1914-10-31ee

A number of Hamiltonians reacted to the horror of the opening weeks of World War One by writing poetry.

One of those poets was a woman named Constance Ward Harper. Two of her poems follow :

 

Heroic Belgium

 

Flung into hell of butchery and flames

By a dishonorable and ruthless foe

The world’s pity poor Belgium justly claims;

She is reaping a harvest she did not sow.

 

Her only fault was that her country lay

Across the path of vandals, on plunder bent;

She would not let them pass, and so today,

The mailed fist her lovely land has scarred and rent.

 

Fields are ravished, cities in ashes lie,

The beauty of Louvain and Maitnes is naught

But empty shells, where spirits moan and sigh,

As they seek for those they lost, but find them not.

 

There ghosts of her slain children walk o’nights

And cry for vengeance upon the modern Hun,

Who’s strewn their peaceful land with awful sights,

That  make cold shivers through humanity run.

 

Still the winepress is running Belgian blood –

Still the sky with burning Belgians homes is red:

But Belgium’s spirit rides the crimson flood,

Undaunted amid her ruins and her dead.

 

Who such a spirit as hers can conquer,

Which never so great as today, when she stands

Guarding national freedom and honor,

Holding liberty’s torch in her wounded hands?

 

Above the din of war she sounds a note

That will echo along the vistas of time-

Most glorious chapter ever she wrote,

History’ll record to her courage sublime.

 

What shall she write thee, German oppressor,

Thou who smote those whom honor prompted to save?

Blots o’er thy escutcheon history will scatter –

Blots all the waters of Lethe cannot tave.

 

-Hamilton, October 26, 1914 ¹

 

¹ “Heroic Belgium”

Hamilton Spectator. October 31, 1914.

 

Peace and War

 

With saddened brow and drooping wings,

   Fair Peace stood brooding o’er the world;

Ne’er had her eyes beheld such things –

   As now before her lay unfurled.

 

Was this a farce of Hell on earth ?

   Scarce real the cataclysm seemed.

Had fantasy given birth

   To imagery heroic undreamed?

 

Else, God’s fiat – Let us make man !

   Had changed to – Let war man unmake.

For ne’er, since that creative dawn,

   Did Death such heavy payment take.

 

Or – awful thought, it blanched her face ! –

   Was God no longer in His heaven –

Was there a demon in His place,

   Who unto carnage earth had given?

 

Great shells flew hurtling through the air,

   Exploding with murderous bang;

And mingling with the trumpet’s blare,

   Wild laughter from Olympus rang.

 

Dead men and horses, thousands lay

   In heaps upon the blood-soaked earth:

While wounded, mad with agony,

   Were supplicating God for death.

 

And still, and still, fresh troops came on

   Across the shambles to attack,

And fought, as did the Goth, and Hun,

   Till thousands more bestrewed their track.

 

No time was there to bury dead;

   Foul pestilential stench arose,

That sickened, more than steel or lead,

   The masses of opposing foes.

 

These are the nation’s choicest sons –

   None there of weak, degenerate sires;

The drain for war comes not from slums;

   Those, left behind, breed in their mires.

 

While strong and fit go ever out –

   Yesterday, today, tomorrow;

Till virile manhood’s seed dies out;

   And chivalry droops in sorrow.

 

Thus, from the weaklings of the race,

   Must future generations come;

Great God, have pity on their case

   By miracle avert their doom!

 

Night dropped her mantle, but in vain.

   To hide the carnage of the day.

The burning city of Louvain,

   Lit up the sky with lurid ray.

 

And now new horrors came in view,

   Unnoticed midst the battle roar –

The homeless ones passed in review;

   Hungry, and maimed, by cursed war.

 

Peace turned her streaming eyes on high,

   “How long, oh Lord ! will slaughter reign –

How long, ‘neath iron heels, shall lie

   Thy patient poor in direst pain?

 

An angel, with flaming sword,

   Appeared against the western sky,

“I bring a message from our Lord –

   This war’s the last – thy day is high.

 

-      Hamilton Oct. 8, 1914 ²

² “Peace and War”

Hamilton Spectator.  November 7, 1914

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1914-11-07kk

Two short items from the Hamilton Spectator edition of Friday November 7, 1914, follow.

