1917

Send Me Away With A Smile

Little girl don't cryI must say goodbyeDon't you hear the bugle call?

And the fife and drum beats allWith the flag wave ov'er us allTho I love you soIt is time to goAnd the soldier in me you'll findWhen on land or seaMany boys like meYou would not have me stay behind?

Even though the war had proved bloody, many were still itching to go finish off the Germans.

In 1917, the war was still a popular thing in English Canada.

This was the case, despite two major tragedies of the previous year:

The Somme Offensive was one of the biggest disasters of WWI. 24 000 Canadians were dead, most within the first half hour of the battle.

Sam Hughes, Borden’s Minister of Militia, was forced to resign.

-Supplied Cdns with faulty shells.

-Supplied Cdns with cardboard boots.

-Supplied Cdns with Ross Rifles that jammed (not Lee Enfields)

W. Bürger

However, the Great War was becoming less popular elsewhere

The loses Russia suffered in the world war were catastrophic. • Between 900,000-2.5 million Russians were killed. • Nearly 5 million Russians wounded. • This is about equal to casualties suffered by France and Austria-Hungary COMBINED, but about one-third less than those suffered by Germany.

Nearly 4,000,000 Russian soldiers were held as POWs (Britain, France and Germany had 1.3 million POWs combined).

MOST OF THE SOLDIERS KILLED IN RUSSIA WERE POOR FARMING PEASANTS.

As they went off to war, the rich would steal their land and make profit.

They overthrew their government and replaced it with a

communist government, creating the Soviet Union.

February – October, 1917

Lenin, the new leader, began negotiations to get Russia out of the war.

MEANWHILEthe battles continued to rage in Europe.

VIMY RIDGE“They said it couldn’t be done, and we did it.”

Why was Vimy different? -Each soldier was given a map.

-The attack was practiced by the troops on a scale model.

-The Canadians fought together for the first time.

-It produced a feeling of Canadian identity.

-Led by Canadian, Arthur Currie, under the direction of General Julian Byng.

CONSCRIPTION CRISIS

Now 76 years old. Leader of the Official Opposition. Former PM.

French-Canadian. Liberal Party.

Now 76 years old. Leader of the Official Opposition. Former PM.

French-Canadian. Liberal Party.

Laurier opposes CONSCRIPTION (aka recruiting soldiers by draft; compulsory enlistment = forcing people to fight).

Forcing People to fight is popular in English Canada.

Unpopular in Quebec.

Now 76 years old. Leader of the Official Opposition. Former PM.

French-Canadian. Liberal Party.

Laurier opposes CONSCRIPTION (aka recruiting soldiers by draft; compulsory enlistment = forcing people to fight).

Forcing People to fight is popular in English Canada.

Unpopular in Quebec.

63 Years Old. Current PM.

English Canadian. Conservative Party.

63 Years Old. Current PM.

English Canadian. Conservative Party.

Borden supports CONSCRIPTION

Forcing People to fight is popular in English Canada.

Unpopular in Quebec.

BORDEN decides to call an election on the issue of CONSCRIPTION.

BORDEN USING PROPAGANDA to make people who vote for Laurier feel unpatriotic.

BORDEN USING PROPAGANDA to make people who vote for Laurier feel unpatriotic.

Borden wins the election.

Crowds march in Montreal.

400 000 men called380 500 apply for medical exemptions130 000 enlisted

See page 41 for results of the election by region.

UNITED STATES JOINS THE WAR

Canadians followed their Vimy Ridge victory with a victory in Passchendaele.

A Cdn was put in charge of the Cdn army.

Gen. Currie did not want to take Passchendaele, but the British made him.

He won, but 15000 Cdns died.

THE HALIFAX EXPLOSION

A French ship carrying 2500 t of dynamite explodes.

Halifax is destroyed.

Nearly 3000 killed.10000 injured.

1918

August:Currrie’s Canadian troops quickly break through the German lines, capturing over 5 000 German prisoners.

CANADA’S HUNDRED DAYS BEGIN

Arthur Currie's

4 Cdn divisions

take out 47German divisions.

NOVEMBER 11, 1918ARMISTACE:

THE WAR IS OVER