A poem more powerful than cannon fire
At Boezinge, in the midst of the battle for Flanders, John McCrae, a soldier originally from Guelph, Ontario, wrote the ...
The Ultimatum
During the three weeks following the Sarajevo assassination, Austria-Hungary had increased pressure on Serbia by unfounded accusations of complicity. Tension ...
Italy further enmired into the war
After entering the war against Austria-Hungary in May 1915, Italy declared war on Germany on this day. Solicited by the ...
The Conscription Crisis
In Quebec, anti-government demonstrations against conscription were held. Riots broke out, but Borden continued to suppress protest. Although opposition to ...
War in the air
Capitan Malcolm Bell-Irving, a member of No. 1 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps, shot down a German warplane. This ...
The Forget-Me-Not Project
Learn about the significance of forget-me-not flowers the for Newfoundland Regiment and help build some for the entranceway to the ...
Passchendaele, the ultimate struggle
After four days of intensive fighting, the British army’s ultimate attack to gain total control of the zone was launched ...
Exhortation for peace
Reaffirming the complete impartiality of the Holy See in the war, Pope Benedict XV sent a note to the heads ...
Muscle-flexing
Russia also called up half of its troops to fight in aid of Serbia. Always with an eye to expand ...
The Christmas Truce
Henceforth, the enemy armies faced each other along a 700-kilometre front from the North Sea to the Swiss border. This ...
First World War Film Series: Charlie Chaplin’s Shoulder Arms
The first in a series of films honouring the 100th anniversary of World War I, (re)discover Charlie Chaplin’s film “Shoulder ...
The Race to the Sea
The Battle of the Yser and the First Battle of Ypres were the last two major battles in the war ...
Tannenberg, turning point of the war
The German 8th army under General von Hindenburg stopped the headlong advance through East Prussia by the Russian 2nd army ...
The Armistice: 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month
Wilhelm II had just abdicated and fled to Holland. The Armistice marked the end of the fighting on November 11 ...
The Battle of Ancre Heights
The 4th Canadian Division took Regina trench, the longest German trench and one of the enemy's strongest defensive positions. This ...
The birth of ANZAC
Camped in Egypt, the Australian and New Zealand troops were not an organized force at first. Lord Kitchener assigned General ...
Canada and the First World War
Canada's contribution to the First World War led to growing autonomy and international recognition, but at great cost. Find out ...
The secret Sykes-Picot agreement
With the consent of Russia and Italy, envoys Sir Mark Sykes of Great Britain and François Georges-Picot of France secretly ...
Total conflagration
The decrypting of the Zimmermann telegram exposed Germany’s plot to encourage Mexico to attack the United States in exchange for ...
The Romanian agony
A Romanian force of 420,000 men crossed the Carpathians to Transylvania in victory. Lacking in equipment, training, and good leadership, ...
The Conscription Crisis in Quebec City
On April 1, after several days of anti-conscription demonstrations and disorder, four men were killed and 70 people wounded after ...
Verdun, a strategic point
The German attack on Verdun, an important pillar of the French defence system, was launched on this day. More than ...
Other empires get involved
After remaining on the sidelines despite its close links to Germany, the Ottoman Empire finally declared its support for the ...
The Croix de Guerre for a Canadian exploit
During an air battle, Canadian pilot Robert Collishaw landed at a German base by mistake. He managed to take off ...
End of the Siberian Expedition; the last troops finally return
A Canadian Expeditionary Force of 4,192 men left for Siberia to reinforce Allied units alongside a volunteer army of Imperial ...
Organization of the Canadian forces
Canadian troops, arriving in ever greater numbers in Europe, were organized into divisions of the Canadian Corps. From two divisions ...
The Battle of Festubert
On a 5-kilometre front in the northern French Flanders, British, Indian, and Canadian troops advanced only one kilometre in ten ...
War measures in Canada and carnage in Europe
Canada applied the War Measures Act, which had passed into law four days before. The Act gave the federal government ...
Commemoration of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment’s important battles
A delegation of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment of Newfoundland is in Gallipoli, Turkey, to commemorate the battle that was held ...
The gas war begins
A menacing yellow-green cloud hovered over several kilometres of ground, moving directly towards the Allied lines. The Germans had just ...
The bombing of Reims Cathedral
On September 4, the first German shells fell on Reims, preceding the troops' entry into the city. On September 13, ...
The Halifax explosion
A French munitions ship, the Mont-Blanc, collided with the Norwegian relief vessel en route for Belgium, the Imo, at the ...
“Hockey Marching as to War” exhibition at Library and Archives Canada
The exhibition recounts how the First World War impacted hockey players—men and women—and transformed organized hockey during and after the ...
November 11th Commemorations by Veterans Affairs Canada
Canada's Veterans - lest we forget! This Remembrance Day, attend the Veteran’s Week ceremony organized near you. Check the activities ...
