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Event 1: Canada is enlisted in WW1
At the beginning of World War 1, the Canadian Parliament decided not to send soldiers to Europe to fight in the war. When Britain made an offer to Germany to stand down, Germany declined. Therefore the entire British Empire was sent to war including Canada.“On October 3rd, 1914 the first group of soldiers was sent to England to join in the war. By 1915, 330,000 Canadians had gone to war to fight for their country.” (Morton, Canadian Encyclopedia) (Photo in-text citation: Wikipedia) -
Event 3: Poisonous Gas
During the second battle of Ypres on April 22nd, 1915 the first amount of poisonous gas (chlorine) was used against Canadians in order to gain the upper hand in the battle as the Canadians held the Ypres position. Many soldiers fled; however, a great portion of Canadian soldiers stayed in position with masks and goggles to defend their ground. “There were approximately one million gas casualties to all armies during the war, 12,000 of them Canadian.” (War museum).(Photo: Hughes, Independent) -
Event 2: The second battle of Ypres
On April 22nd, 1915 the second battle of Ypres began in Ypres, Belgium. This was the first major battle that Canadians were involved in for World War 1. Canadians played a huge role in the second battle as they resisted the first large scale gas attack from the German force. “Many Canadians were affected by the battle as it is estimated that 6,500 soldiers died, went missing in action, were captured or injured.” (Roy and Foot, Canadian Encyclopedia) (Photo in-text citation: War Museum) -
Event 4: Battle of the Somme
From July 1st, 1916 to November 18th, 1916 the battle of the Somme occurred in Somme, France. Of all the battles that occurred in World War 1, the battle of the Somme was seen as the most barbaric and senseless slaughter. During the 5 months of battle, “1.2 million soldiers died or were injured in action.”(Roy and Foot, Canadian Encyclopedia). “The battle of Somme was the largest battle of the war on the Western Front against German lines.”(Same as previous)(Photo in-text citation: History) -
Event 5: The battle of Vimy Ridge
The battle of Vimy Ridge took place on April 9th, 1917. This battle was the most celebrated victory in Canadian military standards.This was the first time that four Canadian forces fought together as one. Canada overtook Vimy Ridge from the Germans. “More than 10,600 Canadians were killed and wounded in the assault”(Foot, Canadian Encyclopedia). Vimy Ridge has become a memorial for unidentified soldiers with “11,285 names carved into the memorial.” (same as previous).(Photo: same as previous) -
Event 6: Battle of Passchendaele
The battle of Passchendaele took place in Belgium from July 31, 1917, to November 10, 1917. On July 31st the British attempted to break through German territory by capturing a ridge near the abandoned and destroyed village Passchendaele. The battle of Passchendaele offered no benefit to the British or German and was seen as a barbaric battle of slaughter. “More than 4,000 Canadians were killed and another 12,000 wounded.” (Roy and Foot, Canadian Encyclopedia) (Photo in-text citation: Wikipedia) -
Event 9: Indigenous Soldiers
“In World War 1 4,000 aboriginals enlisted. As well as one-third of Indigenous Canadians between 18 to 45 enlisted into World War 1 to protect Canada.”(Government of Canada). “A total of 50 Aboriginal soldiers were rewarded for their heroism and courage.”(Government of Canada). When returning from war Aboriginals were treated in the same negative way before leaving for war and the comparison of the Aboriginal soldiers to Non-Aboriginal soldiers was horrifically different. (Photo: Engler, Rabble) -
Event 8: War in the air
War in the air was a major factor in World War 1. During the early stages, the planes had no weapons but eventually became equipped with machine guns. Due to the trench warfare being a long and slow process the pilots played a crucial part in gaining an upper hand on the germans and taking over. There were many types of planes made for the war such as "scouts, night bombers, night fighters, and ground attack."(Military Factory). (Photo in-text citation:BBC ) -
Event 7: War at sea
Not only was World War 1 fought on land throughout Europe, but a great portion of the war was also at sea. The main goal of war at sea was to pressure Germany into their country with no way to leave. With this, the Germans tried to cut off Britain's resources of food and supply by submarine warfare. (Veterans Affairs Canada) (Photo in-text citation: Zhang, Prezi) -
Event 10: World War 1 ends
On November 11, 1918, World War 1 had officially ended with Germany signing an armistice (agreement for peace). Many events lead to Germany standing down such as 'their navy going on strike, The USA teaming up with the allies to fight Germany and limited resources and soldiers.'(BBC). "Germany went into serious debt after having to pay 132 billion gold marks (their currency before the Euro) due to the agreement in the deal to stand down."(BBC). (Photo in-text citation: BBC) -
Part 1: Continuity and change
In World War 1 there was a great evolution in poisonous gas from the Germans and British, as well the evolution of the warplanes saw a significant increase in technology and ability to perform. One of the biggest changes for poisonous gas was the variety of choices there were. The three that were made throughout the war were "Chlorine gas, Phosgene, and Mustard Gas."(Everts, Science History Institue)(Photo in-text citation: Rare Historical Photos) -
Part 2: Continuity and Change
As well there was a significant evolution in the technology of planes in World War 1. Originally the planes had no weapons but would later be made with machine guns. Both the Germans and the British would evolve and make planes that were specifically made for "scouting, night bombing(In photo), night fighting and ground attacks"(Military Factory) (Photo in-text citation: Wikipedia) -
Part 1: Cause and Consequence
In Vimy Ridge and the second battle of Ypres, Canadian soldiers knew these were crucial battles in the war. In the second battle of Ypres, Canadians held a crucial area in Ypres knowing the cost to keep it and what it would mean in German hands. The Germans did everything to gain control including releasing poisonous gas on the British army and their allies. Fortunately, Canada won this battle; however, many soldiers died. (Photo in-text citation: Jones, International Encyclopedia of WW1) -
Part 2: Cause and Consequence
In the battle of Vimy Ridge, Canadian forces needed to control the region in Northern France. With all four Canadian forces fighting together against the Germans they conquered the area. But with great victory came loss with “11,285 soldiers gone.”(Foot, Canadian Encyclopedia). (Photo in-text citation: Bethune, Macleans)
