On Jan. 6, 1915, the Princess Patricia’s Light Infantry entered the trenches for the first time, at a location called Dickiebush by the British troops. With this momentous day for the troops, I will relate some of what the diary said directly, quote:
“Lack of boots much felt many men marching with no soles at all to their boots…Arrived at Dickiebush and rested until 5 p.m. When the right half battalion under Major Gault took over the two sections on the right, time was lost owing to no guides having been provided by the French. Taking over completed at midnight without incident. Trenches were found to be in a very waterlogged condition, no braisers and few dugouts. Distance from German line 40 yards on our left, 200 yards on our right.”
According to the Regina Leader-Post in a cable from Europe, a British officer stated that the Patricia’s had splendid discipline in France. The officer would state quote:
“This front has become a battle of inches and the slightest advance made out of the general scheme endangers our whole front. We were afraid the Canadians, in their enthusiasm would carry out the rush tactics they employed so effectively in South Africa, but which would be fatal here. But the Patricia’s, rank and file, have shown themselves steady and their officers well trained.”
Thus began the regiments stay in France, which would see them participate in some of the most important battles of the war including Ypres, Vimy, Passchendaele, Canal du Nord, and the Somme. Along the way, two soldiers would earn the Victoria Cross and the regiment would receive 19 Battle Honours. Of the 5,000 men who would serve with the regiment over the course of the First World War, 1,300 never returned home to Canada.
On Jan. 18, Syl Apps was born in Paris, Ontario. A strong athlete, standing six feet tall and weighing 185 pounds, he won a gold medal at the 1934 British Empire Games in the pole vault. He then went to the Olympics in 1936 to compete and finished sixth. While he was playing football, Toronto Maple Leafs owners saw him and signed him to play hockey with the Maple Leafs. It was a genius decision as Apps became one of the greatest players in NHL history.
In 1937, Apps won the Calder Trophy, and in 1942 he won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy. In 1943, he joined the Canadian Army to serve in the Second World War. He returned two years later.
While he was playing for the Maple Leafs, Apps ran for Parliament in the 1940 federal election, but did not win.
In his NHL career, all with the Maple Leafs, Apps won three Stanley Cups in 1942, 1947 and 1948. He was also a First Team All-Star in 1939 and 1942, and a Second Team All-Star in 1938, 1941 and 1943.In 423 games, he had 432 points and captained the Leafs for much of his time with the team in the 1940s. Boston great Milt Schmidt called Apps the greatest player he ever played against. In 1961, Apps was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Apps served in the Ontario Legislature from 1963 to 1975 and was the Minister of Correctional Services from 1971 to 1975. Apps was elected to Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1975 and in 1977 was awarded the Order of Canada. Several buildings are named for him and in 2001, a stamp was issued to honour him. In 2017, he was chosen as one of the 100 greatest NHL players in history.
On Dec. 24, 1998, Apps died of a heart attack. His son Syl Apps Jr. went on to play in the NHL for 12 years, while his granddaughter Gillian Apps won three gold medals at the Winter Games playing for Canada’s women’s hockey team. His grandson Darren Barber won a gold in rowing at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992. As well, his grandson Murray Dryden, whose son was Ken Dryden.
On Feb. 2, German spies attempted to bomb the Vanceboro International Bridge between New Brunswick and Maine. The bombing was masterminded by Franz von Papen, and executed by Werner Horn. The bomb failed to destroy the bridge but it did result in repairs. Both men were arrested and convicted for the crime.
On Feb. 12, Lorne Greene was born in Ottawa. Starting out in his broadcasting career with the CBC, he became known for his deep voice on the radio, earning himself the nickname of The Voice of Canada. During the Second World War, due to reading out the war news and casualty lists, he earned another name, The Voice of Doom.
After the war, he established the Lorne Green Academy of Radio Arts in 1945 in Toronto. The school trained many future actors and broadcasters including Leslie Nielsen, James Doohan, Billie Mae Richards and Johnathan Frid.
He closed his academy in 1952 and moved to the United States to begin acting in television shows. He gained his most famous role as Ben Cartwright on Bonanza in 1959, a role he played until the show ended in 1973. During that time, he also released the spoken-word ballad Ringo in 1964, which reached number one in the United States.
After the cancellation of Bonanza, Greene acted in various productions in the 1970s before landing his next famous role as Commander Adama on Battlestar Galactica from 1978 to 1979. He also acted on Roots, playing the first slave holder of Kunta Kinte. In the 1980s, Greene returned to Canadian television, hosting Lorne Greene’s New Wilderness.
Greene died from complications from pneumonia after ulcer surgery on Sept. 11, 1987.
