Organigram

WW1 Timline 1911-1917

Aboriginals in Battle

when: 1917

who: Aboriginals

Aboriginals were not encouraged or expected to sign up for WW1. Many soldiers died as the war dragged on and the number of volunteers dropped so the government started welcoming aboriginal volunteers. All but three single algonquin men from the Pikwakanagan tribe enlisted. Since 1917 most were allowed to enlist and vote without losing their indian status in Canada.

Blood tribe recruits in the 191st battalion.

"In Flanders Fields"

when: May 3, 1915

who: John McCrae

“In Flanders Fields” is a poem written in the voice of a group of soldiers who have recently died in a World War I battle. It is basically asking for everyone to keep on fighting. The poem was written by John McCrae (a soldier and army physician) and was written May 3, 1915.

John McCrae and the poem he wrote

The second battle of Ypres

when: April 22, 1915 – May 25, 1915

who: Britain, Canada, France, and Belgium fought against the German Empire

The second battle of Ypres was fought in western Belgium and was the second most costly battle of WW1. The battle marked the Germans first use of Chlorine gas as a weapon. More than 6,500 Canadians died or were captured. The Second Battle of Ypres inspired what became Canada's best known war poem (In Flanders Fields).

Soldiers in Ypres using makeshift gas masks because of the gas attack

Francis Pegahmagabow

when: 1914-1918

who: Francis Pegahmagabow

Francis Pegahmagabow was a Canadian First Nations soldier, politician and activist. He was the most highly decorated Indigenous soldier in Canadian military and the most effective sniper of WW1. Using the Ross rifle, he was credited with killing 378 Germans and capturing 300 more. He fought in the second battle of Ypres, Soome, Scarpe, Passchendaele, and the Hundred days offence.

The Ross Rifle

when: 1911-1916

who: Canadians

The Ross Rifle was adopted by the Canadian military in 1911 during early World War 1. Thousands of Canadian soldiers who fought in France and Belgium carried the Ross rifle into battle and a lot of people hated the weapon for its unreliability in combat. The reason why the rifle was used for so long was because Sir Sam Hughes was a supporter of the weapon and he was the minister of defense at the time. It was replaced in 1916 by the British Lee-Enfeild rifle.

ross rifle factory in Quebec