Great War Memorials in New Brunswick, 1918-1926
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“We caught the torch you threw:” Great War Memorials in New Brunswick, 1918-1926 by Thomas M. Littlewood Bachelor of Arts, Mount Allison University, 2013 A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in the Graduate Academic Unit of History Supervisor: Lee Winsor, PhD, Modern Military History Examining Board: Marc Milner, PhD, Modern Military History David Charters, PhD, Modern Military History, Chair Lawrence Wisniewski, PhD, Sociology This thesis is accepted by the Dean of Graduate Studies THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW BRUNSWICK April, 2015 © Thomas M. Littlewood, 2015 Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields, Sleep sweet - to rise anew! We caught the torch you threw And holding high, we keep the Faith With All who died. We cherish, too, the poppy red That grows on fields where valor led; It seems to signal to the skies That blood of heroes never dies, But lends a lustre to the red Of the flower that blooms above the dead In Flanders Fields. And now the Torch and Poppy Red We wear in honor of our dead. Fear not that ye have died for naught; We'll teach the lesson that ye wrought In Flanders Fields. Moina Michaels, November 1918 ii Abstract The Great War was a global conflict that engulfed participant nations, including Canada, on a scale never before seen. Most Canadian households had a personal connection to the war. After the Armistice, communities in Canada and throughout the British Empire erected memorials to those who lost in the great conflagration. Each memorial has its own story of development which is intrinsically linked to the community that built it. Nearly a century later, these war memorials still stand in central places, serving as historical documents full of clues about the people who built them. This thesis examines the process of memorial construction in five New Brunswick communities in the wake of the Great War. Woodstock, St. Stephen, Fredericton, Saint John and Moncton represent southern New Brunswick’s three major urban centres and two rural centres. Each community built a memorial unique in shape, design, and history; yet each fulfills a similar commemorative purpose. These five memorials collectively remember individual soldiers lost and became mechanisms for public and private grief. Great War memorials are public manifestations of a community, province, and nation in mourning. This case study of how five New Brunswick memorials came into being sheds light on a process that took place in thousands of communities, large and small, across what became the British Commonwealth. iii Dedication To my grandmother, Ella May (Wilkins) MacMullen (1917-2008), a veteran of the Second World War, who gave me my love for history. To my grandfather William James McLellan, a veteran of the Korean War, who takes the keenest interest in everything I do. iv Acknowledgements This thesis could not have been written without the help of a whole team of people who helped me, advised me, and encouraged me, both knowingly and unknowingly. A special thanks to my supervisor Dr Lee Windsor whose guidance and patience over the last two years has been irreplaceable. Thank you to Dr Marc Milner whose help, especially in the first year of my programme, was invaluable; and to him and Dr Sasha Mullally who ran outstanding seminars in my first year. Thank you as well to the faculty and staff of the Milton F. Gregg, VC, Centre for the Study of War and Society—Dr Milner, Dr Windsor, Valerie Gallant, Dr David Charters, and Dr Cindy Brown—who made me feel welcome, gave me space to work, at put up with me for two years. I’d like to especially thank Brent Wilson for his guidance, encouragement, and help has been invaluable. Thank you also to a whole team of archivists and specialists at various institutions who helped me get my hands on the right documents, photographs, and information. Specifically my thanks are due to Dr Amy Marshall Furness, Art Gallery of Ontario; Christine Jack, Microforms Department at the University of New Brunswick; Bridget Murphy, Moncton Museum; and Mathieu Sabourin, Library and Archives Canada. My thanks are also due to Phoebe Robertson and Elixa Neumann provided places to stay while I was researching in Ottawa. Writing a MA thesis can be a stressful endeavour and I am thankful for friends and family who have kept me sane during the process, especially Kenzie Jones, Nicola MacLeod, Carole-Ann McGee, and Bill and Adele Knox. v Thank you to Amanda Morehouse for 17 years of unconditional friendship. Thank you for supporting me in every outlandish idea I come up with, for many movie dates, lunches at the Dolan Road Irving, and telling stories over a bowl of fro-yo at Menchies. To my "foster family," Fr Kevin and Janice Stockall, thank you for taking me in and allowing me to live with you while at UNB. Your kindness, generosity, and love has meant so much the last 6 years. Thank you to Elizabeth Stockall for being there for me whenever I need you. For reminding me when I'm foolish and for supporting me when I'm on the right track. For many trips to restaurants, late night chats, retail therapy, and also for reading draft chapters. Thanks, Lilibet. Thank you finally, to my family. My parents, Ray and Nancy Littlewood and my brother Donald. Your support and love is unparalleled. vi Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Dedication .......................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................ iv Table of Contents ............................................................................................................... vi Table of Figures ................................................................................................................ vii Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 1: The Commemoration of the Great War in Writing ........................................... 8 Chapter 2: Woodstock War Memorial, 1918-1923 ........................................................... 23 Chapter 3: The Soldiers’ Memorial in St Stephen, New Brunswick, 1919-1926 ............. 44 Chapter 4: Fredericton’s Cenotaph, 1920-1923 ................................................................ 65 Chapter 5: Moncton’s Soldiers’ Memorial Monument, 1921-1922 ................................. 76 Chapter 6: The Saint John War Memorial, 1922-1925 ..................................................... 96 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................... 123 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 128 Appendix A: Honour Rolls ............................................................................................. 131 Appendix 2: Memorials to the Great War in New Brunswick ........................................ 137 Vitae vii Table of Figures Figure 1: Rev. Frank Baird ............................................................................................... 26 Figure 2: Woodstock Soldiers’ Memorial......................................................................... 36 Figure 3: Unveiling of the St Stephen Soldiers Memorial ................................................ 58 Figure 4: Loring's sculpture. ............................................................................................. 59 Figure 5: Soldiers' Memorial, Victoria Park, Moncton .................................................... 91 Figure 6: Map of King Square denoting the Head of King Street and the eventual placement of the Saint John memorial ............................................................................ 116 Figure 7: Unveiling of the Saint John War Memorial .................................................... 119 Figure 8: War Memorials in New Brunswick. ................................................................ 137 1 Introduction The fifth season of ITV’s critically acclaimed period drama Downton Abbey, set in 1924, begins with the townsfolk of Ripon wanting to erect a memorial to those who fell in the Great War. The committee enlists the help of Lord Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, as their patron, and his butler Mr Carson as chairman. The season follows the lives of the Crawleys and their servants: their misfortunes, their joys, and their sorrows, but the war memorial question is never far from their minds. On a visit to Downton, Lord Gillingham—Lady Mary Crawley’s suitor—declares that a war memorial is a wonderful idea because it would give a “solid focus for [people’s] grief and gratitude.” Mr Carson and Lord Grantham involve the whole house—upstairs and downstairs—in the decisions regarding the memorial. They have discussions and debates about where the memorial should go, who should be commemorated on it, and what form it should take. In the end, they erected a simple monument in the centre of the village and it made a very suitable memorial to those who died in the Great War.1 This may seem a frivolous way to begin a thesis on such a serious, emotional, and personal topic as war memorials. However, the discussions, debates, and heartaches that plagued the residents of Downton are very much