Vintage Video - Canadian Troop Train, August 1914
With war against Germany declared Britain rapidly mobilised the nation for war; and with Britain's entry into the war her colonies and dominions nations took Britain's side, including Canada.
Sir Robert Borden, the Canadian Prime Minister, was swift in offering support, both financial and military. He practised a policy of complete support for the British war effort. For example Borden controversially pushed conscription through parliament in 1917, leading to riots in French-speaking Quebec.
Despite his wholehearted support for the war effort Borden was nevertheless insistent that Britain's self-governing dominions should be represented within Lloyd George's Imperial War Cabinet in London and at the subsequent peace conference. Consequently at the Paris Peace Conference Borden headed the Canadian delegation; his signature on the Versailles treaty is often deemed to herald Canada's emergence as an autonomous state.
Use the player above to view footage of Canadian troops entraining in August 1914.
A 'corkscrew' was a metal post for supporting a wire entanglement, with a twisted base enabling it to be screwed into the ground, removing the need for a hammer, the use of which could attract enemy fire.
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