Overview exhibit on World War One

Photo Courtesy of Thunder Bay Archives and Records
August 5, 1914:
The Fort William Daily Times
Journal reports that Great Britain
officially declares war
on Germany
The 96th Lake Superior Regiment is called to duty by Ottawa
Source: Port Arthur News Chronicle August 5, 1914
Days after war is declared, men from the
Lakehead are encouraged to enlist for
active service
Following the declaration of war, one of the first priorities for
the Twin Cities was the protection of key Lakehead industries
August 24, 1914
The first contingent of the 96th Lake Superior
Regiment leaves the Lakehead for training then
overseas for combat. Over 300 men were part
of the first contingent
March 26, 1917: Marching down Park Street, Port Arthur
The 141st Bull Moose Battalion, while not a local
Lakehead Battalion, captured the hearts of the people
in the Twin Cities during their time spent here training
1919
Brought to the Fort
William City Council in
1919, this drawing was
one of the proposed
memorials to honour the
fallen of World War One
Photo courtesy of:
The 1915-16 season of the Thunder Bay Amateur Hockey League featured a team from Fort William and
Port Arthur and a team made up of members of the 94th Overseas Battalion. The Fort William Senior
Hockey team won the league title and travelled west to challenge the Winnipeg 61st Battalion for the Allan
Cup, emblematic of the Canadian Senior Hockey title. The 61st Battalion won the first game 4 to 1 and Fort
William won the second game 5-4, leading the Winnipeg 61st Battalion to win the 2-game, total goal series
8-6. Winnipeg defeated their next challengers, the Regina Victorias to be named the 1915-16 Allan Cup
champions.
As of November 6, 1914, the
Twin Cities had 600 men on
active service at home and
abroad from the 96th Lake
Superior Regiment
• 319 men and 5 officers were sent with the 1st contingent
• 15 men and 1 officer were sent with the Machine Gun
Section
• 11 men and 1 officer were sent with the Corps of Guides
• 234 men and 7 officers were sent with the 2nd contingent
• 220 men were on active service at home
Built by Frank H. Keefer and located on
North Court Street, Port Arthur, this
mansion was used as a convalescent
hospital during WWI from 1916-1919
Local politician Robert J.
Manion, the first to represent
Fort William in the House of
Commons, also contributed to
the war effort. First as a
volunteer surgeon overseas,
Manion was then made a
Captain in the Canadian Army
Medical Corps. He later went
on to write A Surgeon In Arms,
a novel detailing his
experience in the Great War.
Photo: A Surgeon in Arms by Captain R.J. Manion, M.C.
Local Author
Victory Loan Campaign - 1917
The Victory Loan Campaign was launched
in 1917 and ran for three weeks in
November of each year (1917-1919)
across the country. Local drives included
daily newspaper articles and
advertisements designed to inspire
communities to dig deep in their support of
the war efforts. Over a three year period,
the contributions from Fort William and
Port Arthur came in at almost $9 Million.
1914:
Late September into early October saw the men of the
Lakehead in the first contingent of the Canadian
Expeditionary Force leave Val Cartier Training Camp in
Quebec to head overseas to the war front
Good-Bye Boys!
A Farewell to the Volunteers
By Gertrude Cornish Knight
Good-bye boys! And God speed you
On your journey o’er the sea,
Where earth’s noblest sons are fighting
For all nations’ liberty;
Where the world’s titanic battle
Must be fought and won before
Peace for all time stands triumphant
On the vanquished curse of war.
Good-bye boys! Every patriot
That loves the Motherland
Is singing ‘Rule Britannia’
To the music of the band
Well we know our mighty Empire
Asks the bravest and the best,
So, we’re sending forth the flower
Of our great and glorious West;
Good-bye boys! Life and victory
Will be your country’s prayer;
Where e’er stern duty leads you
Be never wanting there.
Fair Canada has called you
Midst her cheering and her tears,
And places full reliance
In her valiant volunteers!
Good-bye boys! In the morning,
When the night of war is o’er,
‘Twill be ‘neath Victory’s banner
We’ll welcome you once more,
But now, farewell, and bless you!
Our heartfelt partings ring –
Three cheers for home and country!
God save our sailor King!
