CANADA AT WAR

World War I

AT SEA• Britain had the strongest

navy in the world, but Germany had built theirs up prior to World War I

• There was only one large scale battle at sea in World War I– Near Jutland, Denmark– No clear victory, but after

all of the damages, Germany decided to focus on submarine activities

• German plan was to use U-boats to cut off supplies to Britain

The Growth of Canada’s Navy

• Some Canadians served in the British navy

• Nearly 10,000 people served in Canada’s own navy that was created in 1910

• In 1914 Canada’s navy consisted of 2 cruisers and 350 personnel

• By 1918, there were 112 vessels and 5000 officers

• There were over 100 anti-submarine ships on coastal patrol

IN THE AIR

• In the beginning of the War, planes were mostly used in scouting missions

• By the end of the war, they became more efficient weapons in combat

• Machine guns were placed on them

• Pilots were romanticized as “Knights of the Air”

Captain Roy Brown

• Well-known for shooting down the great German “ace” Manfred von Richthofen (“The Red Baron”)

Billy Bishop

• Canada’s top ace• Shot down 72

enemy planes• Awarded the

Victoria Cross

FIGHTING THE WAR AT HOME

The Role of the Government

• Continued with its regular duties, but also had the burden of managing the war efforts

• In 1914, they passed the War Measures Act: gave the government control over many areas of life in Canada during the war

The War Measures Act

• Enemy Aliens (people suspected of being enemies of the state, such as immigrants from enemy countries) could be arrested or detained without question

• Factory owners and farmers could be told what and how much to produce

• Prohibition (illegal production and consumption of alcohol) was passed to relieve high grain demands, among other reasons

The War Measures Act, cont…

• Extra taxes were placed on businesses

• Personal income tax was imposed “for the duration of the war”

• “Temporary” taxes were placed on coffee, tobacco and cars

Victory Loans

• Money raised by ordinary citizens to support the war effort

• Almost 2 billion dollars was raised throughout the war

Feeding the Troops• Farmlands of Europe were

destroyed so there were huge food shortages

• Many teenagers and women worked on farms throughout Canada to keep up with demand

• Farm production increased by more than 400% throughout the war

• There was a danger that over-planting could exhaust the land

Arming the Troops

• War aided in the development of Canadian industry

• Huge demands for Canadian copper, lead, nickel and zinc

• Produced 35% of allied ammunition

• Produced ships, aircraft and explosives

• Value of manufactured goods jumped from $71 million to $555 million

Enemies at Home

• In 1914 over a million people living in Canada were born in Germany or Austria-Hungary; they were targets of anti-enemy resentment.

• At first the government reacted moderately, but it got more severe as the war went on

Treatment of the Enemies at Home• Enemy aliens were not allowed to own

weapons or explosives

• They could not publish newspapers in their own languages

• Those that arrived after 1902 were not allowed to vote

• 8500 were sent to internment camps: required to work on projects such as cutting trees, building bridges and roads

• Many were fired from their jobs and shunned by neighbours

An internment camp

Banff National Park: developed by many Enemy Aliens

Kitchener, Ontario: was called Berlin until it was changed during World War I