World War I began with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife on June 28th 1914 by a Bosnian Serb, an eighteen year old student, Gavrilo Princip. As stated in First World War, “For Princip, this meant ending Austria-Hungary’s rule over Bosnia-Hercegovina through any means possible”. World War I ended four years later after fourteen million more deaths, out of which, 60,000 were Canadians from a country of less than 7,000, 000 people.
One month after the incident. on the 28th of July, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. For Germany, the murder of the Archduke provided the perfect occasion to provoke war. Germany pressed Austria to attack Serbia – who was Russia’s ally. Germany, clearly wanting war, insisted on full Austro-Hungary mobilization against Russia. The German ambassador requested the end of Russian mobilization, and on August 1st, war was declared on Russia when the request was refused. The same thing happened with France. When French refused to declare neutrality as demanded by Germany, war was declared on August 3rd.
Germany couldn’t attack France directly (the fortifications on the short Franco-German border were far too strong) and could only invade it through Belgium. The attack on Belgium caused the British entry into the war.
At first, Britain demanded German troops that had invaded Belgium to respond to The Treaty of 1839 which guaranteed Belgium’s neutrality. Britain was at war when her demand went unanswered. And when Britain went to war, Canada rose to stand behind her Mother Country.
Canada at War
Although Canada’s troops were not prepared to face any form of war, Canadians from all over the country signed up to fight the battle. Newfoundland, which was not yet part of Canada, sent her troops to the battle as well to assist Britain.
Following a short training at Camp Valcartier, Quebec, The First Contingent (31,000 men boarded thirty ships out of Quebec) were sent to England. Upon reaching England, the soldiers went through intense training at Salisbury Plain. Here they endured unimaginable hardship while training under drastic winter conditions and bad weather. Due to the harsh weather conditions, the soldiers suffered from flu and spinal meningitis, a predicament which delayed the second Contingent from Canada until spring 1915.
The Battles
Canadian soldiers fought in many battles during the war, beginning in February 1915 when the first Canadian Division reached France where they went through a short training period before being transferred to the Ypres Salient in Belgium in April 1915. Here, still ill-prepared and lacking first-hand trench experience, Canadians faced a new ammunition – chlorine gas released by the Germans from cylinders dug into the forward edge of their trenches. It was this battle that gave Canadians a reputation as a formidable fighting force.
In May 1915, Canadians were thrust in the fighting at Festubert and in June 1915, in Givenchy. Although some of their objectives were achieved in these battles, the casualties were high. In 1916, the Battle of the Somme took place. At the end of this battle, Canadians left a mark as ‘storm troops’. The Germans knew they were in for a battle when they found they were facing the Canadians Corps. But it was the victory at Vimy Ridge that was celebrated as a national coming of age. The battle that began on Easter Monday, April 1917, had all four divisions under Canadian Corps marching together for the first time. Despite the snow, wind and sleet, Canadians advanced on the Ridge and by mid-afternoon, Canadians were in command of the whole crest of the Ridge. Although, it was a battle that cost many lives, (10,602 total Canadian casualties), it was also one that marked the success of four divisions of the Canadian Corps.
End of an Era
The First World War is an integral part of Canada and Canadians, it’s made Canada what she is today. The death of John ‘Jack’ Babcock – a Canadian soldier in World War I - marked the end of an era in Canada’s military history.
Babcock passed away on February 18, 2010 at the age of 109. He was Canada’s last known veteran of the First World War.
Although the death of Babcock ascertained the end of an era, it doesn’t in any way bury the history of battles he and other Canadian soldiers fought for the country. The First Word War marked the history of twentieth century Canada and the legacy of it still exists, be it in poetry, prose or memoirs and it will remain for centuries to come.
Sources:
World War One: Short History, Norman Stone, Basic Books, 2007, 5-9, 129, 175
First World War, Hew Strachan, Oxford University Press 1998, 9
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