Canadian Veterans and the Aftermath of the Great War

372 Pages·2017·3.78 MB·English

by  Jonathan Scotland

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Jonathan Scotland, The University of Western Ontario
Supervisor: Dr. Robert Wardhaugh, The University of Western Ontario
A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree
in History
© Jonathan Scotland 2016
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Scotland, Jonathan, "And the Men Returned: Canadian Veterans and the Aftermath of the Great War"
(2016). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 3662.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/3662
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Abstract
The Great War was a formative event for men who came of age between 1914
and 1918. They believed the experience forged them into a distinct
generation. This collective identification more than shaped a sense of self; it
influenced understanding of the conflict’s meaning. Canadian historians,
however, have overlooked the war’s generational impact, partly because they
reject notions of a disillusioned Lost Generation. Unlike European or
American youths, it is argued that Canadian veterans did not suffer postwar
disillusionment. Rather, they embraced the war alongside a renewed
Canadian nationalism. This generation was proud of their nation’s wartime
achievements, notably those of the Canadian Corps, but the conflict’s
meaning was rooted in more than battlefield history. Its validity was
inseparable from the postwar life for which veterans believed they had fought
for. Yet, despite hopes to return home to a ‘square deal’, economic and
international instability marred life in interwar Canada, dashing the
generation’s confidence in the future.
This discontent is obscured by histories heavily focused on memory
and a corresponding reliance on cultural sources, such as war books, to
explain the conflict’s social history. While an important part of the war’s
legacy, retrospective focus on commemoration is a poor guide to the lived
realities of the postwar present. In the war’s aftermath many young veterans
struggled to find work. Combined with the prospect of renewed war in
Europe, their unemployment added to a growing list of postwar grievances,
including failure to secure adequate assistance for wounded and traumatized
veterans. These unresolved complaints about the pension system, the soldier
settlement schemes, and the mishandling of postwar canteen funds
(particularly in Ontario) more than undermined the war generation’s belief in
the war, it left them deeply disillusioned with its meaning.

Keywords
Great War, First World War, Canada, Ontario, generation, disillusionment,
Canteen Fund, veterans.
Dedicated to Audrey and Donald Scott
Acknowledgments
This project was assisted financially by a Social Science and Humanities
Research Council of Canada Doctoral Fellowship, two Ontario Graduate
Scholarships, and funding from Western’s Lynne-Lionel Scott Fellowship. It
could not have been completed without the help of archivists and librarians
at Library and Archives Canada and the Archives of Ontario. At the latter,
Jeff Mokler was particularly helpful in assisting me with the numerous
freedom of information requests required to make sense of Ontario’s
Canteen Fund records. The staff at several university archives, including
Columbia University, the University of Manitoba, Dalhousie University, and
Queen’s University also deserve praise. At Western and the University of
Toronto, I’d be remiss if I did not single out both Elizabeth Mantz and Loryl
MacDonald for special mention for their support.
My supervisor, Robert Wardhaugh, believed in my topic from the
beginning and I have benefitted tremendously from his keen editorial and
argumentative guidance. My second reader, Jonathan Vance, along with my
entire doctoral committee, also deserves thanks for their comments and
suggestions. I would similarly like to mention Peter Neary, Alan
MacEachern, Robert MacDougall, and Francine Mackenzie, whose guidance
and conversation I continue to value.
Many friends and colleagues helped with the completion of this
study. In Winnipeg, Stephen and Carissa Grandpre welcomed me into their
families and their homes. Closer to home, Chris Tyrell secured me a much-
needed copy of the Canteen Fund Act. ‘The Elite’ also had my back. Adam
Haeussler accompanied me on countless research trips, as did Daniel Heidt,
who kindly discussed much of my work along the way. Peter Kikkert saw
this dissertation evolve from the outset and went above and beyond by
critiquing a draft in its entirety. Edward Soye also discussed this project from
its inception and was another who took time out of his busy schedule to read
the entire manuscript. His comments and advice improved it significantly.
My grandparents, Audrey and Donald Scott, to whom this
dissertation is dedicated, helped spark my love of history and I am forever
thankful for their encouragement. Bruce and Susanne, my parents, as well as
my brother Brendan and his wife Joanne, provided significant financial,
moral, and intellectual support, not least by enduring lengthy discussions
about arcane points of Canadian history. The same should be said of my
parents-in-law, Danny and Grace. Together, my family kept me grounded
and helped me see this project to completion.
None of what follows could have been possible without the love
and support of Cassandra. Our lives have changed dramatically over the
course of this project and her unceasing encouragement has made all of this
possible.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract ii
Acknowledgments v
Table of Contents vii
List of Tables xiii
List of Figures ix
List of Appendices x
Introduction 1
Chapter 1: A Generation of Men 1(cid:27)
Chapter 2: A Silent Generation? 70
Chapter 3: The Postwar Disillusioning of Canada’s War Generation 113
Chapter 4: Unemployment and the Problem of the Returned Man 149
Chapter 5: In Search of a ‘Square Deal’ 180
hapter 6: Returned Men and the Promise of the Canteen Funds 231
Chapter 7: “Right Up Against It”: The Canteen Funds and
Ontario’s War Generation 266
Conclusion 311
Appendix I 318
Appendix II 322
Acronyms 323
Sources 325
Curriculum Vitae 359
List of Tables
Table 1. Age Distribution of Unemployed Men, Toronto 160
Table 2. Provincial Distribution of Canteen Funds, 1925 268
List of Figures

Figure 1. Canadian Soldiers by age at enlistment, aged 18-49 25
Figure 2. Visual representation of data in Appendix II 103
Figure 3. Visual representation of data in Appendix II 103
Figure 4. DSCR Poster advertising employment 150
Figure 5. Ontario Canteen Fund Ballot 273
Figure 6. Age of Ontario Canteen Fund Users 276
Figure 7. OCF Users and Total funds distributed, 1928-1939 277
List of Appendices

Appendix I 318
Appendix II 322