One was sad, and the other less so.

“A large measure of sympathy will be extended to Sergt. John D. Tait, of the Army Service corps and his wife, Mrs. Tait, on the death this morning of their infant twin daughters, Margaret Kathleen and Annie Aileen, which took place at the home of their parents, 311 Dundurn street south.

“The father of the children, who is serving at the front with the Canadians, having left here, is now a member of No. 2 Army Service corps, which is at present at Bustard Camp, Salisbury Plain, England, and the children were born since he left and are but a month old.

“The double funeral will take place at 2 o’clock Saturday afternoon in Hamilton cemetery.”¹

¹ “Pathetic Case : Soldier’s Babes Die While  Father Fights For His Country”

Hamilton Spectator.   November 07, 1914

Right below the sad news of the infant deaths was placed an article which may have lightened the sorrowful burden felt after reading that sad story:

“Another shipment of the great favorite, It’s a Long Way to Tipperary, has just arrived, enabling us to offer two hundred copies on Saturday morning at 10 cents each, while they last.

“This is the British marching song, and has become immensely popular throughout every English-speaking part of the world. Even on the fighting line, the French soldiers have taken it up and translated it, and sing it with as much enthusiasm as the British troops.

“Get a copy tomorrow. Be here early. At our last sale we sold several hundred in one morning. This lot will not last long.

“Stanley Mills & Co. Ltd.”²

² Tipperary, 10c : On Sale at the Stanley Mills Music Dept. Tomorrow.”

Hamilton Spectator. November 7, 1914

 

 

1914-10-30oo

“On the books of the Hamilton United Relief association today are the names of a large number of families who find themselves in desparate straits through no fault of their own.”

Hamilton Spectator.   October 30, 1914.

The Hamilton United Relief association volunteers were doing their best, but the requirement for the assistance that the association could provide far outstripped the resources available.

The Hamilton Spectator, on October 30, 1914 published an article which hopefully would provoke more donations to the association.

A reporter was send to the headquarters of the Hamilton Association and what he learned about the people applying for relief prompted him to write the following in the early part of his article:

“If you were to see these people face to face you wouldn’t be able to keep your hand out of your pocket. You’d feel obligated to help them – just because they so plainly need help.”¹

¹ “Records Tell Sad Story of Grim Poverty : United Relief Staff Comes Across Many Pathetic cases”

Hamilton Spectator. October 30, 1914.

While at the headquarters of the association, the young man from the Spectator was permitted some of the reports made by the investigators who had been assigned to visit home to assess whether or not relief would be provided to the applicants :

“Here, for instance, is a report on a Russian family.  There are four in the family and the father, a laborer who has been in this country three years, has been out of work three months. The Rev. Father Tarasiuk, the Russian minister, says, that the family have no heat in the house. They are trying to keep the baby warm by keeping it in a pillow bound with rugs.”¹

Unemployment was a major cause of poverty in 1914, but there were other causes, such as domestic abandonment:

“Mrs. M. was deserted by her husband three months ago. Since that time she has gone out washing, and thus has supported her two children, respectively 5 and 8 years of age. About a week ago, she broke her ankle and is now at the city hospital. She is getting further behind in her rent all the time, and the children are disconsolate while she is away.”¹

Physical disability was also a factor in many cases of distress:

“Blindness has overtaken a big, powerful Scotchman, 34 years of age, who, until a short time ago, was able to support his family at his trade, that of blacksmith. Dr. Morton, of the city hospital, made every effort to save the man’s sight, but a piece of steel had penetrated the eyeball. This man’s wife is sick in bed, and he is doing all he can to take care of the children, one of who is a baby only thirteen months old, and the other a child of three.”¹

Finally, a letter, written to the association was reprinted as follows:

“I sent up my man and they did not give him the groceries. I have two children and they are crying for something to eat and I have nothing to give them.

“Be so kind and please give to me, for my children are starving. I could wait, but my children can’t”¹

The Spectator ended his article by urging Spectator readers to help as best they could, noting that there were 833 families of the Hamilton United Relief association’s book as October, 1914 was coming to end. The coming winter could only mean a rise in that number.

