Chapter 16: Canada goes forth
As 1916 dawned, it was clear to many throughout the world that this Great war was not going to be ending any time soon. It was also when the war started to have a noticeable effect on the Home front. In Europe the Italians would fall back to Lombardia where it would turn into a killing field. While in the Far East, the Japanese Empire would decide to pick a side.
The Home Front
When Canada entered the war, it had a small public service, no income tax, and few forms of direct government involvement in the Economy. The federal government had no experience in running a large war and assumed, as did most Canadians, that a “business as usual” attitude would suffice in organizing the country for the struggles ahead. However, the nature of the war would lead a profound impact on the governing and day to day life of Canada and the Canadian people.
Victory Gardens
One of the more obvious impacts to Canadian society came in the form of agriculture. A good portion of the Kingdom was rural and lived off of agriculture. The prairies of Canada were described by some as the Breadbasket of the British empire and thus vital to the empire and the war effort. However as the war went on and more and more men went to the front that would force the Canadian Agricultural industry to adapt.
The first was in mechanization. Before the war mechanization had started to come to the prairies but it was a slow process. The demands by the Canadian government for more wheat to feed the Empire brought about an increase in mechanization. The Canadian government would provide assistance to farmers seeking to mechanize their farmers. This support was how many farmers throughout Canada would get their first tractors.
However, mechanization was not enough as many of the people that worked on the farms volunteered for the war effort. To that end The Women’s Land Army was created which organized women to join a ‘land army’ to help provide agricultural duties for the country. It brought many women to do farm work, this also included newly arrived immigrants.
Under the Ministry of Agriculture's campaign, "A Vegetable Garden for Every Home", residents of cities, towns and villages utilized backyard spaces to plant vegetables for personal use and war effort. In Seattle, Victoria, Montreal, Toronto and other cities in Canada, lady organizations brought expert gardeners to schools to get school children and their families interested in Gardening. In addition to gardening, home owners were encouraged to keep hens in their yards for the purpose of collecting eggs. The result was large production of potatoes, beets, cabbage and other useful vegetables. The other result was that these Victory Gardens became popular with the Canadian people, and a number of Canadians would continue to keep their victory gardens following the end of the War.
Censorship and Propaganda
[One of the many Propaganda Posters that were produced to support the War effort]
The control of sensitive military information was a wartime necessity, but the government’s role in information management extended far beyond the surveillance and editing of soldiers’ letters from the front. An official censor in Canada monitored newspapers and other publications for material that might harm the war effort, while federal officials threatened editors and publishers with jail time if they failed to comply with warning notices.
Large-scale propaganda campaigns became a part of everyday life. Posters urged enlistment and other forms of war support, and asked citizens to contribute to charitable campaigns, buy Victory Bonds, or ration scarce items such as meat or fuel. Their imagery relied on patriotic symbols, recognizable icons, and historical figures to identify the war with popular and worthy causes. Public parades, rallies, and charitable events encouraged voluntary contributions and the shaming or embarrassment of those who were not “doing their bit.” The biggest organization being the Canadian Patriotic Fund.
Women in the Factory
At the same time, the booming war factories were in desperate need of skilled tradesmen, too many of whom had been allowed to enlist before their greater value at home had been recognized. One result was that large numbers of women were brought into war factories, and "aliens"— immigrants who were often unacceptable for military service because of their nationality — took factory jobs. Another result of the labour scarcity was that wages rose, although not as much as the cost of living. Yet because conditions in the plants were often terrible, Labor unrest was common. That said a number of Labor Unions had agreed to a no-strike pledge for the duration of the war. Though more radical socialist and anarchist unions denounced such agreements.
It was also because of the war that the income tax in Canada was implemented. Before the war, the lack of an income tax was used as a method to attract immigrants to Canada. However the economy of the Kingdom was not prepared for the war. However as the war dragged on parliament would pass an act to create an income tax. It was designed to be a temporary act to be repealed after the war ended, however, that would prove not to be the case after the war.
As the war went on the social demands of Prohibition and Women’s suffrage became increased. Prohibition was pushed and supported as another ration to deal with for the sake of the country. While women’s suffrage got support due to more and more women entering the factories and were picking up the slack for the men who left for the front. This would result in limited women’s suffrage during the 1917 Election as women relatives of servicemen overseas were given voting rights.
The Battle of Diekirch
[A painting of the second battle of Diekrich]
While the Canadians were in the western Front since the beginning of the War, it would be with the Second battle of Diekirch where Canada would have its first major battle. This battle would earn fame throughout the World for their actions on the field of battle. The battle took place on the Western front near the the town of Diekirch in Luxemburg.
