether or not to fight in the war, Ottawa did have the autonomy to choose and would choose the extent and nature of her involvement.4 When Canadian troops arrived in England for training, Lord Kitchener, the British Minister of War, informed Sam Hughes, the Canadian military commander, that the Canadians would be split up to serve as reinforcements for existing English battalions. Hughes deliberately ignored this order, keeping the Canadian soldiers together, and establishing from the beginning that Canadians were an independent fighting force, not merely an extension of the British army.5 As the war continued, Canadian troops proved again and again their military excellence independent of Britain and won the respect of the other Allied nations. This culminated in Canada's brilliant performance in the battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917. This was not the first victory of the war in which Canada had been instrumental, far from it; however, it was the first totally Canadian victory and did much to raise Canada in the esteem of its allies.6 Gradually, Canada began to assert its independence from Britain more formally, creating its own Imperial War Cabinet in 1917 and in the same year, watching with pride as, for the first time, a Canadian officer, Arthur Currie, commanded Canadian troops in battle.7 By the end of the war, Canada was no longer seen as merely the colony of Britain and this change of attitude on the international level was demonstrated when Canada was able to sign the Treaty of Versailles and join the League of Nations as an independent country.Throughout the course of World War I, Canada became gradually less biddable, less tractable and less willing to follow the orders of British military leaders. Initially, Britain saw Canada as merely another colony to be manipulated for the benefit of the Empire, but grudgingly, this attitude changed. Canada's gradual journey to independence is reflected in the songs preserved in the McMaster collection. Of all the references to the Canada/Britain relationship, most are found in the songs of 1914 and 1915, and no explicit ones arise after 1916. While Canada's decision to commit to fighting Germany was based on many factors, certainly the initial decision was primarily based on the obligation to help Britain. However, as the war went on, Canadian troops suffered just as much as the rest of the Allies, and this gave Canada her own reasons to fight the war independent of the ones Britain was providing. This more personal motivation to fight had much more impact than the call of England. Increasingly as the war wore on, Canadians were not fighting because Britain told them to, they were fighting because Canadians were dying in Flanders and the need to punish somebody for the terrible Canadian losses was very strong. By 1917, Canada's former deference to Britain was all but forgotten in the musical record. Canada had proven to the world that she was a strong, independent nation, and no longer wanted to be subordinate to an old colonial power that was fast losing its importance on the international stage.
French Canadian Opposition
Before investigating the ways in which the Canada-Britain relationship was exploited to encourage men to fight, it must be recognized that this tactic was not successful with one very important group within Canada, namely the French Canadians. There was a minority that supported Canadian involvement in Britain's war. For example, there was L. G. Desjardins, a former army man, member of the Quebec legislative assembly and of the House of Commons.8 In his book entitled England, Canada and the Great War published just before the end of the war in 1918, he makes a case for England's involvement in the war, praising her for keeping the German threat at bay and asserting very strongly that Canada is duty bound to help England in this endeavour.9 In his opinion, "As long as [Canada] form[s] part of the British Empire, it is evident that we owe to England that loyalty which every colony owes to her mother-country".10 However, most French Canadians wanted nothing to do with a war they did not feel it was their duty to support. In the aftermath of the earlier Boer War, Henri Bourassa stated that French Canada had done its duty to the Empire and urged that Canada separate from Britain so that she would not be dragged into wars that did not concern her.11 Surprisingly, Bourassa initially did offered limited support to the British cause when World War I broke out, urging Canada to build up her national naval defenses and form French Canadian battalions.12 However, as the Quebecois watched the insensitive and derogatory treatment of French Canadian troops13 and the war dragged on with no end in sight, Bourassa soon opposed the war, just as he had the Boer War. He feared the consequences of Canada's commitment to help Britain win the war at all costs and most of all the threat of conscription.14 Thus for the remainder of the war, Bourassa continued to voice the opinions of many Quebecois that this was not their war and they had no desired to be drawn into it. While the French Canadians no longer felt any obligation to France, feeling as though they had been abandoned to British rule, they certainly felt no obligation to Britain either. In fact, due to recent developments in Canadian politics, like the introduction of Regulation 17, which limited French language teaching in schools, many agreed with Bourassa that the war was merely serving British imperialist aims, and wanted no part of it.15 Therefore songs that drew on the Canada/Britain relationship were intended for those who already felt a connection and an obligation to the Empire, predominantly those with British ancestry. None of the songs in the McMaster collection are written in French and were certainly not intended for francophone Quebec. The only song that directly appeals to Quebec (Freedom is Our Battle Cry, WWI 15) targets an English speaking audience in the Eastern Townships.Musical Elements