 

1914-12-24rr

“It is the custom of the Arcade Limited to give every employee a bonus of two days’ pay as a slight token of the firm’s appreciation of their services during the year.”

Hamilton Herald.   December 24, 1914.

As Christmas day, 1914 was fast approaching, the employees working at Hamilton’s Arcade department store on James street north came to a collective decision.

While each employee was certainly looking forward to the receipt of the annual Christmas bonus, there was awareness that not everyone in Hamilton was about to have a very pleasant holiday but of financial distress:

“With one accord, they agreed to turn one day’s pay over to the city relief fund. When this signed petition was presented to their manager, J. P. Whelan, he announced that he would be pleased to accede to the request, and would forward a check for the amount, $150.

“Needless to say, Mr. Whelan is proud of his staff, who were so considerate of others, and so filled with the real Christmas spirit that they were willing to forego their usual Christmas gift in order that they may help others who are, through no fault of their own, less fortunately placed than themselves”¹

¹ “Are Generous : Arcade Manager and Employees Have True Christmas Spirit.”

Hamilton Herald.    December 24, 1914.

Even before the decision to support the city relief fund with half of their Christmas bonuses, the staff at The Arcade had another effort to specifically help children, The Kids’ Kristmas Kontest:

“The following is a letter received by the Arcade’s Santa Claus from a little Kontester who received a doll’s buggy as her prize. It is good to know that the efforts to give pleasure to some of the children of their patrons is appreciated. You can just imagine how this little girlie’s heart would jump with joy when their delivery man handed to her the buggy.

                                                                                                 441 Ferguson Ave.

                                                                                             Dec. 23, 1914.

Dear Santa Claus :

          I am very thankful for my Kontest present, and I am very pleased with it. I can’t tell you how pleased I am because I have won something I have longed for for years, my first Doll’s Buggy.

          Your very grateful friend,

                   Nellie Beale.

P. S. – Wishing you a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”¹

                                                                                                                  

1914-10-22ff

“Seldom in the history of Hamilton has a more enthusiastic meeting been held than that of last night in the Association hall in commemoration of Trafalgar day .”

Hamilton Herald.   October 22, 1914

Unwavering support for the mother country was the feeling in the air as the streets leading to the Association hall were crowded with Hamiltonians :

“Long before the time set for the concert to start, the hall was packed and patriotic fervor dominated the gathering.”¹

¹ “Premier Was Greeted Warmly”

Hamilton Spectator.   October 22, 1914.

The event was held under the auspices of the Sons of England in conjunction with the St. George’s Benevolent society. All proceeds were directed to the cause of the city relief needs.

As well as the anticipated musical performances were a draw, it was the appearance of the main speaker, the Honorable W. H. Hearst, Premier of Ontario.

Hamilton Mayor Allan was called upon to introduce the speaker of the evening:

“The mayor contended that we, as British people, should be very thankful for all the privileges which we are able to enjoy in spite of the great war now raging.

“ ‘It is my sincere hope that very soon we shall be able to celebrate as great a victory as the one we are now commemorating.’

“He then introduced the speaker.”¹

Premier Hearst was greeted when extended rounds of applause and cheers as he stepped forward to deliver his speech. It took several minutes for the welcome to die down so that the premier could begin:

“ ‘I must thank you from the bottom of my heart for the generous reception accorded me, and I would say that it is only one of the many ways in which Canada is showing its untold generosity.

“ ‘It is a pleasure to see our good friend, the Englishman, take this opportunity to celebrate this anniversary, and it is a great pleasure to me to be able to come here tonight to speak to you.

“ ‘These kind of demonstrations are a powerful force in helping England to maintain its proud position, and the never-to-be-forgotten words, ‘England expects that every man will do his duty,’ has run down through the years, inspiring thousands of men to do their duty to their king and country,’ he said.”¹

Premier Hearst outlined the history of Lord Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, noting that all should pray for as great a victory for Britain in the present war.

The speaker declared that those who were not able to fight in the war in Western Europe had a duty to help at home relieving distress and poverty.

