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University of Kentucky UKnowledge Theses and Dissertations--History History 2016 "An Everlasting Service": The American and Canadian Legions Remember the First World War, 1919-1941 Mary E. Osborne University of Kentucky, [email protected] Digital Object Identifier: http://dx.doi.org/10.13023/ETD.2016.065 Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Osborne, Mary E., ""An Everlasting Service": The American and Canadian Legions Remember the First World War, 1919-1941" (2016). Theses and Dissertations--History. 33. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/history_etds/33 This Doctoral Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the History at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations--History by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. STUDENT AGREEMENT: I represent that my thesis or dissertation and abstract are my original work. Proper attribution has been given to all outside sources. I understand that I am solely responsible for obtaining any needed copyright permissions. I have obtained needed written permission statement(s) from the owner(s) of each third-party copyrighted matter to be included in my work, allowing electronic distribution (if such use is not permitted by the fair use doctrine) which will be submitted to UKnowledge as Additional File. I hereby grant to The University of Kentucky and its agents the irrevocable, non-exclusive, and royalty-free license to archive and make accessible my work in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I agree that the document mentioned above may be made available immediately for worldwide access unless an embargo applies. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of my work. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of my work. I understand that I am free to register the copyright to my work. REVIEW, APPROVAL AND ACCEPTANCE The document mentioned above has been reviewed and accepted by the student’s advisor, on behalf of the advisory committee, and by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), on behalf of the program; we verify that this is the final, approved version of the student’s thesis including all changes required by the advisory committee. The undersigned agree to abide by the statements above. Mary E. Osborne, Student Dr. Karen Petrone, Major Professor Dr. Scott K. Taylor, Director of Graduate Studies “AN EVERLASTING SERVICE”: THE AMERICAN AND CANADIAN LEGIONS REMEMBER THE FIRST WORLD WAR, 1919-1941 ________________________________________ DISSERTATION ________________________________________ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Kentucky By Mary Elizabeth Osborne Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Karen Petrone, Professor of History Lexington, Kentucky 2016 Copyright © Mary Elizabeth Osborne 2016 ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION “AN EVERLASTING SERVICE”: THE AMERICAN AND CANADIAN LEGIONS REMEMBER THE FIRST WORLD WAR, 1919-1941 The public tends to think of war memorials as fixed monuments, but I argue that the American and Canadian Legions served as living memorials that acknowledged veterans’ war-time service by providing service to veterans and to the public. This dissertation focuses on how Legionnaires interacted with one another and with their local communities during the interwar years to construct memories of the First World War. By analyzing local chapter records from Michigan, New York, and Ontario, Canada, this case study highlights the contrast between the organizations’ national and local activities. The local posts’ and branches’ wide range of activities complicated the national organizations’ collective memories of the First World War. A new way to construct a holistic depiction of veterans’ organizations is to study them as living memorials. From this perspective, all of their day-to-day activities fulfill the larger purpose of preserving and perpetuating the memory of their war experiences. At the national level, the American and Canadian Legions advocated for legislation to benefit veterans, but it was primarily at the local level where rank-and-file members shaped the Legions’ collective memories of the war. This study explores elements of those memories, including sacrifice, service, and camaraderie, through the tensions that sometimes arose between the national leadership and the local chapters and compares the American and Canadian Legionnaires’ experiences. KEYWORDS: World War, 1914-1918, Memory, American Legion, Canadian Legion, Interorganizational Relationships Multimedia Elements Used: JPEG (.jpg) Mary E. Osborne March 25, 2016 “AN EVERLASTING SERVICE”: THE AMERICAN AND CANADIAN LEGIONS REMEMBER THE FIRST WORLD WAR, 1919-1941 By Mary Elizabeth Osborne Dr. Karen Petrone Director of Dissertation Dr. Scott Taylor Director of Graduate Studies March 25, 2016 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Writing a dissertation can be a terribly isolating experience at times, but a number of people made this process more enjoyable. First, I would like to thank my doctoral committee, particularly my advisor, Dr. Karen Petrone, who provided me with supervision, constructive criticism, and advice, and Dr. James Albisetti, who read early drafts of my work, offered revisions, and challenged me to think broadly. The History Department also awarded me the Lance Banning and the Leslee K. Gilbert and Daniel E. Crowe Fellowships which funded my research over several summers. I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to all of the librarians and archivists who assisted me with my research, especially Howard Trace and Debra Brockhart at the American Legion Library and Archives and Mathieu Sabourin at the Library and Archives Canada. My friends and family encouraged me during the past five years. Bethany Sharpe read countless drafts and engaged me in stimulating conversation. Her insights have been invaluable. Dr. Eric Wake and Dr. Al Pilant, formerly of the University of the Cumberlands, served as wonderful mentors, and their passion for the historian’s craft inspires me. Finally, my mother never stopped believing in me. I would have never made it this far without everyone’s support. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments............................................................................................................. iii List of Figures ................................................................................................................... vi Chapter One: Introduction ................................................................................................. 1 Themes .................................................................................................................... 5 Theoretical Concepts ........................................................................................... 10 Societal Factors .................................................................................................... 14 Chapter Organization ........................................................................................... 19 Chapter Two: 1919-1925: Origins and Idealism ............................................................. 21 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 21 The American Legion’s Origins .......................................................................... 22 The Canadian Legion’s Origins ........................................................................... 43 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 52 Chapter Three: 1926: Niagara Falls, New York .............................................................. 54 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 54 “The Less We Hear from Indianapolis the Better” .............................................. 55 “He Is Not a Symbol to Many of Us—He is Real” ............................................. 59 “The Beginning of an Everlasting Service” ......................................................... 62 “That Feeling of Brotherhood and Fraternity” ..................................................... 69 “Whether on the North or South of This Invisible Line”..................................... 76 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 86 Chapter Four: 1927 & 1936: Paris and Vimy Ridge....................................................... 88 Introduction .......................................................................................................... 88 “The Greatest Goodwill Pilgrimage in History” .................................................. 89 “A Great Day of Franco-American Friendship” .................................................. 93 “They Are Used To Being Misunderstood” ......................................................... 97 “There Were Tears on Many Faces That Day” .................................................. 100 “Our Contact with Fellow Veterans” ................................................................. 104 “The Largest Peace-Time Movement from Canada”......................................... 108 “To Bind Together All Sections of the Community” .......................................

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