Tomorrow is Norm Christie in West Lorne!

Don't forget that we are hosting an evening with author and Canadian Historian, Norm Christie, tomorrow at the Legion in West Lorne.  Friday, March 24, 2017 Doors open at 6:30pm with program start at 7pm.  You can still get tickets in advance by calling the office 519-762-3072 (leave a voice mail if necessary and we'll return your call), email info@backuspagehouse.ca or purchase online http://backuspagehouse.ca/event/norm-christie-canadians-in-the-great-war/

Tickets will be available at the door for $15.00.

Do You Have Your Norm Christie Tickets Yet?

Tickets are going fast for our Evening with Norm Christie on March 24, 2017.  Click here to purchase your ticket online or call Backus-Page House Museum 519-762-3072.  Event takes place at the Royal Canadian Legion in West Lorne at 7pm, doors open at 6:30pm.    

Tyrconnell Heritage Society presents An Evening with Norm Christie, Canada's #1 expert on battlefields and cemeteries of both World Wars. Norm will speak at 7pm at the Royal Canadian Legion in West Lorne with question and answer period to follow. His focus will be on Canadians in The Great War. He will have his books available for sale and signing too. Refreshments available for purchase in the Legion's bar.
Tickets in advance are $10 and $15 at the door (if any seats are available).
All ticket proceeds will go towards the Backus-Page House Museum, operated by Tyrconnell Heritage Society. 519-762-3072


About Norm Christie: Masters of War; The Canadians in The Great War

Norm Christie outlines the history of the development of the Canadian Corps from the early days in 1915-16 as inexperienced Colonials, to 1917-18 when they became the most effective fighting force on the Western Front. It started with Canada's most famous battle at Vimy Ridge, when, against all odds, they captured the strongest German position on the Western Front. Who was responsible for these developments; how did they come about; How did this incredible transformation happen? Norm explains the players and their personalities that made it happen and how their success and confidence brought about changes that made the Canadians completely different to the British and Australian Armies? And how, after all their sacrifices and accomplishments, were they forgotten?


Norm Christie is the acclaimed television host of several History Channel Documentary series including: King & Empire, King & Country, Lost Battlefields, Striking Back, Secret Liberators, In Korea and Battlefield Mysteries. He has travelled the World following in the footsteps of Canada's soldiers, from Sicily to France, to Spain, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea. In addition Norm has written 21 books on the Canadians in the First and Second World Wars, including the 10 volume For King & Empire Series on which the TV Series was based.


A metallurgical engineer by trade, Norm Christie was Chief Records Officer of the CWGC in the UK, and their Administration Officer in Arras, France for 5 years. He has been taking Tours to the old battlefields for more than 20 years. Norm is recognized as Canada's No.1 expert on the battlefields and cemeteries of the two World Wars.


Norm's most recent work includes the three volume series; Sacred Places (Canadian Cemeteries of the Great War), For Our Old Comrades (The Story of the Vimy Pilgrimage), and the 6 hour TV series, The Great War Tour with Norm Christie (TVO & Knowledge Network). His current projects include a 1 hour show, The Wounded, and the search for the missing Vimy cemetery, CA40, containing the remains of 44 Canadian soldiers, including William Milne, VC

World War Wednesdays: Africa and the Second World War

Senegalese Riflemen who fought with the French

     This week, we're embarking into uncharted territory with WWW's first foray into a non-western perspective. I'll admit that my primary interest in Canadian and German history has dominated the narrative for the past two years, but a lack of knowledge of other sides of the story has also prevented me from expanding the horizons. Naturally, I have been interested in reading about the North African campaign of the Second World War and the legendary figure of Erwin Rommel, but that was the extent of my knowledge of the wartime conditions on that continent. Even during my in-depth Second World War course with Dr. Serge Durflinger, there wasn't too much discussion of Africa's role. Given that we call it the Second World War, I knew there had to be a connection, but never learned of it until very recently. I mentioned a few posts ago that I am taking a course on African history, which is part of my non-Western credit requirement. Since this is not my area of interest, I'll be honest and say that I wasn't overly excited about taking the class, and it's definitely been a challenge so far, but I did learn something completely new about the war and wanted to share it with you this week. I think a lot of us would say that our lack of knowledge on this topic does not come from an unwillingness to learn, but more from a lack of exposure to these stories. My hope is that you'll take away even a little information in order to acknowledge the African experience, and keep it in mind as we prepare to recognize that period in our history.

     All information comes from a lecture delivered by Dr. Meredith Teretta on 11 October 2016.

