T

HE PROJECT

Winni peg's Union Station will soon be host to a digital display commem orati ng the First World Wa r and those Canadians who lost their lives as members of the Canadian Expeditionary For ce.

Aimed at ack n owle dging the 100th anniversary of C anada's involvement in WWI - wh i ch began in 1914 , altho ugh Canad ians did not participate u ntil early in 1915 - the digitally-enhanced memorial will be house d in the VIA Rail Canada rotunda from appr oximately February 2016 until the 100th anniversary of the Armist ice, on No vember 11, 20 18. A dditionally, the conte nt will be made available for br oader public access o n a website later this year.

Councillor Bryan Mayes was t he driving force behind He ritage Winni peg's involv ement in the project, c reating a unique and long -te rm memorial in a high traffic area, as well as in a buil ding that had a pivotal r ole in World War I . To date, the Councillors from the Ci ty o f Winnipeg have donated $30,000 in support of th e project, making up about half of the funds needed to complete the memor ial .

Union Station (123 Main Street) ca. 1915 courtesy of the Manitoba Archives N8378.

Winni peg's Union Station

ne o f the larg est and most prominent structures in the city's built heritage inventory. Bu ilt at the corner of Broadway and Mai n S treet between 1908 and 1911, the station established itsel f as a key transportation hub for goods and immigra nts arri ving in Western Canada at the tu rn of the twentieth ce nt ury.

With the start of the WWI, the railways be came ev en more important, carrying tro ops t o training camps and transport ships, as well as b ringing the m home when the war was over. Canadian railways were also used to facilitate the wartime economy , transporting workers and prod ucts across the coun try.

WWI Trench Fighting Demo in Winnipeg. Image taken by L.B. Foote, courtesy of the Provincial Archives of Manitoba.

W an t t o contribu te ?

o this p roject can be made using the

- j ust specify in the memo line that you would like your donation to go t o the First World W ar Digital Memor i al Project.

Heritage Winni p eg office at 204-942- 2663 o r in fo@herita gewinnipeg.com.

CANADA' S INVOLVEM ENT IN THE FIRST WORLD WAR





Over 600 , 000 men an d women enlisted in t he Canadian Expeditionary F orce ( CEF) during the First Wo r ld War (1914-918) as soldiers, nurses, a nd chaplains . At war's end 64,944 Canadian mili tary pers on nel , alongs ide 2,000 civilians , lost their l ives. A n additional 149,732 were injured in the sixth deadliest conflict in world history.

Canada, as a dominion of the British Empire, had automati cally e ntered the war on August 4, 1914 , when Britain declared war against Germany in support of its Russian and French allies.

The Canadian Expeditionary Force, ho wever, didn't land in Fr ance until early in 1915 , after a massive enlist ment and training movement . The CEF cons isted of barely 3,000 men whe n wa r was declared, so many months of recruitment, training, and arms production wa s required to ready Canada's military for war.

On February 4, 1915, Private Guy Dwyer became the first Canadian combat casualty of the war.

T HE MEMORIAL

A mock up of what the memorial will look like, courtesy of Pattern Interactive.

Developed by Pattern Interactive , t he First World War Digit al Memorial will recognize the major offensi ve battles that Canada's Expeditionary Force participated in, listi ng the name, rank, and unit of each individual that was killed. The na mes will be displayed on the 100th anni versary of t he month in which they lost their lives. The names of th ose individuals who lost thei r lives in smaller engagements will also be included, referencing the locations where they were killed , rat her than the battle .

In addition to commemorating those who ser ved our country and l ost their lives as a result, i t is hoped that th is memori al will be a reminder to the public, children and youth in particular, as to the true cost of warfare. We need to rem ember w hy it is that we mark Rem embrance Day each year and w hy peace isn't something we s hould t ake for granted.

Article by Laura McKay, on behalf Heritage Winnipeg Corp.

To follow up on this or any other articles on the blog, contact Heritage Winnipeg's Executive Director.



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