1914-12-05ts

It was a chance for the general public to get to know what was being done for the families of soldiers who had left Hamilton and Wentworth County to fight in the Great War.

On December 5, 1914, the Hamilton and Wentworth Patriotic society said that $199, 229.64 had been pledged to the society as of November 30, 1914.

Of the pledged amount, $76, 708.83 had actually been received and $16,297.06 had been distributed.

Beyond the numbers were a lot of wives, mothers, sisters and children of soldiers whose needs were being attended to by the society. Such was shown in the following extract of letter sent to the society:

“My husband is right in the thick of the fight, and in a letter to me he says that he feels more easy and can go into the battles with more vim since he knows that you are taking such good care of me and the children.”¹

          The officers of the Hamilton and Wentworth were heartened to receive such commendation and said that letters of that type were received regularly.

The Spectator enumerated just a partial overview of the good work done by the society :

“The society has spared no effort in seeing that the families and dependents of all men who left Hamilton and Wentworth county to serve their country are being looked after, and hundreds of dollars are distributed each month among the families which are entitled to it.

“The officers of the society have come across many pathetic cases, and since the first contingent left five people have been buried at the society’s expense.

“Nine wives and eleven children have had their passage paid to the British Isles, being the families of reservists who desired to return to friends in the old country”¹

¹ “Looking After Dependents : Patriotic Society Has Spent Over $16,000”

Hamilton Spectator.   December 5, 1914.

The following statement showed just how many men had left Hamilton or Wentworth County in the first few months of the war, as well as the number of dependents left behind:

        “Number of names on first contingent   …. 1002

Number of families receiving assistance ….  424

Total number of dependents receiving assistance, first contingent  … 1080

Number of names on second contingent …  589

Number of families receiving assistance, second contingent  … 159

         Total number dependents receiving assistance, second contingent … 467

         Total number of names, first and second contingent   … 1591

           Total number families first and second contingent  ….583

           Total number of dependants first and second contingent   …1547