Learning

Presented to a school in Steinbach, Manitoba, as part of the War Memorial Library of the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire, this booklet told the story of Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, and South African soldiers during the First World War.

This book was issued to schools in New Brunswick as a text-book to instruct students about Canada's role in the war and their duty as Canadians to save money and materials that are needed for Canada's war effort. Although the armistice had been signed before this book was released, the war was technically not over until the Treaty of Versailles was signed in June of 1919.

The Prince Edward Island Department of Education released this book to its schools to describe Canadian democracy and the operation of the government of Canada.

Children who had no access to actual military badges could collect cards of the badges instead.

A Prince Edward Island schoolboy used these exercise books during the Second World War for mathematics and writing; there were six different books in the "Branches of the Service" series.

Drill was very popular in Canadian schools before the First World War and became even more popular after 1914, when it was used as a vehicle for patriotic instruction.

Schoolboy Clarence Geddes used these notebooks for History and Geometry classes. They probably date from early in the First World War.

The Red Cross Conservation Department was responsible for saving waste material - everything from fat and bones to scrap metal - to be turned into weapons. Collecting such things was a popular activity for schoolchildren.

Children who collected these cards could trade them, or use them to learn semaphore or as a bookmark.

This parody, probably printed at the end of the First World War, was typically of such humour that poked fun at the enemy. Once they had been defeated, Canadians could afford to take them less seriously.