When Mackenzie King brought Canada into the Second World War in September 1939, the idea of a “home front” in which those who did not enlist would nonetheless actively contribute was no longer a novelty. The Great War had proven that the young, even those in primary school, could “do their bit” with more enthusiasm and greater results than age-related expectations might allow. In this presentation, Cynthia Comacchio will discuss how Canadian children “took up the torch” during the second call to arms in little more than a generation.

 

 

Cynthia Comacchio is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of History at Wilfrid Laurier University. Her new book Ring Around the Maple: A Sociocultural History of Children and Childhoods in Canada, 19th and 20th Centuries is available soon from WLU Press.