March 26, 1917
The 141st Bull Moose Battalion, while not a local
Lakehead Battalion, captured the hearts of the
people in the Twin Cities during their time spent
here training
As war was officially declared, members of the 96th Lake Superior Regiment
were dispatched for guard duty in key industries in the Lakehead
In 1926, the Port Arthur Rotary Club spearheaded a campaign to plant trees along
Memorial Avenue (then known as Fort William Highway) to honour those who lost their
lives in World War One. The Rotary Club also had a stipulation that the road be renamed
Memorial Avenue.
The Ladies Auxiliary to Port Arthur Branch of
the Royal Canadian Legion began on August
18, 1917. Their purpose was to assist the
soldiers returning from the war and their
families. Mrs. H. Sara was the first President
of the organization.
March 26, 1917:
Military Band in front of the marching 141st Battalion
Beginning in 1919, the City of
Fort William began looking into
constructing a memorial for
World War One. In December
of 1920, the Women’s Patriotic
Society was granted
permission to build a memorial
monument to be located on
the site of City Hall. After the
Patriotic Society disbanded in
1922, the organization turned
over control of the cenotaph to
the city. The monument can
still be viewed today in front of
Thunder Bay City Hall.
March 26, 1917
1915
There were 110 enlistments for service in the Great War out of
the church’s congregation
Between 1917 and
1919, the Port Arthur
Shipbuilding
Company built and
supplied the
Department of Naval
Services with 14
minesweeping
trawlers
Photo courtesy of:
The 141st Battalion senior hockey team claimed the 1916-17 Thunder Bay Amateur Hockey League title
by defeating teams from Fort William and Port Arthur. At that time in Canadian senior hockey history, the
Allan Cup was played for in a challenge series, with the team that won the Allan Cup in the previous
year retaining it until the next season when they would accept challenges from other teams. The 191516 Allan Cup had been won by the 61st Winnipeg Battalion who, by the time the 1916-17 season came
around, had been sent overseas. As a result the Winnipeg Victorias, the champions of the Winnipeg
Patriotic League that season, took over the Allan Cup and welcomed a series of challenges.
D Company of the 94th Overseas New Ontario Battalion
Photo Courtesy of Thunder Bay Museum
The 141st Bull Moose Battalion, while not a local
Lakehead Battalion, captured the hearts of the
people in the Twin Cities during their time spent
here training
March 26, 1917
Shortly after war was officially declared, sabotage
was a very real concern in the Lakehead. On August
14, 1914 two unknown men attempted to bring down
the wireless station. Fortunately the attempt failed.
Photo Courtesy of Thunder Bay Museum
1915:
Speaking to a packed house at St.
Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, Nellie
McClung gave a rousing patriotic speech
concerning women and the war. She also
detailed how the sale of liquor negatively
influenced Canada’s involvement. The
Fort William Daily Times Journal
described McClung ‘with a winning
personality, a figure that appears more
imposing on the platform than in the
parlor, and a rare gift of eloquence’.
Library and Archives Canada/Credit: Cyril Jessop/Patent and
Copyright Office collection/PA-030212
On October 26, 1917, Lieutenant
O’Kelly, who was in charge of
the 52nd Battalion’s ‘A’ Company,
played a pivotal role in the Battle
of Passchendaele Ridge. His
military unit was responsible for
the capture of over 100 enemy
soldiers and 9 enemy officers.
For his role in the battle, O’Kelly
received the Victoria Cross for
‘most conspicuous bravery in
action’.
Photo: Lakehead Living September 10, 1985
Photo Courtesy of Thunder Bay Military Museum
Victory Loan Campaign - 1918
The Victory Loan Campaign was
launched in 1917 and ran for three
weeks in November of each year
(1917-1919) across the country.
Local drives included daily
newspaper articles and
advertisements designed to inspire
communities to dig deep in their
support of the war efforts. Over a
three year period, the contributions
from Fort William and Port Arthur
came in at almost $9 Million.
January 25, 1915, Lance-Corporal William
John Huston, of the Princess Patricia
Canadian Light Infantry Unit became the first
Fort William resident to lose his life fighting to
assist the Allies.
As of December 16, 1916, the Copp Stove Company was “turning
out 4.5 Howitzer shells at the rate of 500 per day and the plant
[was] going night and day” – Fort William Daily Times Journal
The 52nd Battalion stand at attention in front Port Arthur Collegiate
Institute
On October 21, 1914, the
Fort William Daily Times
Journal reported that
James Blampy, of the
Royal Engineers, became
the first Fort William
citizen wounded in the
Great War. Blampy left for
the war in August of 1914.
