Canada passed the Wartime Elections Act in September 1917. The act was part of the Conservative government’s efforts to win the federal election later that year. The act, however, was not without controversy. (This post is a companion piece to Melina Druga’s WWI Trilogy, Angel of Mercy, Those Left Behind and Adjustment Year, available wherever […]
5 Things I Learned While Writing A Tale of Two Nations
If you’ve been studying a subject for as long as I have, you may think there isn’t anything left to discover. I’ve been studying World War I and how it changed the lives of ordinary people since I was a teenager. When I embarked on writing A Tale of Two Nations: Canada. U.S. and WW1, […]
An Army of Housewives: The Women’s Committee during World War I
The home front directed factory production, agricultural output, and local community energies to the war effort in World War I. President Woodrow Wilson stated that “it is not only an army we must shape and train, but also a nation.” National sentiment leaned mostly to isolation, but by 1917, the U.S. became increasingly involved overseas, […]
History of Burn Treatments: Making Patients as Comfortable as Possible
The need to threat burns in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was great. Women’s skirts would catch fire while cooking, or children’s clothing while playing too close to the fireplace or stove. An overturned kerosene or gas lamp would set a home or barn ablaze in minutes. During World War I, men also […]
Blood Transfusion Saved Lives During World War One
If war does have a silver lining, it’s the medical advances which come as a result. One of these advances is the blood transfusion. (This post is a companion piece to Melina Druga’s WWI Trilogy, Angel of Mercy, Those Left Behind and Adjustment Year, available wherever eBooks are sold.) Blood transfusion was nothing new in 1914. […]
Battle of Oppy Wood: Casualties were Less than 2,000
The Battle of Oppy was fought May 3 and June 28, 1917, in Arras, France. (This post is a companion piece to Melina Druga’s WWI Trilogy, Angel of Mercy, Those Left Behind and Adjustment Year, available wherever eBooks are sold.) The skirmishes were part of the large Battle of Arras. Capturing the highlands was of […]
Battle of Passchendaele: Controversial in 1917 and Today
The Battle of Passchendaele, also known as the Third Battle of Ypres, was fought July 31-November 10, 1917, in Flanders, Belgium. (This post is a companion piece to Melina Druga’s WWI Trilogy, Angel of Mercy, Those Left Behind and Adjustment Year, available wherever eBooks are sold.) The goal of the attack was to gain Allied control […]
Battle of Hill 70: A Forgotten, Yet Important Battle
The Battle of Hill 70 was fought August 15-25, 1917, near Lens, France. (This post is a companion piece to Melina Druga’s WWI Trilogy, Angel of Mercy, Those Left Behind and Adjustment Year, available wherever eBooks are sold.) The attack relieved pressure on the Allies near Passchendaele. The idea was the attack on Hill 70 would […]
Battle of Vimy Ridge: Canada’s Coming of Age
The Battle of Vimy Ridge took place April 9-12, 1917, near Arras, France. The nations involved were Canada, Great Britain and Germany. (This post is a companion piece to Melina Druga’s WWI Trilogy, Angel of Mercy, Those Left Behind and Adjustment Year, available wherever eBooks are sold.) Major Events of the Battle: Learning from the mistake […]
Military Service Act: Canada’s Conscription Crisis of 1917
Nothing can split a society more than a controversial issue with two equally passionate sides. Such was the case in Canada when the passage of the Military Service Act of 1917 split the nation along cultural lines. (This post is a companion piece to Melina Druga’s WWI Trilogy, Angel of Mercy, Those Left Behind and […]
The Russian Revolution of 1917
Understand the history of Russia and you understand modern Russia. It is a nation that has been plagued for centuries by tyrants, wars, political unrest and social equality. This all came to a head during The Russian Revolution. (This post is a companion piece to Melina Druga’s WWI Trilogy, Angel of Mercy, Those Left Behind and […]
Federal Election of 1917: Nation in Crisis
Canada’s federal election of 1917 was a vicious, heated contest. This speaks volumes considering the 1911 election had enough rhetoric, half truths and mudslinging to make a 21st century politician feel right at home. (This post is a companion piece to Melina Druga’s WWI Trilogy, Angel of Mercy, Those Left Behind and Adjustment Year, available […]