The songs in this collection that deal explicitly with the relationship between Canada and Britain share many musical elements in common with the recruiting songs. The majority direct the pianist to play the song as a march, are written in strong two beat time signatures (2/4 and 4/4) and have upbeat major key signatures. However, there are a few differences that must be noted. In general, these songs create a much more majestic and stately impression than the recruiting songs, better to reflect the grandeur of the Empire calling her sons to arms. For example, there are two songs in this group that are not meant to played as marches. One instructs the musician to play at a slower, more reflective moderato (God Bless Our Empire, WWI 16) and the other suggests that the piece be played maestoso, or majestically (Will the King be Proud of Canada?, WWI 59). It is also worthy of note that, unlike other recruiting songs, in order to better represent Britain none of these pieces is in 6/8 time, as this is an altogether more playful and whimsical time signature because of the triplets underlying the overall duple meter. Other musical elements have been used to increase the effectiveness of these songs. For example, in God Bless Our Empire (WWI 16), there is a great contrast between the rhythm of the verses and the chorus to reflect the different messages being sent in each part of the song. The verses, which call for action on the part of Canadians, use fast-paced eighth notes to convey a sense of urgency. The chorus, which praises England and her Empire, uses broader quarter and half notes, better able to convey this more passive message and reflect the greatness of England. To further convey the call of the Empire, some of these songs make good use of the piano introduction, using loud dynamics and heavy accentuation, as if to say "listen up". This call is made more literal in Will the King be Proud of Canada? (WWI 59), in which the triplet arpeggios of the introduction mimic the sound of a bugle reveille.Canada and Britain's Historical Relationship
One strategy that composers use to draw in Canadian soldiers is to appeal to past precedent and the historical relationship of colony and Empire between Canada and Britain. The songs remind listeners that the First World War is not the first time England has called on Canada. Rather the call comes "as in days of yore" (We're From Canada, WWI 52), and since "Once more old England's calling," (The Call of the Motherland, WWI 9) Canada must do as she has done in the past. These songs call on the idea of duty as well, asserting that as Canada has helped Britain in the past, so she is obliged to do now. One song argues that "Britain's duty is our own" (The Call of the Motherland, WWI 9) and another that "Tis but our duty to do our best" (Will the King be Proud of Canada?, WWI 59). In Hats Off to the Flag and the King (WWI 22), the "I" in BRITON stands for the "Ideals, which have kept us free", and looks back over years of liberty that Canada has enjoyed under Britain's protection. This song in particular emphasizes that these ideals can only be protected through the might of the British army, an army that Canada has always helped in the past and must continue to help if the peace and liberty that Canada has enjoyed under British rule is to be protected. Finally, these songs appeal to a past when many Canadians (or their ancestors) were British and make them feel obliged to help the British cause by making them feel as Britons again. Many songs use the first person plural, "we", "us" and "our", to essentially conflate Canadians with Britons (WWI 49-51, 63, 65). It is as though the songs are saying: you are not a citizen of Canada, historically you are a citizen of the British Empire just as the English are, and therefore, your duty should be clear to you.Fighting for Ideals
