The world war : $b a history of the nations and empires involved and a study of the events culminating in the great conflictMarshall, Logan
History
The world war : $b a history of the nations and empires involved and a study of the events culminating in the great conflict
Marshall, Logan
Europe -- History -- 1789-1900; Europe -- History -- 1871-1918; World War, 1914-1918 -- Causes
“‘We stand shoulder to shoulder.’ Sir Robert Borden, the Premier, had
said, ‘with Britain and the other British Dominions in this quarrel,
and that duty we shall not fail to fulfil as the honor of Canada
demands.’ It is being fulfilled in a score of different ways, but
mainly in the practical spirit that is characteristic of the country.
The Dominion is the Empire’s granary, and through the granary doors, as
the Motherland knows, are passing huge gifts of food to the British
population. At the same time the stoppage of the export of all
foodstuffs to other countries is proposed.
“Soon the Dominion began to mobilize. Regiments seemed to spring up, as
if by magic, from the ground—not hordes of untrained men, but stalwart
horsemen, accustomed to the rifle and inured to a hard outdoor life.
The Germans will knock against another ‘bit of hard stuff’ when they
meet the Canadian contingents. One of the regiments carries the name of
the Princess Patricia, who, by the way, holds quite a unique position
in the hearts of the people. The popular Princess was, shortly after I
left, to have presented her regiment with their colors—worked by her
own hands.
“Londoners were happy in the knowledge that more such men could be
sent, if necessary, up to 200,000 in number—such was the earnestness of
the people. One met this practical earnestness in a dozen different
directions—in such facts, for instance, as the conversion of the great
Winnipeg Industrial Hall into a military training center—and not the
least significant feature in the situation is the manner in which the
prevalent enthusiasm had spread to the American inhabitants of the
country. The trade intimacy between the United States and the Dominion
was, indeed, constantly growing, and the many great American
manufacturing concerns which had planted themselves in Canada had
attained prosperity. It was pleasant and reassuring to think that this
had not weakened the ties of attachment to the old country. In the days
to succeed the war the Dominion can look back with pride upon the part
she bore in sustaining the arms of Mother England, and can take her
place with happy confidence and added strength as the eldest daughter
in the great family of British peoples.”
The enthusiasm thus indicated among the Canadians, which had its
outcome in the despatch of 323,000 sons of the dominion in late
September to the seat of war, to be quickly followed by a second
contingent, was paralleled in India, which sent to France 70,000 of its
dusky sons to join the struggling hosts. As for the remaining countries
of the British empire, Australia, South Africa, East Africa, etc., a
similar sentiment of loyalty prevailed, manifested there by the sending
of contingents or in expeditions against the German colonies in the
South Sea and in Africa. The whole empire was ready to support the
mother country.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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