During his life he received the Order of Canada, a Gemini Award and an honorary degree. After his death, he was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame and had a stamp issued in his honour.
You can learn more about Greene in my deep dive about his life from my podcast episode of Canadian History Ehx in 2023.
On March 10, the Battle of Neuve Chapelle began. On March 10, at 7:30 a.m., the British began to bombard the German barbed wire, destroying it within 10 minutes. This firing was done by 90 18-pounder field gun. The remaining 15 18-pounder guns, as well as six six-inch howitzers and six 4.5-inch howitzers, began to fire into the front-line trenches of the Germans. Despite being three feet deep with four-foot-high breastworks, the trenches were quickly destroyed. The First Canadian Division, located to the northeast, provided artillery support and machine-gun fire.
By 10 a.m. the Village of Neuve Chapelle was captured and Sir John French, the Commander-in-Chief Field Marshall ordered the Fifth Calvary Brigade to exploit the breakthrough into the village but the Germans were able to delay any advance for six hours.
On March 12, the Germans counter-attacked but failed but in the process caused the British to use most of their artillery ammunition, which would postpone any British advancement from the village to the next day. This advancement was then abandoned by March 15.
The battle, in the end, would have no strategic effect but did boost the morale of the British troops. A total of two kilometres of land was captured.
There were 40,000 Allied troops in the battle, with 7,000 British casualties and 4,200 Indian casualties. For Canada’s first major battle of the war, we got off relatively easy.
In the attack, the Canadians suffered 100 casualties and 300 wounded. A major reason for this was the fact that Canadian troops were mostly involved in a technical sense in the battle, rather than as troops progressing across the battlefield.
The Casualty Clearing Station, run by Canadian troops, involved in the battle showed prompt action and capacity, earning it a special commendation from Major General Sir W.G. MacPherson, the director of Medical Services for the First Army.
For more on this battle, check out my podcast Canada’s Great War.
On March 18, Harold Crowchild was born. As a young man, he became know as a rodeo performer, and participated in the Calgary Stampede. In 1942, he enlisted with the Canadian Army. He served in the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands and Germany during the war. He operated Sherman tanks, guarded prisoners-of-war and received five medals for his service. When he died on Jan. 12, 2013, he was the last surviving veteran of the war from any of the Treaty 7 First Nations.
On April 22, the Battle of Kitcheners Wood began. On April 22, 1915, during the Second Battle of Ypres, a cloud of vapour began to move across the landscape towards French troops during the night. This would change the war forever. It was the first poison gas attack of the war. The French troops, unable to cope with the chlorine gas, broke apart, leaving a gap four miles wide.
The First Canadian Division, which had been part of Neuve Chappelle, were pulled out of reserve and ordered in to seal that gap. They would focus on a point called Kitcheners’ Wood and two Canadian Battalions were selected for the job. This would be the first major offensive operation for Canadians during the war.
At 11 p.m., the Canadian troops of the 10th Battalion arrived to counter-attack in the gap with the 16th Battalion serving in support of the advance. The two battalions had 800 men in total, and the order to advance was initiated at 11:46 p.m.
Due to the quick attack and response, there had been no time for reconnaissance and the 10th Battalion arrived halfway across the gap between the armies and met a hedge laced with wire. The men were forced to break through with their rifle butts while taking fire from the Germans who were only 200 yards away. The battalions continued across the field, breaking through the German defences and pushing the Germans out.
The attack came at an incredibly high cost, with over 75 per cent of the men being killed or injured
In all, 259 men were killed, 406 were wounded and 129 missing.
For more on this battle, check out my podcast Canada’s Great War.
On May 3, John McCrae sat down after presiding over the funeral of his friend Lt. Alexis Helmer, and wrote In Flanders Field. According to legend, he didn’t like the poem and threw it away but his fellow soldiers retrieved it. It would be published on Dec. 8, 1915 in the London magazine Punch. It has since become one of the most quoted poems of the First World War, and one of the most famous poems in Canadian history. It is routinely used as part of Remembrance Day services in Canada.
On May 12, Tobias Norris became the premier of Manitoba. He came to power after the Conservative premier Rodmond Roblin was forced to resign amid a corruption scandal. Norris served as premier until 1922. During that time, he made Manitoba the first province in Canada to give women the right to vote.
On May 15, the Battle of Festubert was fought. n assault was planned along a five-kilometre-long front, that would be made up initially of Indian troops. The hope was that a hole would be punched in the German lines.
There would be two brigades of the First Canadian Division taking part with the British troops in the attack. The Third Canadian Infantry Brigade was ordered to capture an orchard outside the village, along with a building. This brigade was commanded by Brigadier General Richard Turner. The second Canadian Infantry Brigade was commanded by Brigadier General Arthur Currie and was tasked with taking enemy trenches in the south.