Just as many of the recruiting songs did, some of these songs appeal to flexible ideals to which it is very difficult to object. They draw Canada to Britain's cause by allying this cause with the vague ideals of freedom and honour. There is a real sense that Britain is in the war "to save the world" as one song puts it (The Call of the Motherland, WWI 9) and that Canada should join with Britain so as to help fight this good fight. In England's Daughter (WWI 13), Canadians are urged to join Britain so as to fight "For Honor and for Liberty and for Justice". The idea of freedom is particularly prominent in this call to arms. Britain is described as "An Empire where of all things dear, Freedom is loved the best" (God Bless Our Empire, WWI 16) and it is implied that in order to protect this freedom, the only possible course of action is to help Britain. In The Boys Who Fight for Freedom (WWI 3) the chorus proclaims that "the boys who love a land of freedom are the boys who fight in Britain's name" and in Canada, Fall In! (WWI 10) the lyrics declare that "Britain is fighting for freedom, men, and Britain needs us all". Such songs strongly link Britain's cause to the ideals that Canadians would hold dear and suggest both subtly and not so subtly that the only way to uphold these ideals is to join Britain in the fight to preserve them.The Power of Symbols
Like the many of the recruiting songs, the songs that focus on the relationship between Canada and Britain also appeal to symbols. One very powerful symbol is the Union Janck, the British flag, and many songs make use of this flag imagery, drawing on the fact the "old Red, White, and Blue" (The Best Old Flag on Earth, WW 1-2) flies over both Canada and Britain, to underscore the connection that these nations share. "Beneath the grand old Union Jack we mean to fight and die" says England's Daughter (WWI 13) of the combined British and Canadian troops. Similarly, The Call of the Motherland (WWI 9) assures the listener that these combined forces "beneath the British star, Will show the nations how to fight and die", and draws attention to this idea by indicating that the musician should slow at this point in the music (rall.). Hats Off to the Flag and the King (WWI 22) declares that "It's the flag that will protects us" and so "we'll live for it [and] we'll die for it". This is heady stuff, raising the flag as a symbol of supreme sacrifice. The flag is also portrayed as a symbol of victory and determination, as Hats Off to the Flag and the King (WWI 1-2) describes the brave Canadian soldier who will "sick to the last, For he's nailed to his mast, The best old flag of all". All of thisimagery is underscored by the frequent presence of the image of the Union Jack on the cover of these pieces. Hats Off to the Flag and the King (WWI 22) centrally displays the flag fluttering patriotically, while The Best Old Flag on Earth (WWI 1-2) uses the Union Jack as the cover of the piece, with the words of the title superimposed at the top. While the Union Jack was not the flag of Canada, it was still an image that tied Canada to Britain as a smaller Union Jack was present in the upper corner of Canada's flag, reminding Canada of her Imperial connections. To a lesser extent, many of these songs also employ the symbolic value of the office of king to highlight Canada's obligation to Britain. In a way that the Prime Minister could not represent all Canadians because of the inherent contest in party politics, the King was a symbol of the unity of the Empire and thus an inspiring symbol to all. Therefore, songs like Will the King be Proud of Canada? (WWI 59) vow that "We'll win the battle for Britain's King", accenting the words "win the battle" for extra emphasis. Others (e.g. WWI 20-21, 44) include the lyrics of God Save the King carefully incorporating the tune of this anthem into the tune of the song. Only once in this group of songs (England's Daughter, WWI 13) is the reverse symbolism used, offering up the German Kaiser as a symbol that unifies Canada and Britain in their common hatred from this enemy. Although not common in the songs that take the relationship between Canada and Britain and their central theme, the Kaiser appears equally effectively as a symbol in other parts of this collection. Finally, the presence of symbols of Canada must also be noted. The composers do not allow these symbols to detract from the connection between Canada and Britain by portraying them in contrast to the symbols that unite these two nations. Instead, when Canadian symbols, particularly the maple leaf, are mentioned, it is always in conjunction with some symbol of the British Empire (see, for example, Hats Off to the Flag and the King WWI 22: "Whil'st the Maple Leaf is our Emblem dear Hats off to the Flag and the King"). The ties between Canada and Britain are thus strongly affirmed.Recruitment Through Flattery
Another tactic that these songs employ is to praise Canada and her soldiers, stroking the collective Canadian ego in order to flatter her soldiers into joining with Britain. One song calls Canada "the best of all" (Hats Off to the Flag and the King, WWI 22) and goes on to praise the fact that she is "Always ready for the fray". In the most obvious attempt to push Canada to do her duty to the Empire, this song praises the fact that Canada "stands by the Motherland". The Call of the Motherland (WWI 9) describes how Canada "no longer stands and watches from afar?