According to the letter he
wrote his wife, he
expected to recover in two
to three weeks time and
return to the front.
Mount McKay Lookout Great War Memorial
honouring the First Nations Peoples who
lost their lives during WWI
As soon as each contingent of volunteers left
the Twin Cities, they were brought to Val Cartier,
Quebec. At Val Cartier, Canadian Expeditionary
Force soldiers were trained and prepared for
overseas combat.
Photo: warmuseum.ca
Can you supply the library with any information
concerning this photograph? If so, please contact the
Brodie Reference Department at [email protected] or
(807) 345-8275
Located near the
Port Arthur
Waterfront, Gresley
Park became a
military training
camp for members
of the Canadian
Expeditionary Force.
It first became the
home to the 52nd
Battalion in 1915
and later the 141st
Battalion recruited
out of the Rainy
River District
Royal Naval Air Service ( RNAS)
Men from the Lakehead contributed to the Great War in the air, as well
as the ground. Port Arthur’s Stanley Wallace Rosevar and Ernest C.
Potter are two examples; both pilots played a key role in the war effort.
For more information, please inquire about the Thunder Bay Museum’s
Looking Back articles which can be found at the Brodie Resource
Library.
In 1918, as traditional shipbuilding
companies found themselves over exceeded
due to demands of war, Canadian Car and
Foundry entered the industry and it
announced that it would be building 12
minesweepers for the French Navy.
Can Car quickly began hiring more
employees to handle the intense
work load and on July, 1918 the
Navarin was Launched. As
promised the company launched
the last of the 12 minesweepers
on in October, completing their
contract with the Navy
Photo courtesy of Thunder Bay Archives & Records
August 1914
G-Company, 96th Lake Superior
Regiment
Photo courtesy of Thunder Bay Archives & Records
Victory Loan Campaign
Victory Loan Campaign prize winning window display located in the
Barton and Fisher General Hardware Store, Port Arthur
1915
Photo Courtesy of the Thunder Bay Military Museum
1915: 52nd Battalion
Photo: From Thunder Bay Through Ypres With The Fighting 52 nd (940.41271 MIL)
Victory Loan Campaign - 1919
The Victory Loan Campaign was
launched in November 1917 and ran
for three weeks in November of each
year (1917-1919) across the country.
Local drives included daily
newspaper articles and
advertisements designed to inspire
communities to dig deep in their
support of the war efforts. Over a
three year period, the contributions
from Fort William and Port Arthur
came in just shy of $9 Million.
On November 16, 1917, Flt. Lt.
Rutledge, of Fort William,
succumbed to an aeroplane
accident overseas while waiting
for further orders. Rutledge is
the author of ‘Pen Pictures
From The Trenches’ which
details his experience in the
Great War
Local Author
Ceasefire Order: 11 November 1918
November 11, 1918
Both Mayors of Port Arthur
and Fort William declare a
holiday in order to honour the
ending of the war.
At the Library
Please ask us about the
publication In the Face of
Danger by Lieut. Colonel
George F.C. Stanley, which
chronicles the 52nd
Battalion (C.E.F.) in the
Great War. Also
accompanying the
publication is an index of
names created by Dave
Nicholson
Lakehead resident R.E.
Buckley, signaller with the
87th Battalion CEF, had been
about to go off duty the
morning of Armistice Day
(November 11, 1918) when
the order for peace came
through.
He was overjoyed to share
with his fellow soldiers news
of ceasefire
Welcome Home Advertisements Found in the Port Arthur News
Chronicle March 29, 1919
The Social Notices and
News Index of the Port
Arthur News Chronicle
can be found at the
Brodie Resource Library
and contains a complete
listing of the Conscription
Exemption Tribunals in
the Lakehead.
Welcome Home Advertisements Found in the Port Arthur News
Chronicle March 29, 1919
1964: World War I
veterans are
honoured at the
Branch 6 Canadian
Legion
In The Lakehead
The 96th Lake Superior Regiment
contributed over 1800 officers and
soldiers for the 8th, 28th, 37th, 44th, 52nd,
94th and 141st Overseas Battalions
during the four year period 1914-1918.
Source: In The Face Of Danger by G.F.G. Stanley