Neither brigade was given the chance to prepare for the attack, nor did they receive accurate maps, or enough firepower to accomplish the mission.
Things began with a 60-hour bombardment by 433 artillery guns, launching 100,000 shells. The Third Brigade was assigned to the British Seventh Division but failed to reduce the gap in the line between the Second and Seventh Divisions. Unfortunately, the bombardment did little to damage the defences of the German Sixth Army and little in the way of an advance was made. On May 16, the attack was renewed but by the 19th, the British Army had to withdraw its divisions due to heavy losses.
On May 20, the Third Brigade conducted an attack in in broad daylight with the bombardment at 4 p.m., followed by the attack at 7:45 p.m. The 16th Battalion, called the Canadian Scottish, and the 15th Battalion, the Highlanders of Canada, were designated to be the assault battalion. Lt. Col. Leckie protested the order, but Turner stated that he British had stated that night operations restricted the ability of commanders to control troop movements. The plan was made for the No. 3 Company to attack the orchard while the No. 1 company supported it. The No. 3 company was able to reach the orchard and take it despite the defenders being dug in. This put them within 100 yards of the main German trenches. Attempts to attack the trench failed under heavy fire and belts of barb wire. With the taking of the Orchard, the Canadian Scottish had made the deepest penetration of any unit of the British First Army during the battle and the orchard would remain in the hands of the Allies until the spring of 1918.
From May 22 to 24, the Canadians would attack at various times, taking out patrols and completing night assaults. The attacks would succeed in taking more land but would see the death of 13 officers and over 250 casualties in all.
The last Canadian involvement in the battle would be the Canadian Cavalry Brigade, commanded by Brigadier-General J.E.B. Seely, who had volunteered for service due to the heavy casualties hitting the First Canadian Division. On May 25, the Brigade launched an attack, despite no training in trench warfare, fighting alongside the British 47th Division. They were able to gain some ground on the front.
The British would eventually capture the village of Festubert, advancing the front by only three kilometres.
For more on this battle, check out my podcast Canada’s Great War.
On May 16, Kit Coleman died. Kathleen Blake Coleman was born in Ireland on Feb. 20, 1856.
When she was either 16 or 20, Kit married a wealthy landowner 40 years older than her. The couple had one child who died young.
The marriage was not happy and following her husband’s death, her husband’s family disinherited her.
Kit decided to get a new start and moved to Canada in 1884 where she worked as a secretary.
She married again, this time to Edward Watkins, and with him had two children.
He turned out to be an alcoholic and philanderer who may have still been married to a woman in England. In 1889, Coleman separated from Watkins, took the children and moved to Toronto.
At this point, Kit worked cleaning houses to support herself and her children. She also started to write for local magazines, which caught the attention of the Toronto Daily Mail. In 1890, Kit started to write the column “Kit of the Mail”, which morphed into “Women’s Kingdom”.
Kit pushed back against her editors who wanted her to write about housekeeping and fashion.
Instead, she wrote about politics, business, science and religion. Her column became known for its outspoken style and quickly become incredibly popular. Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier was said to be a fan. Her columns also touched on topics such as poor working conditions for women, domestic violence and social reform.
With her fame rising, the paper sent her out to cover events such as the Chicago World’s Fair and Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee.
In 1898, the Spanish-American War broke out and Kit volunteered to cover the war. She was sent to Cuba but her supervisors there only wanted her to write features, and not cover the war. She ignored them and got a war correspondent accreditation from the United States.
Kit still dealt with sexism despite the accreditation. Two ships to Florida deliberately left her behind. After three months she reached Cuba on a naval supply ship. She travelled to battle sites on horseback and wrote about the toll the war had on civilians and soldiers. Since she was fluent in French, English and Spanish she could report many sides of the conflict.
When she returned from Cuba, Kit married Dr. Theobald Coleman and they settled in Copper Cliff, Ontario. It was a happy marriage and Kit sometimes helped him as an emergency nurse. In 1904, to fight discrimination against women in journalism, she founded the Canadian Women’s Press Club and served as its first president.
Kit continued to write for the newspaper, but despite her popularity she was paid $25 to $35 per week, while her male coworkers were paid $35 to $50 per week.
She then started her own syndicated column, the first in Canada, and charged each newspaper $5 to run her column. This gave her more money than she ever earned at the Toronto Daily Mail.
She is a member of the Canadian News Hall of Fame and has been dedicated a National Historic Person.
In 2023, the Royal Canadian Mint released a silver dollar to commemorate her.
