WWI Trilogy

Navigating the Heartache WWI Brings

map of Ontario

Ontario During World War One

November 12, 2015 By Melina Druga Off

One of my favorite places on Earth is Niagara Falls, Ontario, so when it came time to decide on a setting for Angel of Mercy, the province was ideal.

The Stewards have been in the area since before it was a province. By the start of World War I, the province was Canada’s largest, and its capital was Toronto. The nation’s capital, Ottawa, also is in Ontario.

The Prewar Years

The following are facts about Ontario in the years leading up to World War I.

  • Ontario was invaded during the War of 1812 and, during one battle, the town of Niagara Falls was set ablaze.
  • It is one of the four provinces that united to form the Dominion of Canada in 1867.
  • Railroads linked Ontario to the Pacific coast.
  • Windsor was the centre of the automobile industry.
  • In 1912, the province acquired it’s current size.
  • It became the nation’s financial and industrial powerhouse.
  • In 1912, the speaking of French was banned in schools after the second year.

The War Years

The following are facts about Ontario during the Great War.

  • 205,808 Ontarians served, 7.5 percent of its 1916 (estimated) population of 2.7 million.
  • As anti-German sentiment was high, the town of Berlin changed its name to Kitchener.
  • Prohibition went into effect in 1916. Alcohol could still be produced for export, however.

Where to Purchase the WWI Trilogy

This post is a companion piece to Melina Druga’s WWI Trilogy: Angel of Mercy, Those Left Behind and Adjustment Year.  The trilogy focuses on Hettie and her family as they navigate the challenges and heartbreak World War I brings.

Angel of Mercy:  A nurse reluctantly sacrifices her career for marriage. An impending war will change her, and her husband’s, life forever.  Available in eBook, paperback and hardcover.  Click here for a full list of retailers.

Those Left Behind:  The brewing winds of war will soon rip the family apart. Available in eBook, paperback and hardcover.  Click here for a full list of retailers.

Adjustment Year:  A war nurse returns home. Society expects her to carry on as if the Great War never happened. But how can she?  Available in eBook, paperback and hardcover.  Click here for a full list of retailers.

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About The Author

Melina Druga writes about the past because although school history classes may have been boring, the past was not.  Her era of expertise, and obsession, is 1890-1920 with a particular focus on the Great War and how it affected the lives of ordinary people.  Druga is the author of the WWI Trilogy.