[and] Will show the nations how to fight and die". The urge to help the British cause is clear here, but it is interesting to note the role that this song foresees for the Canadian forces. As a relatively small force, the song does not envisage the Canadians in any official leadership capacity, but instead describes Canada as the brave troops who will lead other nations into the immediate dangers of battle. Coming early in the war, this song is eerily prophetic of the great sacrifices that the Canadians would make, but nonetheless entices Canada's soldiers to win the great glory and reputation that this song describes, glory that Canadians might not necessarily expect as citizens of such a small nation. Canada's prowess in battle continues to be a prominent theme in other songs describing the connection between Canada and Britain. Will the King Be Proud of Canada? (WWI 59) boasts that Canadians "will never learn the word retreat", reinforcing the image of Canada as staunchly loyal to the British in battle. England's Daughter (WWI 13) gives the best example of British praise of Canadians for their fierce loyalty to the Empire, all working to convince Canadians of their obligation to help. This is best conveyed in the third verse of the song:"If you would see a nation that is loyal thought and through, Canadians are the people I would introduce you to; Just say a word against our King or country if you dare You might as well attempt to beard the lion in his lair."
The Imperial Family
In Arthur Conan Doyle's recruiting pamphlet, To Arms!, he sends out an explicit call to England's colonies, saying, "You may well come, you democratic oversea men of our blood, to rally round us now, for all that you cherish, all this is bred in your very bones, is that for which we fight".16 This demonstrates a theme that is strongly present in this group of songs, namely, the idea of a familial bond between Canada and England, compelling Canada, the child, to stand by her loving parent. Most obviously, many songs make this family relationship apparent by referring to England as the Motherland (WWI 9, 22, 59, 63). The idea of England as mother is taken to extremes in She's a Dear Old Lady (WWI 41) in which England is described affectionately (and quite literally) as a determined and slightly bad-tempered old woman who is not to be trifled with and whose colonies "love her every one, for it's her due". In keeping with this relationship, Canada and the other colonies of the Empire are therefore often described as this mother's loyal and devoted children. In The Call of the Motherland (WWI 9), England "bids her sons prepare". God Bless Our Empire (WWI 16) describes the "host of sons and daughters Ever loyal brave and true, Who're fighting, toiling, helping her". Canada is explicitly referred to as England's daughter "fair and beautiful to see" and of whom England is "mighty proud" (England's Daughter, WWI 13). Even more explicitly, in Will the King Be Proud of Canada? (WWI 59) the lyrics describe how "the King has?proudly smiled, Saying, 'Canada is Britain's child'". Even Belgium, not an official member of the imperial family, becomes "a little brother, struck by brutal bully's might" (England's Daughter, WWI 13) to convey the obligation that other countries have to help defend Belgium. An important aspect of this family relationship is the conflation of Canadians with Britons that occurs in these songs, essentially presenting Canadians as British soldiers who happen to live outside of the Motherland. Canadians are urged to give "British cheers" (WWI 1-2, 22), not Canadians cheers, and are described as "British soldiers, Canada made", with a pause indicated on the last word to let this idea really sink in (Will the King Be Proud of Canada?, WWI 59). Since the Canadians are portrayed as British, these songs take this as ample reason to suggest that the British cause should be the Canadian cause. "Let all the world know," declares The Best Old Flag on Earth (WWI 1-2), "That Britain's foe Is Canada's foe too". England's Daughter (WWI 13) also implies that Canada is bound to uphold England's vows, urging Canadians to fight because "when Britain makes a bargain, you can take her 'note' on par". In these songs, the aims and destinies of Canada and Britain become intertwined because these countries are family, and it seems unnatural to think that Canada would choose to do anything but follow her mother into battle.Even though Canada's role in the First World War earned her the admiration of many and a greater degree of national independence, this country was still strongly linked to Britain even after the war. Despite the fact that Canada won the right to sign the Treaty of Versailles as a nation separate from England, the sense of a familial connection between Canada and England remained. During the war, aspects of the British identity like the Union Jack and the anthem God Save the King were integral to the definition of what it meant to be Canadian (see Take Me Back to Canada, WWI 44). Even after the war these things would remain part of the Canadian identity, never truly separable from Canada's colonial origins. In the McMaster song collection, the continuing interdependence and familial connection between England and Canada shows up as late as 1928, a decade after the end of the war and more than a decade before another war would compel England to call on Canada again. The song is O Canada My Home (WWI-WWII 3) and just like the songs of the WWI collection, it refers to Canada as the "Child of Britain". Clearly the family ties between Canada and Britain were not to be severed easily.