Premier Hearst proceeded to exhort his speakers to the highest of patritic support for the mother country

“ ‘Great Britain today is threatened by a far more formidable foe than Nelson was by Napoleon, and it will take all the forces which we can muster to bring about the desired end. When we realize the extent and value of Great Britain, we should be justly proud to be British and be proud of our heritage.The Englishman should be proud of being born in that country, the Scot of his native land and the Irishman of the Emerald isle, but I say the greatest privilege of which we should be proudest is that we are all citizens of Great Britain.

“ ‘The fate of the world is in the result of the battles to be fought in the immediate future, and it is our duty to support the motherland, not with the idea that we are helping her, but are defending ourselves, as this is just as much our war as England’s. Do we, as Britishers, want to submit to Prussian rule in this fair land of the maple? This is what the result would be if ever defeat overtook us in this war, and it is up to us to supply all the help possible to try to avoid this lamentable end.’ ”¹

In outlining the cause of the outbreak of war between Austria and Serbia, Premier Hearst showed how, in spite of all efforts to broker the dispute, Austria, backed by Germany, had been determined to wage war :

“ ‘Today, thank God, Great Britain is innocent of the blood which is drenching Europe. Had Great Britain failed to step in and come to the aid of Belgium and France, it would have been forced to fight Germany at a later date at a far greater disadvantage and under less favorable conditions. It would also have lost forever its honor and name.

“ ‘The course adopted was the only one. What would happen if the Union Jack ever ceased to stand for liberty, freedom and justice? I have no more fear for the ultimate result of this war than I have of the justness of Britain’s cause.

“ ‘Now we must fight to a finish so that when the bugle sounds the last ‘cease fire’ it will be the signal for everlasting peace. We have boasted, as Canadians, that should England ever light the beacon fires for help, we should respond eagerly. Now that the call has rung out, we must answer it.

“ ‘Stand together until the Union Jack flies in the streets of Berlin. I would like to leave you with this message ringing in your ears, ‘Britain expects that every man will do his duty.’ ”¹

Premier Hearst again was the recipient of a prolonged ovation, his speech stirring the hearts of all present deeply.

As the following days, newspapers went to press the final tally of contributions to Hamilton’s United Relief Fund were not known exactly, but the organizers of the event were confident that expectations had been exceeded and a godly sum had been collected.

1914-10-21tt

Although official news from the front in Western Europe was heavily censored, sometimes Hamiltonians would learn a little firsthand news about the war by means of letters, letters which would be printed in the local press.

Such was the case when Miss Athawes, 22 Augusta street, shared with the Hamilton Herald, a letter she had received from a friend who lived at Headcorn, Kent, England.

A portion of the letter made reference to Leo Grossman, a young man, son of a prominent Hamilton musical family, his father being a long-term member of the Thirteenth Battalion band and well-known owner of a musical store on King street.

Leo Grossman had left Hamilton a few years previously to live in British Columbia. He just happened to be in England when war broke out in August, 1914.

In her letter to Miss Athawes, her friend recounts the following:

“The Germans are near enough to us now. We quite expect bombs in London, and the worst of it is we are on the high road there.

“Leo Grossman was here when the war broke out, and he at once joined the Buffs, East Kent regiment, so you see there was a Canadian soon in it. He was a trained man, and they snapped him up.

“It makes us rather anxious, especially as he joined from here, but his mother seems very plucky over it. God grant he may come back safe.

“I know some of the German cruelties are true as I have seen a little boy of about three or four years of age with his hands cut off so that he would never grow up to be a soldier.

“Canterbury is quite a military town, being the depot of the Buffs. Nearly everyone has soldiers billeted on them. We lost several men at Mons from here.”¹

¹ “With the Buffs : Hamilton Boy One of the First Canucks to Reach Firing Line”

Hamilton Herald.   October 21, 1914

 

 

1914-10-20xxx

It was an event not soon forgotten.

On Friday evening, October 23, 1914, the huge hall of the Imperial Order of Oddfellows temple on Gore street, near James, was filled to overflowing.

Madame Lalla Vandervelde, the wife of the secretary of state was the attraction, and the large audience present were there to hear her tell of her country tragedy and heroism in the face of the German invasion.

