First World War Timeline
The First World War of 1914–1918 was the bloodiest conflict in Canadian history, taking the lives of more than 60,000 Canadians. It erased romantic notions of war, introducing slaughter on a massive scale, and instilled a fear of foreign military involvement that would last until the Second World War.
June 28, 1914
First World War Timeline
Franz Ferdinand Assassinated
Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip assassinated Austro-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, in Sarajevo, setting off a chain of events leading to the First World War.
August 04, 1914
First World War Timeline
Canada and Newfoundland Enter the First World War
After Britain’s ultimatum to Germany to withdraw its army from Belgium expires at midnight on the third, the British government declares war on Germany the next day. As dominions of the British Empire, Canada and Newfoundland are also at war.
August 04, 1914
First World War Timeline
McBride Purchases Submarines
Knowing that war was about to break out and fearing attack by German warships, Premier Richard McBride authorized spending $1.1 million for 2 submarines that had been built in Seattle for the Chilean navy.
August 18, 1914
First World War Timeline
First Internment Camp for “Enemy Aliens”
The first internment camp for “enemy aliens,” meaning people residing in Canada who were born in enemy countries, opened in Fort Henry, ON. Those interned were people of Ukrainian descent (forming the majority of internees), as well as people of German, Turkish, Austro-Hungarian and Bulgarian origin.
October 03, 1914
First World War Timeline
First Canadian Contingent
The First Canadian Contingent sailed from Québec City for England. The largest convoy ever to cross the Atlantic, it comprised over 31,000 troops aboard 31 ocean liners escorted by Royal Navy warships. Also sailing in this convoy was a contingent from the British Dominion of Newfoundland, which was still separate from Canada at that time.
January 06, 1915
First World War Timeline
Princess Patricia's in Action
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry went into action in France, in World War I.
January 14, 1915
First World War Timeline
1st Canadian Division Arrives
The 1st Canadian Division arrived in France from England, and proceeded to Belgium.
February 26, 1915
First World War Timeline
McClung's Petition
Suffragist Nellie McClung presented the Alberta legislature with a petition demanding that women be given the right to vote. The right was granted in municipal elections 2 months later.
April 22, 1915
First World War Timeline
Battle of Ypres
German soldiers release poisonous chlorine gas against the Canadian lines during the second battle of Ypres in Belgium in spite of some opposition to its use from both sides. Soldiers who breathe in the gas have their lungs painfully burned and many choke to death due to a buildup of fluid.
May 03, 1915
First World War Timeline
"In Flanders Fields" Composed
John McCrae of Guelph, ON, wrote the famous poem "In Flanders Fields." It was composed in 20 minutes at Ypres and first published in December 1915 in the English magazine Punch.
May 08, 1915
First World War Timeline
Frezenberg Ridge
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry held the south shoulder of the breach over Frezenberg Ridge.
May 15, 1915
First World War Timeline
Battle of Festubert
The Battle of Festubert was the second major engagement fought by Canadian troops in the First World War. The First Canadian Division was part of a wider British offensive against German lines near the village of Festubert, France, from 15–25 May, 1915.
December 19, 1915
First World War Timeline
First Canadian Aerial Victory
Captain M.M. Bell-Irving, of No.1 Squadron, Royal Flying Corps, achieved the first aerial victory by a Canadian when he shot down a German aircraft.
January 01, 1916
First World War Timeline
Turnbull Invents Variable Pitch
Wallace Turnbull of Saint John built the first working model of the variable pitch propeller, an important development in aviation. A second design was flight tested at Camp Borden in 1927.
January 28, 1916
First World War Timeline
Manitoba Women Get Vote
Manitoba was the first province in Canada to grant women the right to vote and to hold political office provincially.
February 10, 1916
First World War Timeline
Anti-German Riot in Calgary
During the First World War, a rioting mob destroyed several German-owned businesses in Calgary, Alberta. The same day, Calgary City Council decided to fire all employees born in countries at war with Canada.
