5. Canada Goes to War

Library & Archives Canada No. 3194609 & On This Spot Enterprises

1939

The National War Memorial stood alone in Confederation Square until May 2000 when it was joined by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The remains of this unidentified Canadian soldier were exhumed from the Cabaret-Rouge War Cemetery in France and interred instead in this tomb on Canadian soil. As his identity is a mystery, the Unknown Soldier could be any of the men lost and therefore represents every soldier who lost his life in the Great War. The awe-inspiring size of the memorial is a reminder to every visitor of the staggering loss of life resulting not only from the first World War, but in every subsequent conflict Canada took part in. World War I in particular is remembered for its horrors, memories of squatting in a muddy trench while shells rained down and exploded nearby, or watching as a poisonous green gas crept across a battlefield. The National War Memorial stands to remind us not of only of those whose lives were taken by war, but the experiences of those who lived.xx2 On the fateful day of August 4, 1914 Britain declared war against Germany. As a Dominion in the British Empire, Canada was automatically at war as well, although not necessarily obligated to fight it. However, public opinion was largely willing if not hugely enthusiastic about supporting Britain in a European war and with a surge of imperial pride, Canada geared up for war. The Great War spanning a total of fifty-one months, would claim the lives of 66,651 of the 600,000 men and women serving in Canada's armed forces.xx3 Before The Great War, the majority of Canadians were English-speaking and of British descent. As such, many Canadians had a strong loyalty to Britain and considered themselves to be equally Canadian and British. In Ottawa, on the evening of August 4, crowds gathered outside of Chateau Laurier and on Sparks Street celebrating an outpouring of patriotic feeling and singing "God Save the King."xx3 Similar crowds could be seen on the streets of Toronto and Vancouver, yet communities dominated by French Canadians remained largely quiet. While many British Canadians celebrated the cause of the war, the majority of French Canadians viewed it as a British war on foreign soil in which Canada had no invested interests. While it was true that many squabbles between the Federal and Provincial governments were suspended and that those in power were united in their contribution to the war effort, The Great War was also hugely divisive. Many French Canadians felt no loyalty to the British Empire or its war, and among the 400,000 German-born immigrants there was little outward display of enthusiasm for a war against their homeland. In fact, one of the largest points of contention during the war was the issue of conscription, which deeply divided the country. Regardless of the differing levels of support across the country, Canadians served with distinction and incredible bravery in the Great War. Of course, the legendary conflict at Vimy Ridge would have the most lasting effect on the Canadian cultural imagination. The victory at the Vimy Ridge is called one the most decisive victories of first World War and in 1967 Brigadier-General Alexander Ross reflected on the impact of that victory, "It was Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific on parade. I thought then, and I think today, that in those few minutes I witnessed the birth of a nation.” While Canada had long been a nation before Vimy Ridge, this moment in Canadian history was the first time Canada had had a moment of national pride on an international stage. World War I, while highly divisive in Canadian politics, also served to heighten Canadian patriotism and began to foster in Canadians a desire to grow away from the British Empire. Those who served, and lost their lives in this and future wars would be commemorated in this memorial and in several others both in Canada and worldwide..