The Home Front
Finally, these songs must be situated in the proper context of the home front, where they would have been purchased and performed. These songs are made more significant for those left behind in Canada by describing the war from their perspective. For example, the composers make sure to describe the action as taking place "across the sea" (The Best Old Flag on Earth, WWI 1-2), privileging the civilian point of view over the military one. As in the recruiting songs, some of these pieces also endeavour to include women, a significant portion of the audience for this type of music. God Bless Our Empire (WWI 16) says that it is both 'sons and daughters" who are helping England to see this war through and not only praises the "lads across the sea" in the chorus, but also the women at home, "the Empire's pride and joy". Other songs emphasize the idea that the war effort is not merely an effort on the part of the soldiers, but rather includes the whole country. When the soldiers leave for the front they are not just bringing their skill at arms, they also bring "the pray'rs of our people"; moreover it isn't just the soldiers who are moved by the call: "All Canada is stirring in a vast a mighty host" (The Call of the Motherland, WWI 9). Lastly, these songs appeal to those on the home front by identifying an unexpected goal of the fight to which Britain was calling Canada. Some songs portray the aim of the war not as the preservation of the empire, but rather the return of the soldiers. "We will go to the front," announces Will the King Be Proud of Canada? (WWI 59), "but we'll come back". Whether or not this was realistic, it certainly appeals to those at home, anxiously awaiting the return of loved ones from France. This also reminds those on the home front of their importance to the war, not to the physical war in France, but to the struggle to maintain the home front so that the soldiers would have something to fight for. It is a clever ploy on the part of these songs, an attempt to get not only the potential soldiers on side, but the rest of Canada as well. It directs the call of Britain to all Canadians and thus increases the chance that these songs might serve their intended purpose of calling more Canadian soldiers to the British banner.Notes
1. Daphne Read. Ed. The Great War and Canadian Society: An Oral History. (Toronto: New Hogtown Press, 1978), 89.2. WWI 1-2 ? The Best Old Flag on Earth (1914)
WWI 9 - The Call of the Motherland (1914)
WWI 13 ? England's Daughter (1914)
WWI 16 - God Bless Our Empire (1916)
WWI 22 ? Hats Off to the Flag and the King (1916)
WWI 59 ? Will the King be Proud of Canada? (1915)
3. Kathryn Bindon. More Than Patriotism. (Toronto: Personal Library Publishers, 1979), 16.
4. Serge Durflinger. French Canada and Recruitment During the First World War.
http://search.civilization.ca/dwesearch.asp?showDoc=96227&page=1&resultsetToken=IKT000012562.1149356611&Lang=en&docType=
5. Bindon, 27.
6. Bindon, 104.
7. Bindon, 88, 114.
8. L. G. Desjardins. Canada, England and the Great War. (Quebec: Chronicle Print, 1918).
9. Desjardins, 11.
10. Desjardins, 51.
11. Henri Bourassa. The French Canadian in the British Empire. (London: John Murray, 1902), 26, 30-31.
12. Casey Murrow. Henri Bourassa and French Canadian Nationalism. (Montreal: Harvest House, 1968), 87-88.
13. Bindon, 29.
14. Murrow, 85.
15. Murrow, 91 and Durflinger
http://search.civilization.ca/dwesearch.asp?showDoc=96227&page=1&resultsetToken=IKT000012562.1149356611&Lang=en&docType=
16. Arthur Conan Doyle. To Arms! (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1914), 32.
Contact: adriana.brook@sympatico.ca
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Students from the Historica-Dominion Encounters with Canada program place poppies of remembrance on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, National War Memorial, Ottawa (courtesy Historica-Dominion Institute).