The Italian turnabout
Italy, still neutral but historically allied with Austria-Hungary and Germany through the Triple Alliance, nonetheless entered into a secret agreement ...
Progress for Canadian women’s rights
The first Canadian women to obtain the vote on this day were white women in Manitoba, 21 years old and ...
The Canadians leave for Europe
In Quebec City, 31,000 soldiers of the first contingent of the Canadian Expeditionary Force embarked for England on 31 steamships, ...
The Russian Empire becomes Bolshevik
The October Revolution brought Lenin to power as head of the world’s first communist nation ...
The great Arab Revolt
In exchange for Arab independence in the territories that would be liberated after the war, Arabia joined the Allies against ...
Hommage aux récipiendaires canadiens de la Croix de Victoria
Le projet Toll of War met en valeur la bravoure et les sacrifices des Canadiens durant les guerres mondiales. Lire ...
Brazil yes, Argentina no: new identities are formed
On April 3 and 4, 1917, German U-boats sunk the Paraná, a Brazilian ship, and the Monte Protegido, an Argentinean ...
Wanted! 500, 000 Canadians for WW I
In his New Year's statement on January 1st,1916, Robert Borden, then prime minister of Canada, pledges to send 500 000 ...
Complying with the commitment
Robert Borden's government imposed a number of measures, including conscription, to show Britain that Canada was united in the war ...
Canada, a signatory of the Treaty of Versailles
In this treaty, drawn up during the Paris Peace Conference and signed on this day in the Hall of Mirrors ...
Death of Gavrilo Princip
After spending almost four years in a dirty cell, the author of the two shots in Sarajevo that triggered millions ...
Preparing the Battle of the Somme
Following the first Chantilly Conference of December 1915, a meeting between the Allies to coordinate their actions, General Joffre for ...
Beginning of the Second Battle of the Marne
After the Russian withdrawal from the conflict, the Germans brought back all their troops from the pacified Eastern Front to ...
Canada’s Hundred Days
A series of bloody battles allowed the Allies to break the German lines. During 100 memorable days, the Canadians showed ...
Formation of a union government
Canadian Prime Minister Borden announced the formation of a government of national unity (coalition) made up of 12 Conservatives, 9 ...
Air War, 1914–1918
Explore the human experience of First World War aviation in Air War, 1914–1918, at the Canadian War Museum. This exhibition ...
Anti-German sentiment in Canada
A crowd of some 500 people destroyed the Riverside Hotel in Calgary because it employed Germans. In the same month, ...
On the east, from war to peace and back to war
Lenin’s Bolshevik government announced Russia’s withdrawal from the fighting. This started long, drawn-out, clashing negotiations with Germany. Russia wanted a ...
Europe is engulfed
Like a trail of gunpowder lit by the game of alliances, declarations of war followed fast upon each other. Germany ...
Borden versus Laurier
When Prime Minister Borden of the Conservative Party proposed the formation of a national unity government in May, Liberal leader ...
Siam’s opportunism
Although Siam (today, Thailand) was not involved in the main issues, it entered the war on the Allied side on ...
Thank a Veteran
Take a moment to thank a veteran with a Postcard for Peace. This act of remembrance provides an opportunity for ...
Women vote in Canada
Preceded by the Wartime Elections Act, a new law gave the vote to white women over 21. Native-Canadian women, and ...
The point of no return
Jean Jaurès, foremost leader of the pacifist movement in France, was assassinated in Paris by a deranged man. The last ...
The end of the Romanovs
“Grey morning, later lovely sunshine. Baby has a slight cold… Tatiana stayed with me and we read: Book of the ...
First Canadian war casualties
The first Canadian deaths in the war did not occur on the European front, but off the coast of Chile ...
The conscription law is passed
After months of parliamentary debate, the Military Service Act was passed on this day. Conscription was to apply in the ...
The Austrians surrender
Compelled to surrender, Austria-Hungary signed the armistice of Villa Gusti at Padua, in north-eastern Italy. Combat on the Italian front ...
WORLD WAR WOMEN
This exhibit by the Canadian War Museum highlights the role of Canadian women during the two world wars. Forced to ...
Peace in the Middle East
At Moudros on the Greek Island of Lemnos, the Turks signed an armistice with the Allies. The Ottomans gave up ...
Anzac Day
Four months after the organization of the ANZAC corps, troops of the young nations of Australia and New Zealand joined ...
Ordinary Canadians in Extraordinary Times
This exhibition of 12 unique wartime sculptures portrays ordinary Canadians touched by the extraordinary circumstances of the First World War ...
Commemoration Ceremony of the Battles of the Somme and Beaumont-Hamel
A parade, followed by a wreath-laying ceremony, highlight the bravery of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment during these major battles of ...
