World War Wednesdays 4

     2014 has been a very exciting year for people across the world as we join in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the First World War. It has provided the opportunity for us to reflect on the past century, and to think about what has changed and what has remained. Without a doubt, the global conflict has impacted every area of life for a great majority of people. As a result, this anniversary year is the time to gain perspective on its magnitude.

     Last week, renowned Sociologist, speaker, and CEO of the Vanier Institute of the Family Nora Spinks held a lecture with my second year Sociology class at UOttawa. She spoke of a recent event at the Vanier Institute where a time capsule was dug up which had been compiled by a group of Sociologists one hundred years ago. In this capsule, they expressed some concerns which faced the families of their time which they hoped to be solved in a hundred years, and posed three questions which they hoped to be answered. For their concerns, they worried that young people would not be able to improve beyond the living standards of their parents, that young people would be safe and secure in their families, and that people could find meaningful work for meaningful pay without affecting family time. What is startling about these concerns is that none of them has been resolved, and they are still highly prevalent problems in the families of today.

     For their three questions, the Sociologists asked: Have you discovered and explored the North Pole? Have you perfected the flying machine? And, have you developed the ability to communicate with family members who are far away? Clearly, we have done all of these things and more since 1914. Not only have we perfected the flying machine, but it is now a major form of everyday transportation. We have the ability to communicate across long distances even face-to-face, which would be a real shock and fascination for the Sociologists.

     If we were to really look into it, the First World War is a major contributing factor to these advancements, especially in the case of the flying machine. The arms race against Germany caused Great Britain to develop planes that could fly faster and for longer, naval vessels that could withstand the demands of time, combat and transportation in foreign waters, and sophisticated telegraph systems to allow communications along the lines. While a major, terrible loss occurred as a result of the Great War, there were significant technological gains which have a legacy in everyday life a century later.

     I was able to further explore the legacy of the First World War when I interviewed Dr Andrew Burtch, acting director of research at the Canadian War Museum, as part of my research position with the UOttawa Central and Eastern European Studies Research Group. He said that this year of recognition for the hundredth anniversary is less about commemoration, and more concerned with acknowledging the history. The museum itself, for example, has focused on highlighting different aspects of the war throughout the year. For instance, they had an exhibit featuring wartime art by Canadian artist A.Y. Jackson and German artist Otto Dix, which showed the different artistic interpretations of the wartime experience. They also launched a new exhibit this week which focuses on the internment of Ukrainian Canadians during the war, a topic which has only recently been explored. In the years to come, they plan to continue these spotlight events, which will allow people to experience all aspects of the Great War, such as the war in the air and individual battles.

     "[The First World War is] one of the most written-about subjects of all time", said Dr Burtch. "It's the First World War internationally... the United States has the Civil War... This is a defining conflict." In terms of establishing our identity as a new nation, as well as creating groundbreaking technological advances, this war directly paved the way for a great many modern concepts. We should be keeping them in mind as we honour it's hundredth anniversary.

        Thanks for reading,

           Delany Leitch

-What would you write in your time capsule? What questions would you like to have answered?

-If you've ever been to the Canadian War Museum, I'd love to hear about your visit! Join the conversation!

World War Wednesdays #2

World War Wednesdays Blog #2

            I recently had the opportunity to attend a lecture given by British military historian Martin Middlebrook at the Canadian War Museum. The lecture was called Up the Line and Back Again and followed the path of a First World War new recruit. It told how infantry soldiers were trained and mobilized to the Western Front, the various stages of treatment and evacuation after having been wounded, and the process of being discharged when no longer fit for military service.

            Before I attended the lecture, I had never heard of Mr. Middlebrook, but I now know that he is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, an author of a number of books related to military history (list below), a soldier himself, and a Knight of the Order of the Belgian Crown. Clearly, hearing him speak was a great privilege.

            Upon arriving at the museum’s Barney Danson theater, my roommate and fellow history colleague and I were confronted with the usual intimidating feeling of being the youngest ones at a history event. Right away, the elderly man onstage came down to shake our hands and thank us for coming in front of the whole audience. It was a remarkable touch that made us feel appreciated and instantly more comfortable.

            As he began talking, I could see right away that Mr. Middlebrook knew his subject very well, having been a tour guide of the war cemeteries in France for many years, and that he was very passionate about what he had to say. I also began to notice something that left me feeling sad. Mr. Middlebrook would often go off on tangents while he was talking and end up diverting from the point and confusing the audience. As you can imagine, he was eaten alive with corrections and “added information” during the question hour. I felt that this was very unfortunate. Here is a man in his eighties who has given his life in research, and has travelled a great distance despite the recent death of his wife to share his information with us for free. We as a group seeking to do the same thing should have been embracing what he had to tell us and chalking his faults up to the inconveniences of age. Perhaps as a young historian I am more naïve to the topic, but I feel that our older historians are an incredibly valuable asset. There should be no room for competitions of knowledge, but everyone’s individual areas should be embraced. There is something to be learned from all people, old or young, and it is people like myself who are trying to be worthy of inheriting the legacy that people like Mr. Middlebrook will be leaving behind. For me, it was an honor to meet Mr. Middlebrook and hear what he had to say, and I’ll try harder from now on to appreciate everything that can be learned from people like him.

                     Thanks for reading,

          Delany Leitch

        

Mr. Middlebrook, courtesy of the Ottawa Sun.

 

Martin Middlebrook Books:

•  The First Day on the Somme with much co-operation from John Howlett. (1971)
• The Nuremberg Raid (1973)
• The Kaiser's Battle with much co-operation from Neville Mackinder.(1978)
• The Battle of Hamburg (1980)
• The Peenemünde Raid (1982)
• The Schweinfurt-Regensburg Mission (1983)
• The Falklands War, 1982 (1985) first published as Operation Corporate
• The Berlin Raids (1988)
• Convoy
• Battleship (with Patrick Mahoney)
• The Bomber Command War Diaries (with the late Chris Everitt)
• The Somme Battlefields (with Mary Middlebrook)
• Arnhem 1944
• Your Country Needs You
• The Fight for the Malvinas
• The North Midlands Territorials Go To War/Captain Staniland's Journey