1. Canada Automatically entered WWI as part of the British Empire
Canada Goes to War
Canada Automatically entered WWI as part of the British Empire

2. Canada offered aid immediately
Prime Minister Robert Borden offered a force of 25,000 trained and equipped men to the war effort
Even Laurier, the official opposition, said that “Canadians [were] behind the Mother Country” of Britain (p.32).
Volunteers were asked for, and were offered $1 per day
10, 000 men volunteered almost immediately
The army swelled from 3,000 to more than 30,000 soldiers when Canada joined the war

3. Canada offered aid immediately
80% of the August 1914 volunteers who claimed to have had military training in fact had none.
Their eagerness to fight and serve seemed to be enough

4. Volunteerism People volunteered due to a sense of patriotism.
devotion/support for one’s country; national love
The war seemed like a “great adventure,” and was romantic because warfare had not been seen in generations
There was no understanding of the devastating losses and hardships to come
Everyone believed that this war would be short, and the “boys” fighting would be home by Christmas.

5. Training the Troops
Sir Sam Hughes (Minister of Militia) was given the enormous task of training and supplying the troops
Uniforms, weapons, rations etc
War profiteering was an issue (p.34)
He was known as an energetic, albeit inefficient organizer
Prone to awarding contracts based on patronage and cronyism

6. The Ross Rifle Troops were issued with the Canadian-made Ross Rifle
Great for hunting, it was known to jam after rapid fire
Began to be called “the Canadian club”
Soldiers soon took to discarding their Ross Rifles in preference for the weapons of fallen allies (like the Lee-Enfield carried by the British )

7. Basic Training
Camp Valcartier in Quebec was built in only four weeks to house and train Canada’s soldiers.
After only four months, Canada’s enthusiastic, but ill-prepared young men were sent on to England, and from there, to the front line in France

8. CEF
Canadian troops were kept together and formed the Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF).
The CEF was kept together rather than being integrated into the larger (and far more experienced) British army
Important to Canada’s sense of national identity and pride, and its autonomy