Canada Remembers the First World War

The country has recently shared an important historical moment. On February 18 2010, Mr. John “Jack” Babcock, Canada’s last known Veteran of the First World War passed away. This event marks the end of an era in Canada’s history.

When war broke out in 1914, Canada’s population was less than eight million people. Despite this, more than 650,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders served during the First World War. Nearly one of every ten Canadians who fought in the war did not return. Canadian soldiers braved tremendous assaults along the western front. Soldiers fought for weeks in knee-deep mud, battling through razor-sharp barbed wire and crippling shrapnel—all while enduring the cold and wet, in crowded and dirty trenches.

We must remember the war-time sacrifice and achievements of our First World War service men and women—and the considerable cost of human life. More than 170,000 were injured and more than 68,000 lost their lives. 

We are forever indebted to those who served for our country during the First World War and we must pay tribute to them by remembering their contributions to Canada. As a country we feel a tremendous loss. There are no longer any Veterans to share their personal memories of what it was like to have served for Canada during the First World War. It is up to us to learn about Canada’s contribution to the First World War—about how that conflict shaped the country we live in today. It is up to us to teach ourselves and our children about our past, so we can ensure we have learned all we can for the future. It is up to us to pass the torch of remembrance.