     My professor began by asserting that the Second World War actually began in Africa, which obviously took me by surprise. She said that the first expansion of fascism took place not in Europe, but in Ethiopia, with Mussolini's 1935 invasion. This was related to both strategic and economic reasons, was a symbol of the birth of Italian power (Italy had controlled parts of that territory until they were defeated and expelled by the Ethiopians after the 1896 Battle of Adwa), and was a way of proving that the nation had been reborn. A hundred thousand Italian troops invaded from neighboring Somaliland and Eritrea, using superior technology including poison gas, and ultimately occupied the nation until 1941. Since Ethipoia was a member of the League of Nations, Emperor Haile Selassi made an appeal after the invasion which led to his honour as Time Man of the Year for 1935, but no action was taken by the League. The appeal did create a great deal of press, especially among members of the African diaspora in the West, where it established anti-colonialist, black solidarity sentiments.

Haile Selassi on the cover of Time 

     In June 1940, as Paris was occupied by the Germans and France fell, a hundred thousand African soldiers were mobilized to defend their colonial mother country, and seventy-five thousand were already on their way. African casualties in France already totaled twenty-four thousand, and there were between fifteen and sixteen thousand French African Prisoners of War in Germany. However, not all of French Africa was fighting for the same cause. You'll remember that when France fell, it was divided into two zones: Vichy France, which was a puppet of Nazi Germany under Philippe Pétain, and Free France, which supported the Allied cause under Charles de Gaulle. French West African territories aligned with Vichy France, as did North Africa. On the other hand, French Equatorial Africa under Félix Eboué pledged allegiance to de Gaulle and Free France, becoming a secondary seat of government with Brazzaville as the capital of Free France from 1940 to 1943.

Senegalese Tirailleurs prisoners in 1940

     The French African troops were called Tirailleurs, as they had also been called in the First World War, and played an important role in putting French West Africa under Free French control. Battlefronts included the late 1940 Allied invasion of North Africa (Operation Compass), where French West Africa joined the Free French troops in support of the Allies. Between 1943 and 1945, over a hundred thousand troops were drafted from French West Africa, and soldiers from both French West Africa and French Equatorial Africa made up over half of the total of the French Free Army.

British African soldiers in Burma

     In terms of British Africa, five hundred thousand African soldiers fought for the British, and fifteen thousand in total were killed.

     Overall, one million African men contributed to the war effort, and an estimated fifty thousand were killed in active duty.

     After the war, three hundred thousand African soldiers returned home in 1945. Africa experienced a much slower process in returning to civilian life, as troops remained in Africa until 1947 because preference was given to European soldiers to return home. In addition, the continent shouldered an economic burden as a result of its natural resource exploitation during the war. African minerals played a significant role in the Allied war effort, with an estimated ninety-nine percent of the Allied uranium coming from the continent, and those extractions during the peak years of the war were crucial for armament supply. Major mineral-producing countries included South Africa, the Belgian Congo, both Rodesias, the Gold Coast, Nigeria, Angola, Sierra Leone, Morocco, and Southwest Africa. As a result, the colonies were used as a means of shoring up the economies of their mother countries and the war accelerated the entry of Africa's mineral extraction into multinational corporate capitalism, a system that still plagues those countries to this day.

African veterans

     During the war, African soldiers had been exposed to the pro-democracy and anti-fascist ideas of their European and North American comrades. They came home from service, back into the rural areas of the continent, and began spreading those ideas and proliferating political parties. This, combined with the minimal compensation and recognition they received from the colonizing nations for their wartime contributions, prompted them to use their dissatisfaction to achieve political influence. Between the end of the war and 1960, their political opinions ranged from the search for retribution to outright revolution in regard to colonial independence.

     Overall, I think that Africa's story of the Second World War is one of many unfortunate and upsetting narratives from that period, and should be discussed and recognized by a wider audience. I'd like to thank you for expanding your historical horizons this week!

