u Ottawa L'Universite canadienne Canada's university TTTTT FACULTE DES ETUDES SUPERIEURES FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND ET POSTOCTORALES U Ottawa POSDOCTORAL STUDIES L'Universite canadienne Canada's university Sarah Cozzi AUTWRDEIATheseTMto M.A. (History) Department of History FACULTETE^ Killing Time: The Experiences of Canadian Expeditionary Force Soldiers on Leave in Britain, 1914- 1918 TITRE DE LA THESE / TITLE OF THESIS Serge Durflinger DIRECTEUR (DIRECTRICE) DE LA THESE / THESIS SUPERVISOR CO-DIRECTEUR (CO-DIRECTRICE) DE LA THESE / THESIS CO-SUPERVISOR Tim Cook Galen Perras Gary W. Slater Le Doyen de la Faculte des etudes superieures et postdoctorales / Dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Killing Time: The Experiences of Canadian Expeditionary Force Soldiers on Leave in Britain, 1914-1919 by Sarah Cozzi Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the MA degree in History University of Ottawa ©Sarah Cozzi, Ottawa, Canada, 2009 Library and Archives Bibliothgque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de l'6dition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-61266-8 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-61266-8 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Biblioth£que et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'lnternet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non- support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. 1+1 Canada Killing Time: The Experiences of Canadian Expeditionary Force Soldiers on Leave in England, 1914-1919 Sarah Cozzi Dr. Serge Durflinger When Canada's entry into the First World War was announced on 4 August 1914, thousands of men rushed to volunteer. From October 1914 to late 1919 tens of thousands of Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) soldiers travelled overseas to Britain to await deployment to the Western Front. Dozens of camps were established, predominantly in southern England, where men spent time training for battle. During this time, leave was much sought after by soldiers who were eager to escape the tedium of camp life. Extended leave passes as well as weekend passes allowed men to frequent the local village and also travel to more remote locations. Men at the front were also eager to return to England, often wishing to earn a 'Blighty' in order to escape the fighting on the Western Front. Unable to journey back to Canada, for all of these men Britain became their 'home away from home.' Despite this isolation, neither the Canadian federal government nor the military authorities involved themselves in the men's off-duty time. It was left up to Canadian volunteers to help support the men. It was in this spirit that the King George and Queen Mary Maple Leaf Club was established. Founded by Lady Julia Drummond, a Montreal philanthropist, the Canadian-only Maple Leaf Club catered to the men's many social and recreational needs. Founded upon middle-class moral standards, and promoting the virtues of Canadian nationalism and British imperialism, this, and other privately funded iii clubs, embodied the notion of public patriotism of the time. As such, these social clubs also symbolize elements of early twentieth-century Canadian social and political culture. Soldiers' leave time also allowed some men an opportunity to reconnect with distant relatives. As a large percentage of CEF soldiers were of British ancestry, quite a number of men were able to visit family still residing in Britain. For others, leave was an occasion to travel the country as tourists. These soldier-tourists journeyed throughout the British Isles, visiting as many tourist sites and popular landmarks as possible, often returning to camp exhausted from their adventures. This off-duty time helped shape Canadian soldiers' experiences of the First World War, yet these experiences are overlooked in the Canadian historiography. Seeking to fill this void, this thesis aims to contribute to a more thorough understanding of the CEF men's time overseas. iv Acknowledgments The successful completion of this project was only made possible because of the generosity and kindness of those around me. First and foremost I must thank my thesis supervisor, Dr. Serge Durflinger for all of his guidance, encouragement, and patience during the completion of my thesis. While pages marked in blue ink were initially quite daunting, marginal comments such as 'good work,' and 'interesting stuff,' reminded me that I was on the right track. Learning a great deal from his editorial comments and from our many conversations, I could not have asked for a better supervisor. A special thanks to Dr. Tim Cook of the Canadian War Museum. While researching a different thesis topic, a quick conversation with Tim encouraged me to take on this project — I could not be happier with the decision. Despite his own demanding workload Tim always found time to inquire about the project and was always willing to offer helpful advice along the way. I would also like to thank the staff at the Canadian War Museum Military History Research Centre, in particular, Carol Reid, who met each of my numerous requests with a smile and was always willing to track down yet another file. Dennis Fletcher, the images archive technician, helped locate the photographs used in this thesis. Always ready with a joke, Dennis was not only helpful, but also offered a light-hearted break from hours of archival research. While always interested in the First World War, participating on the 2005 Cleghorn Battlefield tour of France and Belgium gave me a new perspective and new appreciation for the men who fought in the Great War. As such I would like to thank Dr. Andrew Iarocci for acting as tour director to our motley crew of Wilfrid Laurier students as we traipsed through the battlefields of northern Europe. His help and advice in the V years since have been much appreciated. Thanks also to the staff of the Laurier Centre for Military Strategic and Disarmament Studies, Dr. Terry Copp, Dr. Roger Sarty, Mike Bechthold, and Mark Humphries, now at Mount Royal University, for allowing me the chance to further indulge my interest in military history. I also wish to extend a thank-you to the staff of the Lundy's Lane Historical Museum, my home for five summers. It was truly a pleasure to work alongside a team who exuded such a passion for history and who fervently maintained a commitment to keeping alive the stories of local communities. Much was learned and many laughs were had! Very many thanks to my friends and colleagues both at the University of Ottawa and elsewhere, with particular recognition to my two roommates, Robyn Kuehl and Andrea Quaiattini. The friendship, advice, and humour exhibited by each and every one of you helped keep me sane as I muddled my way through the First World War. I could not ask for better friends. This project could not have been completed, however, if not for the love and support from my family: Edoardo, Maria, Pierluigi, Lisa, and the latest addition, my adorable niece Lauren. For encouraging me and for always knowing that I would succeed — o vuei ringraciavi per dut che i vis fat per me! Love you lots. List of Acronyms CAMC Canadian Army Medical Corps CASC Canadian Army Service Corps CAVC Canadian Army Veterinary Corps CEF Canadian Expeditionary Force CFA Canadian Field Artillery CFCC Canadian Field Comforts Commission CLIP Canadian Letters and Images Project CWCA Canadian War Contingent Association CWM Canadian War Museum CWMF Canadian War Memorials Fund CWRO Canadian War Records Office CYMCA Canadian Young Men's Christian Association DAAG Deputy Assistant Adjutant General GOC General Officer Commanding IODE Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire LAC Library and Archives Canada MLCW Montreal Local Council of Women MPPA Montreal Parks and Playgrounds Association OFRC Overseas Forces Reception Committee OMFC Overseas Military Forces of Canada PPCLI Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry VAD Voluntary Aid Detachment VD venereal disease VOD Victorian Order of Nurses VPK