The hall had been decorated - not ostentatiously, but appropriately. In front of the chairman’s table a small Belgian flag had been placed. A few palms were put he stage itself some palms had been placed, while large Union Jacks had been hung on the wall behind the stage.

Proceedings began with the Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, and former Hamilton mayor, Sir John S. Hendrie officially welcoming in the speaker:

“He said the sympathy of the people of Ontario went out to little Belgium in this time of its distress. The people of Hamilton were always generous in the cause of all that was right, and he assured the representative that the country's sympathy had been aroused.

“ ‘Belgium had behaved as an honorable race should be have, and now it is our duty to do all in our power to relieve the suffering of your people,’ said the lieutenant-governor.”¹

¹ “Great Sympathy Shown for Belgium”

Hamilton Herald.   October 20, 1914.

Hamilton Mayor George Allan then extended the freedom of the city to Madame Vandervelde, and expressed his confidence that Hamiltonians would respond generously to the call for financial donations, and that the $3500 figure already raised would be increased substantially.

Mrs. (Dr.) Samuel Lyle spoke briefly on behalf of the women of Hamilton, telling Madame Vandervelde of “Hamilton’s unbounded admiration for the gallantry of the Belgians”¹

At this point, three young ladies from the Loretto academy came on stage, greeting the distinguished visitor. They then presented her with a beautiful bouquet of roses and a purse filled with gold.

          When it was Madame Vandervelde’s turn to speak, she was was greeted with prolonged applause as she rose:

          “The speaker was overwhelmed by the welcome given and cordially thanked all. She spoke in a quiet voice, but pronounced her words very clearly, using good English. She spoke as a grief-stricken woman patriot and the terrible tales she related seemed to wring her heart with anguish.”¹

          The reporter for the Hamilton Spectator was also highly complimentary of the way Mme. Vandervelde spoke:

          “Never was an audience so profoundly impressed nor so deeply moved as that which filled the I.O.O.F. temple last night to its remotest corners to listen to the message of Madame Lalla Vandervelde, wife of the Belgian minister of state, to the Canadian people.

          “Stirred one moment  to surging enthusiasm at the recounting of some brave and noble deed, struck silent the next by the unvarnished story of some unspeakable act three thousand miles away. The big audience was kept in a perpetual condition of deep emotion.

          “She told a tale poignant with human feeling, strong in its tragic simplicity. The speaker made no attempt at rhetoric. The message was given without frills or amplifications and with a dramatic directness that reached all hearts.

          “It was the spoken narrative of the desecration of Belgium, the crushing of a small but gallant people by a ruthless foe. Madame Vandervelde spoke often with visible emotion, sometimes with a scarcely audible sob, sometimes with the fire of righteous indignation burning in her heart.”²

                ² “Dramatic Story of Belgium’s Tragedy”

          Hamilton Spectator.   October 20, 1914  .

The speaker recounted how Belgium had made every effort to remain neutral when the war broke out, but that Germany wanted a “benevolent neutrality” allowing Germany to march through the country to France unimpeded.  The Germans issued an ultimatum to Belgium to grant such a neutrality or else, in the words of the ultimatum, “we shall consider Belgium an enemy.”

When the deadline of the ultimatum passed, German troops proceeded to enter Belgium. Belgium had about 150,000 troops in its army, hardly enough to successfully stem the German advance, but, the Belgian army fought heroically enough to slow the German advance towards France.

“The Germans acknowledge themselves that in violating the neutrality of Belgium they were acting in contradiction to the dictates of international law. The German chancellor confessed to it on August 4 in the Reichstag.

“Why did they treat my poor country so ruthlessly if it were not revenge themselves upon it for not having allowed them to pass through ?”

“By burning towns and by throwing bombs from airships, Germany hopes to frighten civilian populations to such an extent that they will clamor for peace at any price. This, however, will never come to pass,” Mme. Vandervelde declared.

“Help us, I implore you by giving generously to our relief fund which will do so much towards the construction of a new Belgium, towards enabling all these poor refugees once to resume their daily lives and their work.”

Madame Vandervelde had personally visited her country’s soldiers close to the battlefront and had many anecdotes about what she saw:

“ ‘Our troops fully realized the fearful odds they were fighting against, but their spirits were splendid. The afternoon before the Battle of Louvain, we visited the line and distributed tobacco among the men., ate our evening meal with them and saw the arrangments that had been made for the wounded, of whom, alas, there were to be so many.

