Volunteering

Introductory Essay

Volunteering was an integral part of the “total war” Canadians experienced during the First and Second World Wars, offering civilians a meaningful and practical way to contribute to the national war…

A welcome for doughboys in Windsor

Women from the Border Cities Welfare League of Windsor, Ontario, provided cigarettes and writing to materials to American soldiers who passed through the city on their way to Europe.

Selling flowers for the war effort

In 1940, the Canadian Red Cross Society sold flowers at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, Ontario, to raise money for its war work.

Supporting the Victory Loan

This card was designed to be placed in a home or business window, to indicate that the owner had supported the Victory Loan campaign.

War Savings for Christmas

This little card from an insurance company was intended to remind Canadians to support the war effort at Christmas, by buying War Savings Certificates.

Saving for the war effort

Like countless Canadians, Annette Waterman of St Thomas, Ontario, invested heavily in Canada's war effort by purchasing War Savings Certificates and Victory Bonds.

War Savings.pdf (55.68 MB)

A guide for Canadians in London

With this guide, Canadians on leave in London could find accommodation, clubs, and hospitality centres run by a variety of organizations, including the YMCA, the Knights of Columbus, and the Salvation Army.

Leave guide.pdf (40.68 MB)

Knitting for style and thrift

Monarch Knitting Company was one of Canada's largest textile firms. Their pattern magazines afforded wartime families the opportunity to sew their own clothing from scratch or recycled fabric, while still staying trendy.

Save for the war effort

The patriotic cover art provided an introduction to a parable, originally published in 1938, on the value of thrift in an emergency.

Put your money behind the war effort!

"Within your heart there lives an heroic spirit," begins this pamphlet which shows how those who cannot fight should buy Victory Bonds.

Supplies for the troops at the front

Early in the First World War, the Canadian Fields Comforts Commission was the main agency involved in sending clothing, reading material, toiletries, and sweets to soldiers at the front.