Between 2014 and 2018, Canada will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the First World War. Some will quite rightly ask: Why should we as a nation or we as Presbyterians celebrate this war? Canada was a sparsely populated, dependant, largely rural, backwater Dominion within the much larger British Empire at the outset of war. Canada had no real identity apart from the British Empire. Canada did not control its own foreign policy; it was dictated by Britain and its Foreign Office. When Britain declared war on the triple alliance of Germany, the Austro – Hungarian Empire, and Italy on Aug. 4, 1914, Canada had absolutely no say in the matter. At the outset of war most Canadians were comfortable with this arrangement. If the interests of the British Empire were in peril, most Canadians wanted to do their part to rectify the situation. While Canada in 1914 saw itself as a Confederation of provinces linked to each other by common interests and values and also by two transcontinental railroads and other East/West tributaries, the provinces had very little do with one another. For many, the Dominion of Canada was a theory rather than something they experienced firsthand. For many, their allegiance went back to their country of origin, which was often England, Scotland or Ireland.
The First World War would start to change all that. In our Dominion of seven million people, 600,000 served in uniform and 450,000 of them served overseas. This meant that Canadians from every region in Canada, from every social and economic group, from every imaginable occupation and profession, as well as every religious denomination served side by side and discovered that Canadians working together could do what others were incapable of doing.
The Canada that emerged from the crucible of the First World War was a far different country than the one that entered the war. While it is true that Canada continued to consider itself part of the British Empire, the seeds of independence were sown on the killing fields. While Canada may not, as some say, have been born on Vimy Ridge, it is not hyperbole to say that such moments of great achievement during WWI were a kind of epiphany of things to come. There are some who would say that the British Empire died on the Somme. I would not go that far but the days of the British Empire were definitely numbered.
The Dominion of Canada was becoming stronger and much more confident in exercising its own judgment and making its own way in the world. At first this was expressed by having Canada perceived and treated as a more highly respected and valued Dominion within the British Empire. It would not be long until Canada was ready to strike out as a nation on its own. The First World War definitely accelerated this process.
Prior to the war, Canada was considered a colony with immense resources but with a tiny population comprised of farmers and those who made their living harvesting primary resources. There was limited industry and Canada had no say on the world stage, as it was totally subservient to Great Britain. As a result of Canada’s participation and proud record in the war, it emerged as a nation with a legitimate and admirable standing on a global scale. Canada was a signatory on the Treaty of Versailles, something few would have believed possible at the start of the war. Canada’s population was growing. Industrialization fed by the war was taking hold. Fueled by the need to win a crucial election during the war, the Borden government presented legislation to enfranchise women. In many ways the First World War changed Canada and on the whole those changes were considered to be both positive and welcomed.
Why should we as a church celebrate or at least remember those who sacrificed so much that we might live in peace? First and foremost, as Canadians and as Presbyterians, we owe the many freedoms we enjoy to those who fought and those who died or were wounded. In addition, the Presbyterian Church was one of the four largest Protestant denominations at the time. Some 50,000 Presbyterians served in uniform. We had the third largest number of chaplains in the Canadian Corps. When the call to arms went out during WWI, Presbyterians joined up in the thousands to do their bit. This is a part of our history. Many of our churches have their Roll of Honour on their walls. Some have the colours of regiments replete with battle honours hanging on flagstaffs in their sanctuaries. The 2014 – 18 period is a time to contemplate what this all means and to give thanks for those who, when the world was in peril, responded with life and limb to guard what we as Canadians hold most dear.