Canada was largely untested by this battle, despite the combat experience they got in the Caribbean, they were largely unprepared for the trench warfare of the Western Front. The French started their offensive of the battle that day by releasing 168 tons of Chlorine gas onto the allied position. The gas swept over the German Colonial troops killing or forcing the retreat of thousands of troops and left a huge hole in the Allied lines. The Canadians would close the Gap and then held the line against the Advancing French troops, taking heavy losses in the following action at Bamerdall and a second attack at Gilsdorf. Bamerdall would mark the first time that a European Colonial force defeated a European power on European soil, and after
For holding the line amid the gas attacks of the first critical four days of the battle, the Canadians were praised for their courage and tenacity, a reputation that would grow as the war continued. The price, however, was high. Overall, British forces lost 59,000 men — dead, wounded or captured — in the month-long battle. More than 6,500 of those casualties were Canadian, including more than 2,000 Canadian dead.
Bloody Lombardia
In Italy, a french Breakthrough in Savoy would see the Italian front and advance into Veneto utterly collapse. It forced the Italian army back into Italy with the front being moved to Lombardy. The Italians had been sensing that there was a chance that they might need to fall back due to the two pronged assault they were facing and thus built defenses and trenches in Lombardy and most of Northern Italy for this occasion.
The new front of of the Italian Front would turn out to be one of the bloodier fronts of the War. The Battles of the Po would be occur throughout the war as the French and Austrians throw themselves at the Italians. These battles began in 1916 but would continue for most of the war as the Italians managed to hold on despite the overwhelming pressure being applied to them. By the end of the war there would be 15 battles of the Po.
The Maritz Rebellion
The end of the Boer war in 1904 did not sit well with many of the Boers. Especially the efforts to enforce English culture on them, notably the enforcement of English as the official language and the language that would be taught in schools. Many Boers held a grudge since the end of the Boer War and all these efforts to anglicize South Africa, just inflamed the Boers anger.
The start of the Great War lead to the beginnings of planning a second Boer War in South Africa. The efforts would be spearheaded by Manie Maritz. The Boers established contacts with the French. They sought weapons, supplies, and if possible actual aid. In return they promised that they will establish a South African Republic that will join in on the side of the Entente.
On April 18th 1916, they launched their rebellion against South Africa. The rebellion would last about half a year in South Africa. While they established control in the former Transvaal and Orange free State relatively quickly, they soon found that that were not getting the weapons and supplies from the French. They also found out that the British were far more not as caught off guard at fighting the Boers as they were in 1904. More over, there was no where near the same number of men who signed up to fight for Independence in 1916 as there was in 1904. For a good number realized that as much as they may hate the British, they could not win against them in an all out war.
The Rebellion ended any hope for an independent Afrikaans South African Republic. The leaders of the rebellion would be executed for treason and while this did not make people happy, the military might of the British Empire had shown that there was little that they could do against them.
The Blockade of France
[British Ships blockading France]
While naval battles had begun almost as soon as the war started, and there were some blockades in place. Many had assumed that the war would be over by Christmas or failing that not long into 1916, so there was no need for a focused blockade of a France. However as 1916 rolled around it quickly was proving that was not going to be the case. Thus the admiralty in Britain agreed upon a course of blockading France to isolate the leader of the Entente.
The effects of the blockade would have greatest impact in 1918 and 1919 of the war, but the most immediate effect was isolating the French in Asia and in Africa from the Metropolitan. This allowed the colonial troops of the allied powers to gain the upper hand in Africa and Asia. This also would be one of the things that helped convince the Japanese to join the war.
The Allies Expand
[Romanian troops in the Carpathian mountains]
Throughout 1915 and most of 1916, the British were focused on bringing in further allies to fight against the Entente. By the end of 1916 two new countries would join the allies fighting against the Entente: Japan and Romania.
The outbreak of the Great War was met with great enthusiasm by the Japanese. While a number in the war wanted to align with the British in 1915, the government was a tad more cautious believing they wanted to see if this would be a short war or not. As 1916 rolled around it was proving that it was not the case. Thus on March 3rd, Japan agreed to join the Allied Powers. The principal reason was to expand their influence in Asia, be recognized as a great power by the Europeans, and expand their colonial empire. The Japanese were particularly interested in taking control of Korea that was controlled by the french.
The Romanians were linked by blood to the German Royal Family and by marriage to the British Royal family. Moreover there was a nationalistic feeling in Romania that wanted to claim Transylvania that the Austrians controlled and the rest of Moldova that Russia controlled. However, the Romania government cautioned neutrality as if they joined the war they would be surrounded. The British worked throughout 1916 to change their feeling and on the 18th of November 1916 they managed to bring Romania onto the allied powers.
it wasn’t long after Japan declared war on the Entente that their troops were in Korea, Vietnam, and the Russian Far east. The entrance of Japan greatly expanded the scope of the Asian theater of the war. Meanwhile the entrance of Romania brought relief to the Germans as Russia and Austria had to march south to fight them. It also brought internal concerns to the Austrians for there were a few divisions of Romanians fighting for Austria that outright deserted to the Romanian side, and more that sought to be moved to other fronts in order to avoid shooting their countrymen.