February 21, 1916
First World War Timeline
Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun began. It was the longest and one of the bloodiest battles of WWI. It ended in December 1916 after 328 500 French and 348 000 Germans had died in action.
March 14, 1916
First World War Timeline
Saskatchewan Women Get Vote
Saskatchewan women won the rights to vote and to hold provincial office.
April 03, 1916
First World War Timeline
Battle of St Eloi
Troops of the 2nd Canadian Division took part in the Battle of St Eloi, Belgium.
April 19, 1916
First World War Timeline
Alberta Women Get Vote
Alberta women won the rights to vote and to hold provincial office.
June 02, 1916
First World War Timeline
Battle of Mont Sorrel
Mont Sorrel on the Ypres Salient was captured by German forces from the 3rd Division of the Canadian Corps. Commander Major-General M.S. Mercer was killed and Brigadier-General V.A.S. Williams was captured.
July 01, 1916
First World War Timeline
Battle of Beaumont-Hamel
Newfoundland troops captured Beaumont-Hamel in France on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.
September 15, 1916
First World War Timeline
Canadians Take Courcelette
The 22nd Battalion from Québec, the 25th from Nova Scotia, and the 26th from New Brunswick captured Courcelette and took over 1,000 prisoners.
November 11, 1916
First World War Timeline
Somme Campaign
During the Somme campaign the 4th Canadian Division captured the main German defensive position called the Regina Trench.
January 01, 1917
First World War Timeline
Income Tax Introduced
The Income War Tax Act introduced the first income tax in Canada.
April 05, 1917
First World War Timeline
BC Women Get Vote
British Columbia women (except Asian and Indigenous women) won the rights to vote and to hold provincial office.
April 09, 1917
First World War Timeline
Battle of Vimy Ridge
On Easter Monday, four Canadian divisions and one British brigade captured Vimy Ridge, near Arras, France, with a loss of 3578 killed and 7000 wounded. It was a brilliant victory for the Canadians, who sensed a new national awareness.
April 12, 1917
First World War Timeline
Women Get Vote in Ontario
Women were granted the right to vote and hold public office in Ontario.
April 21, 1917
First World War Timeline
Collishaw Receives Croix de Guerre
After an air engagement,R. Collishaw evaded several German and mistakenly landed at a German base. He quickly took off and managed to land at a French airfield near Verdun. The French were so impressed with his feat that they awarded him the Croix de Guerre.
May 18, 1917
First World War Timeline
Borden Announces Conscription
Sir Robert Borden announced his decision in Parliament to implement Conscription. The imposition of conscription on reluctant French Canadians was a failure and bitterly divided the country along French-English lines.
June 02, 1917
First World War Timeline
Billy Bishop's Dawn Attack
Flying ace William Avery ("Billy") Bishop reported single-handedly raiding a German airfield at dawn and shooting down three enemy planes. He would earn a Victoria Cross for his actions, despite significant controversy over the accuracy of his account.
June 07, 1917
First World War Timeline
First Elected Women
Louise McKinney and Roberta MacAdams were the first women in Canada elected to a provincial legislature, in Alberta.
July 09, 1917
First World War Timeline
First Woman Judge in BC
Helen Gregory MacGill was appointed the first woman judge in British Columbia.
August 15, 1917
First World War Timeline
Storming of Hill 70
The attack on Hill 70 was the first major action fought by the Canadian Corps under a Canadian commander, Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Currie. It was successful and the Canadians withstood a German counterattack.
August 29, 1917
First World War Timeline
Military Service Act
The Military Service Act was passed, making most male British subjects up to 45 years of age liable for active military service (Conscription).
September 20, 1917
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First World War Timeline
Wartime Elections Act and Military Voters Act
Parliament passes the Wartime Elections Act. The right to vote federally now extends to women in the armed forces and female relatives of military men. However, Citizens considered of “enemy alien” birth and some pacifist communities are disenfranchised.
