Navigating the Heartache WWI Brings
Any discussion of Canada during the early 20th century would not be complete without including Henri Bourassa. Bourassa was outspoken and not afraid to fight for his beliefs. Bourassa was born in Quebec in 1868, a little more than a year after the formation of Canada. He entered politics in his early 20s and was…
Robert Borden was the prime minister who led Canada through the contentious years of World War I. An attorney by trade, he entered politics in 1896 and quickly rose to leader of the Conservative Party. Borden became prime minister following the nasty 1911 federal election that split the nation between those who were for and…
Hettie Bartlette, the main character in my novel Angel of Mercy, was born in Ontario in 1892. Despite being 27 at the end of the third novel in the series, Adjustment Year, she has memories of only two prime ministers. Laurier was Canada’s seventh prime minister, taking office in 1896 when Hettie was four years…
Author’s note: World War I casualty rates often vary from source to source. Those wounded or taken prison are grouped together under “casualty.” Those who died of wounds or disease are group together under “killed.” Not all participants are listed. British Empire: 8.9 million mobilized; 908,371 killed; 2.1 million casualties Germany: 11 million mobilized; 1.7…
T. E. Lawrence was born Thomas Edward Lawrence, August 16, 1888, in Tremadog, Wales, out of wedlock. Lawrence’s father, Thomas Chapman, left his wife to live with his lover, Sarah Junner. They called themselves Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence and remained together until Chapman died. Together they had five sons. The family moved several times, and as…
The first battle the Canadian Expeditionary Force engaged in during World War I was the Second Battle of Ypres. However, a group of soldiers did participate in earlier engagements. These men were members of Princess Patricia’s regiment. Who were the Patricias? When World War I erupted, Canada had a very small army called “the permanent…
Arthur Currie was born December 5, 1875, in Napperton, Ontario. Currie worked as a teacher, real estate agent and insurance broker. He also served as an officer in the militia in British Columbia. Currie’s business schemes left him deeply in debt, and he used money earmarked for the militia to pay off his debts. Friends…
A lesser known, but equally important, member of the Central Powers was the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The assassination of its archduke sparked World War I. The empire came into existence in 1867 when the Kingdom of Hungary and the Empire of Austria entered into a dual monarchy. The following year, the Kingdom of Croatia and Slavonia…
In the movies, every man who volunteers for the army is accepted — usually because a character is destined for either glory or a senseless death. During World War I, there was no shortage of eager men willing to fight. These men needed to pass the military’s various requirements for service. Men joined the military…
During World War I, the airplane became a new weapon of war. It was less than two decades old, and was used originally for reconnaissance. It didn’t take long for planes’ value in battle to be recognized. Soon, people on the home front had a new hero — flying aces. Being a fighter pilot was…