Fighting

Periodic amendments were made to the Field Service Pocket Book, a kind of military manual typically carried by officers. This one concerned the proper use of radios in the field.

Founded in 1895, the Navy League of Canada was created to instill in youngsters the importance of maritime defence.

Under Canadian law, exemption from conscription during the First World War depended on membership in a faith group that had been recognized as pacifist. These cards verified that Jacob and Johann Wiebe were baptized members of the Sommerfeld Mennonite Church in Manitoba and were therefore not subject to conscription.

This certificate indicated that Georges Burelle of Montreal had been placed in Category E by a medical examiner - indicating that he was permanently physically unfit for military service.

Thousands of Americans enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War - Harrison Webster was one of the few African-Americans. A native of Fergus Falls, Minnesota, he enlisted in #2 Construction Battalion in Saskatoon in October 1916.

On Sunday, the tenth of September 1939, the government of Canada officially announced that the nation was at war with Germany.

"The Thistle," published by Nova Scotia's 85th Battalion, provided a mixture of battalion news, humour, and advertisements directed at soldiers.

In a song that captured the essence of the citizen-soldier ideal, men were asked to "Close up the ledger and put down the pen, Hark to the trumpet call."

In this plea for volunteers, popular singer Will J. White issued a warning to the young men of Canada: "it's Voluntary Service Keeps Conscription from the door."

This song was dedicated to Minister of Militia and Defence Sam Hughes, and suggested that Canadian men ask themselves a pointed question: "Is the bit I'm doing just the biggest bit I can?"