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Following Remembrance Day ceremonies in Ottawa, 2006, a woman places a poppy on a makeshift memorial on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to recognize Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan (courtesy Canadian Press Images).
War Memorial Archway
In Confederation Square, Ottawa, across the street from the Chateau Laurier. The dates for the Korean War and the Second World War were added. The tomb of the Unknown Soldier is in the right foreground (photo by James Marsh).'Sacrifices and Heroism'
A national memorial in Ottawa was proposed by the government of Prime Minister Mackenzie King in 1923. The opposition supported of the idea but criticized the cost. In response to his opponents in the House of Commons, King said, “When a nation loses what is signified by its art it loses its own spirit, and when it loses the remembrance of the sacrifices and heroism by which it has gained the liberty it enjoys, it loses all the vision that makes a people great.”The 1925 competition to create the monument was open to architects, sculptors and artists living in the British Empire or allied nations, and to those who were British subjects by birth. The budget was advertised as $100,000. According to the competition regulations, the monument was to be "expressive of the feelings of the Canadian people as a whole, to the memory of those who participated in the Great War and lost their lives in the service of humanity."
From the 127 replies (66 from Canadians), the committee chose the entry of Vernon March, a British sculptor. He had completed other noted sculptures, including the Samuel de Champlain monument in Orillia, Ontario.
March's winning design —“the Great Response of Canada” — comprised the bronze figures now seen emerging through an archway. March died in 1930 with the work unfinished, but his siblings completed the project. Canadian officials inspected the work and made several changes to the figures to reflect authentic Canadian uniforms and equipment.
The finished figures, cast in England, went on public display in London's Hyde Park for six months in 1933. The contract to build the granite archway was only granted in 1937, following years of bickering in Ottawa over its location.
Unveiling
Confederation Square, at the intersection of Elgin and Wellington streets — Mackenzie King's preferred location — was finally chosen as the memorial site. A Toronto contractor was hired to beautify the area with stone walkways and terraces. On 21 May 1939, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth dedicated the memorial in a public ceremony during the first visit by a ruling Canadian monarch to Canada.The impressive structure includes 22 bronze figures marching through the archway. Leading the way (in a hierarchy approved at the time) are infantrymen, a mounted cavalryman, a mounted artilleryman, followed by an aviator, a sailor, a sapper, a forester, a stretcher-bearer and nurses, among others.
In 1982, the Memorial was rededicated to honour, along with veterans of the First World War, those who served in the Second World War (1939–45) and the Korean War (1950–53). On Remembrance Day, 11 November 2014, the monument was rededicated to honour all who had served Canada in wartime. The federal government announced that the dates of the South African War (1899-1902) and the military mission to Afghanistan (2001-2014) would be added to the memorial, along with a new inscription: "In Service to Canada."
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
In May 2000, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was added to the memorial. The remains of this unidentified Canadian First World War soldier were exhumed from Cabaret-Rouge war cemetery in France, close to Vimy Ridge, and flown to Canada where they lay in state on Parliament Hill before being interred in the newly constructed tomb at the base of the National War Memorial. The tomb has since become a touching focus of the annual 11 November Remembrance Day ceremonies.The Tomb was the scene of a violent attack on 22 October 2014, when a lone gunman, Michael Zehaf-Bibeau, shot and killed army reservist Cpl. Nathan Cirillo, who was standing on ceremonial guard at the Tomb. After shooting Cirillo, Zehaf-Bibeau went on a brief shooting spree inside the Centre Block of nearby Parliament Hill, where was shot dead by security officers.
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/national-war-memorial/
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