“We patted the clever dogs that pulled the milirailleuses – the little guns which look like toys. They are wonderfully intelligent; they bring the small guns to which they are harnessed into position, either walking or running according to the word of command. At another word of command, they stop suddenly, are unharnessed and at once lie down, each dog behind its own gun. They are supposed to move until they are called, but several soldiers told me that when it came to hand-to-hand fighting, the dogs rushed forward to try to defend their masters. Many of the poor creatures have, of course, been killed.’¹

Before the battle, Madame Vandervelde had visited the city of Louvain:

“Instead of the ordinary aspect which it usually presented on a summer day, the streets were full of soldiers. The inhabitants were surprised but cheerful and full of hope.

“ ‘Could anyone forsee that it was soon to be burned to ashes?’ she asked with simple pathos.

“Of the grandeur of the architecture, the beauty of its churches, university and houses, Mms. Vandervelde spoke in reverent terms. And all that had been destroyed.”²

Madame Vandervelde also shared an example of the hardships endured by non-combatants as the German army laid ravage to her country:

“ ‘I remember speaking to an old woman of seventy-two who had walked from half past three at night to nine the next morning flying from the enemy, and never shall I forget the pitiable sight of a young girl of about fifteen, with curvature of spine, who had never been out of bed and who had to walk as best she could, supported and partly carried by her parents. Poor child, she was worn out with pain and exhaustion and had high fever.”¹

Before the speaker shared examples of the atrocities which the German army had been guilty of, she noted that an official inquiry ordered by her king, had been “conducted by well-known and highly regarded magistrates, men of ripe years, who would not let themselves be carried away by any sort of passion. Each case was examined most carefully. Witnesses were called  and recalled and thoroughly cross-examined and only those cases which were absolutely authenticated were embodied in the inquiry report.”¹

The speaker advised that she would not Harrow” the feelings of the audience with the whole account of German violations of the laws of war. She would confine herself to a few characteristic examples:

“ ‘On August the 9^th at Orsmach, Germans picked up a well-known German officer, Commander Knapen, very seriously wounded, propped him up against a tree and shot him. Then they hacked his corpse with swords.

“ ‘The Rev. Count De Ribaucourt, military chaplain, declared the following before the commission : On August 25^th, I ascertained that in the village of Hofspade, near Malines, an old woman of about 60 years of age, had been killed by a dozen bayonet thrusts as the Germans drew back before our carbineers. She still had a needle and cotton in her hands which she had been sewing with.

“ ‘The British consul at Antwerp sends the following declaration : In a small village which had been entirely destroyed by fire, situated between the railway viaduct of Antwerp and Ellewyt, I witnessed the following sight during the last attack which was made on the 26^th of August, 1914. In a small farm, an old man was attached by the arms to a rafter of the roof of his house. The body was quite charred, only the heads, arms and feet were intact. Further on, a second case. A little boy of about fifteen years of age had his hands tied behind his back and his body was riddled with stabs of German bayonets. These are atrocious cases. Several dead bodies were found as if they had been killed while begging pardon, the arms uplifted, and the hands joined. It is true, so help me God.’

“ ‘And listen to this: a man has told me, as well as he could for tears, of his little son of three years, who stood before his door waving his arms and crying ‘Vive L’Angleterre’ as the Germans entered. His arms were cut off and he was bayoneted to death.’ ’’ ¹

The moving address was concluded with a spirited declaration that the allied cause was just:

“ ‘We, the allies, are fighting for the dignity of humanity. We are fighting for the right of civilization to continue to exist. We are fighting so that the nations may live in Europe without being under the heel of another nation. It is a great cause. It is worth great sacrifices – and when we have defeated our enemies and the allied armies pass under the Arche de Triumphe, let it be a Belgian regiments that heads the way.’ “¹

Although the audience had been in a state of shocked silence as the atrocities were recounted, it was different as Madame gave fervent expression to patriotic sentiments as he concluded her speech. The applause she received was long and loud, and she was cheered to the echo.