St Julien Day 22 April 1915 marked the first time a large quantity of deadly gas was deployed in battle. On that date, the Germans unleashed 160 tons of asphyxiating gas on Allied soldiers at Ypres. The unsuspecting men were not equipped to handle the yellow-green chlorine cloud that smelled of pineapples and pepper. Some […] Read more…
Playing around with prohibition Legislators added and refined clauses as they continued to debate the merits of Premier Hearst’s prohibition bill. Every municipality would have at least one licensed hotel (“standard hotels”), and boarding houses could bill themselves as such. For an annual licensing fee of $1 (just less than $20—see notes on conversion), these […] Read more…
240 men in three weeks The local military recruitment committee’s aggressive “700 men in three weeks” campaign limped to an end. The 118th Battalion’s numbers stood at 735 men—short of the desired 1000. The previous 21 days’ tonal shifts seemed to track to the waves of interest in the crusade. It began with optimism when […] Read more…
While Berliners followed Welland Canal plot developments and the Montreal Canadiens’ Stanley Cup victory over the Portland Rosebuds, local events and issues were just as engrossing. Good quality hides were scarce and leather tanners and boot makers paid the highest prices in memory. The local Board of Health was busy with ongoing meat inspection issues […] Read more…
Spring comes to Alert City The ice broke on the Grand River, Robin Redbreast made his first appearance, and a young red fox trotted into town (he was quickly enlisted as the 118th Battalion’s mascot); all hopeful signs Berlin, Ontario’s cold, snowy winter would soon end. The city’s renaming contest was in its final days, with […] Read more…
Temperance and Prohibition The new federal temperance bill passed first reading without discussion. It didn’t go as far as Vancouver’s HH Stevens‘ and Bonaventure’s Charles Marcil‘s (Unionist and Liberal, respectively) proposed bill—they called for total prohibition of the import, manufacture and sales of intoxicating beverages, until the war’s end—this one prevented liquor imports into dry […] Read more…