At the start of the First World War, most officers were appointed based on their personal or professional connections, or simply their standing in the local community. Almost all belonged to the professional middle class—doctors, lawyers, prominent businessmen, and...

There were many tasks involved with the daily running of the 118th battalion. Not only was the battalion actively recruiting, but day to day concerns such as feeding and paying the troops required attention. Officers who were sent across the northern part of Waterloo...

The German heritage of many of the settlers of Waterloo County affected locals’ support for the 118th Battalion. With Canada and Britain at war with Germany, Canadians with German heritage faced possible repercussions if they did not display adequate forms of...

During the Great War, desertion was potentially a capital offence in the British and Canadian forces. Two-hundred and three Canadian soldiers were convicted and sentenced to death for the charge of desertion, but only twenty-two of these were ever carried out....

When Britain declared war on Germany on 4 August 1914, Canada found itself automatically at war too. Recruitment efforts began in earnest in Canada soon after, and across the country English-speaking Canadians born in the British Isles were usually the first to flock...