     I'd also like to mention that the Royal Canadian Legion Poppy Campaign is underway, and I encourage you all to look for your nearest poppy box and make a donation. One hundred percent of the proceeds go towards supporting our veterans, so it is our duty to repay them in such a small capacity. Please remember the regulations for poppy wearing: do not attach any pins or emblems into the center, wear the poppy only on a lapel or shirtfront, and be sure to purchase a new one every year. It's also not too early to begin thinking about how you will spend this Remembrance Day. If you are in the Elgin County area, I would highly recommend attending this year's ceremony held by the Township of Southold. It's on Sunday, November 6th at the Shedden Keystone Complex, with author and historian Ted Barris as the guest speaker. Mr. Barris is an excellent scholar of Canadian history, and I've worked with some of his material when writing about the No. 4 Bombing and Gunnery School in Fingal. I'm very sad that I can't be at the ceremony to meet him, so please be sure to attend on my behalf and hear him speak about Vimy Ridge. More details here: http://www.southwold.ca/sites/default/files/Poster_2016_Remembrance_Day_Service_1.pdf
     That's everything for this week! Thanks for reading,
     Delany (@DLeitchHistory on Twitter)

World War Wednesdays: The Best of the West

Rodney area members of Elgin's own 91st Battalion (WWI). Front row: John Watson, Earl Peace, Bob Gray, Hilton McNally, and Jim Burnett. Back row: Jack Morelock, Albert McVicar, Leon Auckland, Jim Campbell, Frank Janaway, S. McIntosh, and A. Templeton. Archie Gray and Ross Peace are not pictured. All returned safely.

     After almost two years of Dunwich-centric posts related to both World Wars, I've finally realized that it would be of interest to readers if I paid homage to the brave men and women on the other side of the Dunborough, some of whom are my own ancestors. As a good general overview, I found a piece called "World War I and II Veterans" in a volume called Rodney 1870 to 1950 by John Sinclair Dorland, which was graciously provided by the West Elgin Genealogical and Historical Society and is available for consultation at Backus-Page House Museum. I thought I'd share the essay, along with my own little contributions here and there, so that we can showcase some of our hometown heroes and the best of the west.

WORLD WAR I AND II VETERANS

     In 1914, Canada, together with other British Commonwealth countries, followed Great Britain into a war with Germany. Although Canada had sent men to other wars Great Britain had been involved in, this was the first all-out effort to fight for the mother country.

    Many young men from Rodney and district volunteered to help fight, some paying the supreme sacrifice on the battlefields of foreign countries. 

     The home front did its bit also, with church groups Women's Institutes and other organizations and individuals sending clothing and food parcels to the Armed Forces and invaded countries.
     After the Armistice, and the men came home victorious, they formed the Great War Veterans Association with branches throughout Canada. In Rodney, they had a club room on the second floor of the T. F. Robinson building where, for a few years, they spent many happy hours reminiscing, playing cards and holding parties.
    Originally formed as a group of Canadian war ex-servicemen the association was dedicated to help veterans secure pensions and to the service of our country. It was because of their unceasing efforts that veterans of future wars were able to receive benefits equal to, or better than, any other allied ex-service person.
     For the year 1920, the Rodney and District Association elected the following officers: Thomas Lamb re-elected president; Alex Campbell re-elected vice-president; Hilton McNally secretary-treasurer; executive committee, Frank Janaway, Alex Colthart, James Burnett and Walter Terry.
     By the late twenties the association gradually went out of existence leaving veterans with no organization to present their cause to the government or anyone else.
     In June 1930, the first reunion since demobilization took place at the St. Thomas Armouries, with some 250 veterans from Elgin attending.
     Around 1932, the West Elgin branch of the Canadian Legion was formed, consisting first of World War I veterans from Rodney, West Lorne and Aldborough. Later, in 1936, veterans of Dutton and Dunwich joined. Some of the key promoters from Rodney area were: Frank Janaway, Dr. A. C. Steele, Tommy Lamb, Alex Colthart and Bill Katzenmeyer.
     Meetings alternated between West Lorne and Rodney, with family nights held and annual picnics at Port Glasgow.
     Formed in the depth of the depression it brought veterans together again who, like many others, were hit hard financially during the depression years.
     During these years, Jack McDonald of West Lorne, sparked a drive to collect cigarette packages which could be exchanged for toys for needy veterans and their wives to give to their children. Later the Poppy Fund was organized, with money raised for needy veterans.
     The first president of the West Elgin Legion branch was Earl Lemon of West Lorne, with Frank Janaway of Rodney as vice-president.
     When World War II started in 1939, the Legion organized and trained the Home Guard. In Rodney a platoon of volunteers was quickly formed with Dr. Arthur Steele as Acting Commander and Victor Campbell as the instructor. The platoon had weekly evening drills at the fairgrounds, where they were taught the rudiments of marching and taking instructions.
     In June of 1940 a unit of the Home Guard was formed by Aldborough, West Lorne and Rodney with Major James Black commander.
     For the second time within a generation the young men and women of the village and surrounding area volunteered for service for their country. Again, some paid the supreme sacrifice on foreign battlefields.
     When it was all over in 1945, and they came home victorious, there were so many veterans in the area they decided to organize a Rodney branch of the Canadian Legion.
     Land was purchased just west of Wights' Produce on the north side of Victoria Street and a new hall was erected in 1949.