On July 22, Sir Sandford Fleming died in Halifax. He came to Canada from Scotland when he was 18, and began working as a surveyor. He designed Canada’s first stamp, the Threepenny beaver in 1851. As a surveyor, he worked on the Grand Trunk Railway, the Northern Railway of Canada and the transcontinental railway. He advocated for iron bridges instead of wood ones as they were safer. He is most famous for his efforts related to implementing standard time and time zones around the world. He was also a founding member of the Royal Society of Canada and a founder of the Canadian Institute.
On Aug. 6, Manitoba went through a provincial election. The election came less than a year after the last one, when the Conservatives were elected with a minority government. In the election, the Liberals under Tobias Norris came to power with 40 seats, double what the party had previously. The Conservatives lost 23 seats to finish with only five. This was the first election win for the Liberals since 1896. The Conservatives would not win another election until 1958.
On Sept. 11, William Van Horne died. He oversaw the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, which he accomplished in his tenure in 1885 in half the time he was allocated. He later became the president of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1888. As president, he launched the sea transport division of the CPR. He also presided over the expansion of the CPR into a luxury hotel business.
On Sept. 16, Prince Edward Island went through an election. The election was won by John Mathieson and the Conservatives, who finished with 17 seats, a decline of 11 from the previous election. The Conservatives had governed since they won the 1912 election. This was the party’s last election win until 1923.
On Oct. 19, Neil McLeod died. He had served as the fifth premier of Prince Edward Island from 1889 to 1891. He served in the Prince Edward Island Legislature from 1879 to 1893.
On Oct. 25, Tommy Prince was born in Petersfield, Manitoba. His family had a long military tradition, which he would carry in his adult life.
Despite easily meeting requirements, he was turned down several times when he tried to enlist to fight in the Second World War. He was finally accepted on June 3, 1940. Originally part of the Royal Canadian Engineers, he joined the Devil’s Brigade in 1942.
Prince was highly skilled with covert abilities. In February 1944, he ran a communication line 1,400 metres to a house only 200 metres from a Germany artillery position. He spent three days reporting on German activities from that house.
When the line was severed by shelling, he pretended to be a farmer, went out and fixed it as he stooped to tie his shoes, then went back to the house. His actions led the destruction of four German tanks by the Allies. In the summer of 1944, he was given a new mission.
He walked through rugged terrain without food and little sleep for 72 hours to locate a German camp. He then relayed the location to the Allies, leading to the capture of 1,000 German soldiers. For his actions in these two instances, he earned the Military medal and American Silver Star. He was one of only 59 Canadians to earn the Military Medal & the American Silver Star.
Returning back to Canada after the Second World War, he was unable to vote in any elections & was refused the same benefits given to other veterans. With no employment, he enlisted with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry and began to train new recruits. He was part of the first Canadian unit to land in Korea & during the war he led many patrols into North Korean territory. He launched sneak attacks before retreating.
He remained in the army until 1954, and then devoted himself to helping the Indigenous people. He became the chairman of the Manitoba Indian Association. He also advocated for the respecting of Indigenous treaties in Canada. After his military service ended, he began working at an ice cream factory where he was treated with hostility by co-workers. He eventually left the position.
In 1955, he saved a man from drowning in the Red River. He walked away before the media arrived but a bystander had recognized him. In the 1960s, he fell on hard times and was living out of a shelter at one point. He was also forced to sell his medals to feed his family. Later, while living on the street in 1976, he was assaulted and beaten by a gang. In another incident, he was stabbed.
He died on Nov. 25, 1977. More than 500 people, including Manitoba’s Lt. Governor, several senior officers in the Canadian Army and the Consuls of France, Italy and the United States attended his funeral.
On Oct. 30, Sir Charles Tupper, a Father of Confederation, died in England. He had served as the premier of Nova Scotia from 1864 to 1867 and was a major reason that the province joined Canada as there were many in the colony who did not want to join Confederation.
In 1867, he was elected to Parliament, serving until 1884 when he lost in the election. He returned to Parliament again from 1887 to 1888 and then went to England to serve as the Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. In 1896, he returned to Canada and served as Prime Minister for 68 days, the shortest period of any prime minister. He remained in Parliament until 1900 when he was replaced with Sir Robert Borden as leader of the Conservatives. He was the only medical doctor to serve as Prime Minister. He was the last surviving Father of Confederation to die.
On Dec. 15, William Bowser became the 17th premier of British Columbia. He succeeded Richard McBride, who had served as premier since 1903. McBride resigned to become British Columbia’s representative in London. Unfortunately for Bowser, he only served for less than a year. His government, the Conservatives, was defeated in the November 1916 election.