October 17, 1917
First World War Timeline
Borden Announces Union
PM Robert Borden announced the formation of a Union government made up of 12 Conservatives, 9 Liberals or independents, and one labour representative.
October 26, 1917
First World War Timeline
Battle of Passchendaele
The Canadian Corps attacked over muddy terrain during the bloody Passchendaele offensive in Belgium. On November 7, having suffered over 15 000 dead and wounded, the Canadians seized Passchendaele.
November 06, 1917
First World War Timeline
Passchendaele Victoria Cross Recipients
Actions by Corporal Colin Barron of the 3rd Battalion, and Private James Robertson of the 27th Battalion, CEF at the Battle of Passchendaele earned them the Victoria Cross.
November 20, 1917
First World War Timeline
Strachan Earns Victoria Cross
Actions by Lieutenant Harcus Strachan of the Fort Garry Horse, C.E.F. at Masnieres, France, earned him the Victoria Cross.
December 06, 1917
First World War Timeline
Halifax Explosion
At Halifax, the French munitions ship Mont Blanc collided with the Belgian relief ship Imo. The resulting explosion, the largest before the advent of the atomic bomb, killed more than 1,600 people and injured 9,000 in Canada's worst disaster.
January 24, 1918
First World War Timeline
First Woman MLA in BC
Mary Ellen Smith was the first woman elected to the BC legislature; it was the first election in which women could vote in BC.
February 07, 1918
First World War Timeline
War Artists Commissioned
Canadian artists F.H. Varley, Maurice Cullen and others were shipped off to England to paint for the Department of Canadian War Records.
March 28, 1918
First World War Timeline
Anti-conscription Riots
Anti-conscription riots began in Québec City.
April 21, 1918
First World War Timeline
Death of the Red Baron
Canadian pilot Roy Brown is credited with shooting down the infamous "Red Baron," Manfred von Richthofen, near Amiens. By another account he was brought down by ground fire.
April 26, 1918
First World War Timeline
Nova Scotia Women Get Vote
Nova Scotia women won the rights to vote and to hold provincial office.
August 08, 1918
First World War Timeline
Battle of Amiens
Canadian troops advanced through German defences at the Battle of Amiens. Though lesser known than the Battle of Vimy Ridge, Amiens was a major victory. Later deemed the Allies’ most successful day of combat on the Western Front, the attack combined several military tactics. The infantry surged behind an artillery barrage and was supported by tanks, cavalry and aircraft. Amiens hastened the war’s end three months later.
September 02, 1918
First World War Timeline
Battle of the Hindenburg Line
The Canadian Corps broke open the northern hinge of the Hindenburg Line in France.
September 02, 1918
First World War Timeline
Peck Awarded Victoria Cross
Lieutenant-Colonel Cyrus Peck, who was MP for the Prince Rupert area while serving in the army, was awarded the Victoria Cross for leading an assault under intense enemy shelling at the Drocourt-Quéant Line.
October 09, 1918
First World War Timeline
Canadians Capture Cambrai
Canadian troops captured Cambrai, France.
November 01, 1918
First World War Timeline
Cairns Earns Victoria Cross
Actions by Sergeant Hugh Cairns of the 46th Battalion, C. E. F. at Valenciennes earned him the Victoria Cross (posthumous).
November 11, 1918
First World War Timeline
Armistice
The Armistice with Germany ended First World War. A total of 628,562 Canadians served in the Canadian armed forces, including 424,589 who went overseas; 60,661 were killed.
June 28, 1919
First World War Timeline
Treaty of Versailles Signed
The Treaty of Versailles, the peace settlement imposed on Germany after World War I, was signed near the French capital at Versailles. It took effect on January 10.
January 10, 1920
First World War Timeline
Treaty of Versailles in Effect
The Treaty of Versailles ending the First World War took effect. It established the League of Nations, an organization for international co-operation, with Canada as a founding member.
