EDITORIAL:

Please pause to think of the sacrifices of the Canadians who fought for our freedom

As the Daily Colonist duly noted in its editorial on Nov. 11, 1915, it was Day 468 of the war. On that day, a century ago, there seemed to be reason for optimism, on the western front at least. The German offensive movements seemed to be losing their force, and their attacks were repulsed with ease.

“It augurs well for the early success of the Western Allies on a large scale,” the Daily Colonist said. “We think it can be definitely claimed that in the Western field the German effort has failed, and cannot possibly be reorganized with any hope of success.”

It would take three more years, with millions of lives lost and millions of families shattered, before the war would draw to a close.

At home in Victoria on Day 468 of what became known as the Great War, and later the First World War, there was still a strong determination to win. The community strongly supported the war effort — at least, as far as the reporting in the two newspapers was concerned.

On that Nov. 11, the Board of Trade appointed five of its members to establish an anti-German society, which would fight for a boycott of German goods in our community.

H.H. Jones told the board that he had checked a store on Yates Street, and found that goods formerly imported from Germany were being obtained from Canadian sources. The Board of Trade decided to write letter to the manufacturers of these goods to express their approval.

On the same day, the Patriotic Aid Society decided to start a campaign to raise $200,000 for the wives and children of men who had gone to Europe to fight. The community had already raised a large amount for machine guns, so the next campaign would go to what the Victoria Daily Times said was a “no less worthy cause.”

Lt.-Col. Lorne Ross of the 47th Battalion, Western Scots, made arrangements for his troops to spend a night in the trenches being dug next to Richmond Avenue. The trenches were a true community effort, with sandbags supplied by the Central School Cadets and charcoal-burning tin drums donated by the Victoria Machinery Depot, Yarrows Ltd., Pendray Co. and other local businesses.

“With these the night exercises of the soldiers will be performed under conditions as near as possible to those at the front,” the Times said. “In spite of the dampness of the trenches the men will not have to put up with any more discomforts than those with which they will be faced in actual warfare, except, of course, that the noise of artillery and the high explosive shells and shrapnel will be missing.”

It was announced on Nov. 11 that churches throughout the capital region would make special appeals for men to go to the front. Theatres were asked to allow for daily addresses from authorized people who would ask physically fit men of military age to sign up.

That day, finishing touches were being added to the massive new Armoury on Bay Street. That building saw its first public event on Nov. 30, 1915, with the official launch of the $200,000 Patriotic Aid campaign. At that event, young men were again urged to join the war effort.

By Nov. 11, 1915, Day 468 of the war, only about 4,500 Canadians had been killed in the fighting.

The worst was still to come. The battles that helped define Canada, the battles such as Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele, were still many months away. By the time the guns fell silent three years later, 60,000 more Canadians would give their lives to the war effort, with many, many more injured.

Today, Nov. 11, 2015, please pause to think of the sacrifices made by those soldiers, and soldiers in other wars, who were fighting for our freedom, and for the Canada we love. Pause to say thanks.

Lest we forget.