John Watson

Elgin County Archives

     Seated in the front row of the first photo in this post is my three times great-uncle, John Arthur Watson. I had previously never thought I had any familial connections to the First World War, until I recently began creating a database of Western Elgin veterans and came across his name. After doing some digging among the family as well as some archives searches, I realized that he was indeed my great-great-grandfather, Robert A. Watson's, brother. John was born December 29, 1881, the son of Arthur and Mary Jane Murray, grew up in the Crinan area, and married Bell Williams. Their daughter Jean was born March 6, 1914 and he enlisted March 14, 1916. Remarkably, he was a guest of King George V on August 28, 1917 as a representative of Canada along with one man each from Australia and New Zealand, was wounded at the Somme and Vimy Ridge and invalided out of France back to England along with six other St. Thomas soldiers who had all met each other in hospital within an interval of five minutes. John returned home on December 17, 1919 and spent his later years in a small red house near the Rodney fairgrounds. His was a difficult and sad life, which seems to be a common memory among surviving relatives, but after a bit of searching I was able to uncover some amazing information about him and he remains a fascinatingly complex character in the family tree.

     I hope you all enjoyed this historical journey into the next township! As always, if you have any information to add about any of the individuals mentioned this week, I'd love to hear it. As long as you all keep reading, I plan to keep writing.
     Thanks for reading,
     Delany (@DLeitchHistory on Twitter)

World War Wednesdays: The Silver Cross Mother

     Attending a Remembrance Day ceremony at which a Silver Cross Mother is present adds an additional element of sorrow to the day. Your heart goes out to the lady who has lost more than you could ever imagine, and you know that there is nothing anyone could ever do to ease that pain. War has a strange way of creating sadness across so many dimensions, whether it reaches you directly or just seeing it from a distance is enough to make it real. This week, we'll discuss what it means to be a Silver Cross Mother, along with the story of Mrs. Charlotte Susan Wood, with information courtesy of veterans.gc.ca.

     Every year, the Royal Canadian Legion selects a National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother to represent the mothers of Canada at the national Remembrance Day Ceremony in Ottawa. She will lay a wreath at the base of the National War Memorial on behalf of all mothers who lost children in the military service to their nation. During her year-long tenure, which begins on November 1st, she performs other official duties, as required. The Memorial Cross (usually referred to as the Silver Cross) is awarded to mothers and widows of Canadian soldiers who died on active duty or whose death was consequently attributed to such duty. 

     In 1936, Mrs. Charlotte Susan Wood of Winnipeg, Manitoba became known as the first National Memorial (Silver) Cross Mother. Mrs. Wood immigrated with part of her family from Britain to take up a 160 acre Dominion Land Grant northwest of Edmonton in 1905. Of the eleven of Mrs. Wood’s sons/stepsons that signed up to serve with either the Canadian or British army during the First World War, five did not return. 

     On September 22, 1914, her son, Petty Officer Stoker Louis Robert Wood, was lost at sea while serving with the Royal Navy, HMS Hogue.
     On June 4, 1915, a second son, Able Seaman Harry Wood, was killed at Gallipoli while serving with Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve.
     On October 7, 1916, a third son, Private Francis Wood, was killed at the Somme while serving with the Queen’s Own (Royal West Kent Regiment).
     On May 5, 1917, a fourth son, Private Peter Percy Wood, was killed at Vimy Ridge while serving with the Canadian Infantry (Saskatchewan Regiment).
     On November 3, 1917, a fifth son, Leading Seaman Joseph Wood, was killed at Passchendaele while serving with the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve.

     Mrs. Wood was awarded the George V Jubilee Medal in 1935. While on a pilgrimage to attend the unveiling of the Vimy Ridge Memorial in July 1936, Mrs. Wood was presented to King Edward VIII. Seizing the opportunity she said to him, "I have just been looking at the trenches and I just can’t figure out why our boys had to go through that." He replied, “Please God, Mrs. Wood. It shall never happen again.”
     

     Canada’s famous war mother died three years later, just weeks after the start of another world war. She was buried in an unmarked grave in Winnipeg’s Brookside Cemetery. A new gravestone was erected over 60 years later.

     An incredible story of incredible loss, it is a testament to how devastating war can be on all fronts.

     Thanks for reading,
       Delany