From crisis in July to war in August
Serbia, conciliatory, accepted all ten points of the ultimatum except the sixth, which required that Austro-Hungarian officials oversee the internal ...
Romania at war
Romania was a Triple Alliance ally with a strongly francophile population and had succeeded in remaining neutral until this day, ...
“NICE WOMEN DON’T WANT THE VOTE” EXHIBIT AT THE MANITOBA MUSEUM
To commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the right to vote for women in Manitoba, The Manitoba Museum outlines the causes, ...
The Wartime Elections Act
By this new law, women over 21 years of age related to a person serving with the Canadian or British ...
Reading The Danger Tree
This ambitious project is a retelling of The Danger Tree in story and song. This 90-minute, two-person performance transports the ...
National Tour of Drawings and Cave Carvings Made by Soldiers at Vimy
The "Souterrain Impressions” exhibit presents drawings and engravings made by Canadian soldiers taking refuge in a souterrain (cave) near Vimy ...
Fighting in Flanders
The 18,000 men of the 1st Division of the Canadian Expeditionary Force crossed the English Channel to a base at ...
The Canadian offensive in Belgium
In a pounding rain, through mud, and under continual fire, the Canadians pierced through the German lines. They would reach ...
The First Battle of Cambrai and the heroes of Newfoundland and Labrador
The actions by the Newfoundland Regiment at the Battle of Cambrai earned the title of “Royal” for the unit. It ...
Commemorating the centenary of the poem “In Flanders Fields”
To mark the 100-year anniversary of John McCrae’s iconic poem "In Flanders Fields", NFB Education offers a live broadcast of ...
Cameroon taken from the Germans
On January 1, 1916, a Canadian general of the British army, Charles Macpherson Dobell, entered Yaounde in triumph with his ...
Beaumont-Hamel, the deadliest attack
The British attack at Beaumont-Hamel in the Somme caused 57,550 casualties in one day, the highest loss of the war ...
Veterans’ Day Ceremony
The annual Veterans’ Day Ceremony “Honouring Those Who Fought For Peace”, will be held today at Glenwood Cemetery, Picton (Ontario) ...
Battle of the Marne
In the west, the Germans followed the Schlieffen plan, advancing deep into French territory ...
Abdication of Nicholas II
Following the bloody repression of the protesters, the soldiers switched their allegiance to the suffering populace, weakening the legitimacy of ...
Canadian Recipients of the Victoria Cross Honoured
The " Toll of War " project, beneficiary of the financial support of Canadian Heritage, aims to honour the wartime ...
Conscription for Canada
Sir Robert Borden’s government proposed conscription (obligatory enlistment), an unpopular measure that immediately divided the country. French-speaking Canadians were mostly ...
The Great Songs of the Great War
Listen to some of the most popular songs of the first World War performed by today’s artists. Join the Facebook ...
Vimy Ridge
On the morning of this day, 15,000 Canadian soldiers launched the attack on Vimy Ridge, a point that was fortified ...
Bulgaria, also at war
Since the beginning of the war, the Kingdom of Bulgaria had been courted by both camps. On this day, the ...
The Germans reach Brussels
Despite the heroic resistance of the Belgian army at Liège, the German troops arrived in Brussels only 15 days after ...
Travelling Exhibit on New Brunswick’s Contributions
A bilingual traveling exhibit highlights New Brunswick’s contribution during the First World War. Presented in partnership with the Fredericton Region ...
The Spark
Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, in the Balkans. Gavrilo Princip, a student anarchist belonging to Young Bosnia, a group supported by Serbian nationalists, ...
The Russian Revolution in the east
This day, which corresponds to February 23, 1917, in the Gregorian calendar, marked the beginning of the Russian Revolution. The ...
The German Empire loses ground in Africa
German South-West Africa (today, Namibia) capitulated and came under South-African control ...
A global shockwave
As the German army continued to move through Belgium, in London, the House of Commons voted to declare war and ...
Battle of the Yser
The Battle of the Yser encompasses the fighting in October 1914 between Belgian and French troops and the German units ...
Mutiny in the trenches
The infantrymen, subjected to atrocious conditions in the trenches, were exhausted after three years of a war that was supposed ...
After the war of movement in Flanders, trench warfare in Champagne
In spite of the very harsh weather of the winter of 1914, the French and the British armies took advantage ...
A difficult promise to keep
At the end of 1915, there was an urgent need to support the Allies in Europe. In his New Year's ...
“Fighting in Flanders – Gas. Mud. Memory.” Exhibition at the Canadian War Museum
Discover how Canadian soldiers had to adapt to significant challenges in Belgium: from the poison gas in Ypres, to the ...
The 50th anniversary of Confederation, in mourning
In Ottawa, for the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the creation of Canada (Confederation), the Parliament Buildings, then being ...