10 September 1939

Canada Declares War

"If you were to ask a Canadian, 'Do you have to go to war because England does?' he'd answer at once, 'Oh no.' If you then said, 'Would you go to war if England does?' he'd answer, 'Oh, yes.' And if you asked, 'Why?' he would say, reflectively, 'Well, you see, we'd have to.'

Britain's declaration of war against Germany on 3 September 1939 did not automatically commit Canada, as had been the case in 1914, since the Statute of Westminster had accorded Canada international independence and legal equality. But there was never serious doubt about Canada’s response: the Government and people were broadly united in support of Britain and France, no matter how distasteful the idea of going to war for a second time in a generation. In late August Canadian militia units across the country were called out to protect key transportation, communication, and power infrastructures; regular army, naval, and air forces moved to a war footing. Beginning on 7 September, Members of Parliament debated the question of standing with Britain and entering the war. There were only a handful of dissenting voices during the debate and no recorded vote was necessary; Canada was going to war. On 10 September, King George VI, in his right as King of Canada, declared war on Germany. Canada was the only nation in the Western Hemisphere to go to war against Germany at this time.

An archival copy of the bilingual declaration in the newspaper. — Canada Declares War

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On 10 September 1939, the Canadian Government officially announced that the country was at war. The proclamation printed in *The Canada Gazette* is transcribed below.
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Illustrated poster, colour. A Canadian soldier, gun in hand, stands on a globe, feet on Canada and the United Kingdom, where a Union Jack flies and large guns fire upwards. He is yelling, pointing towards Europe. Dark clouds and swastikas are in the sky. — "Lick Them Over There!"

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Recruitment posters from the Second World War attracted volunteers by using idealized imagery of the Canadian soldier. Issued by the War Services Department (circa 1941-1942), this poster shouts out: "*Lick them over there!*" and"Come on Canada!"
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Blue and white illustrated poster. The Vimy Monument pillars on the right; a bare chested man, arms lifted towards the sky, holds a lit torch emanating beams of light. — Passing the Torch

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Recruitment posters drew on feelings of patriotism inspired by the Vimy Memorial and the poem *In Flanders Fields*, by John McCrae. It was a reminder of the sacrifice made by an earlier generation in the First World War as inspiration for this generation to step up and fight for peace and democracy once more. By quoting the last stanza of *In Flanders Fields*, this poster (circa 1941) intends to evoke specific feelings of patriotic duty in Canada's young men.
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Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King promised that only volunteers would serve overseas. He did not want to repeat the national unity crisis that had erupted in 1917-1918 following the imposition of conscription. The regular army of 4,500 men, augmented by 51,000 partly-trained reservists, possessed virtually no modern equipment. The air force had fewer than 20 modern combat aircraft while the navy’s combat potential consisted of only six destroyers, the smallest class of ocean-going warships. It was a modest beginning, but the armed forces grew rapidly. In September 1939 alone, over 58,000 Canadians enlisted, reflecting a widespread desire to assist Britain and France in their struggle against the Nazis. While some of the enlistees were unemployed and might have been motivated to join up for economic reasons, many Canadians also quit scarce jobs to enlist.

By December, troops of the 1st Canadian Division were on their way to Britain, where advanced training and a gradual build up forces would take place. By February 1940, only 23,000 troops had arrived alongside a few air force units. Although subject to press and political criticism for its lethargic response, the King Government was pursuing a policy of so-called “limited liability” whereby Canada’s commitment of troops would remain small for the time being in an effort to avoid large-scale casualties which might lead to divisive calls for conscription. Besides, this was the period of the “Phoney War,” which saw no ground combat in Western Europe between the Germans and the Allies, and there did not seem any great urgency to grow the army. Instead, and in keeping with the idea of “limited liability,” Canada organized and hosted the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) to train tens of thousands of air crew, most of whom would be Canadian, for Commonwealth air forces. It proved a very complex undertaking, required tens of thousands of air force personnel to manage, and became a major contribution to the Allied war effort.

Single column news article. — Intentions and Demands of the BCATP

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Signed in December 1939 by Canada, Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) would create a comprehensive program for training airmen from these countries in Canada. Nearly half of the airmen employed in Commonwealth air forces during the Second World War were trained under the BCATP. The program would lead US President Franklin D. Roosevelt to describe Canada as the "aerodrome of democracy."

This *Globe and Mail* article from October 1939 (transcribed below) described the intentions and demands of the program.
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Black and white photograph. A man in heavy pilots gear stands in front of an airplane, leaning one arm on the propeller. — Harvard Aircraft

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Black and white photograph. Two men in military uniforms and parachutes lean on a rail, laughing. — Paratrooping

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Black and white photograph. Four aircraft fly through the air in a line beside each other. On the ground, the patchwork appearance of fields. — Flying

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Black and white photograph. Underneath an airplane, both large wheels visible. A compartment is open, and two men crouch down to load a large bomb (6-8 feet long) into the plan. It is mounted on a jack. — Loading Bombs

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Black and white photograph. Three airman, holding bags (parachutes?) and wearing straps stand inside an aircraft, surrounded by instruments and metal piping. They all crouch a little, the ceiling is low. — Inside an Aircraft

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By June 1940, Germany had defeated France and occupied most of Western Europe. Italy also entered the war on Germany’s side. Britain, having succeeded in withdrawing the bulk of its forces from the continent, was suddenly threatened with invasion. Ottawa reacted to this sudden crisis by very significantly increasing its military, industrial, financial, and manpower commitments to the war effort. “Limited liability” was replaced by a policy of unlimited war. Canada rushed its small navy to Britain and sent two fighter squadrons there before the end of 1940. Many others would follow. For a full year, until Germany attacked the Soviet Union in June 1941, Canada was Britain’s principal ally in the struggle against tyranny. By the summer of 1942, Canada had stationed some 250,000 men and substantial air forces in Britain.

At home, Ottawa passed the National Resources Mobilization Act (NRMA) in June 1940 which obliged Canadians to register with the Government in order that the human resource pool of the country could be better administered. The NRMA also created an army of conscripts for the purpose of defending Canada. These conscripts would not be obliged to serve outside of North America but by serving in various posts on the home front, they freed up general service volunteers for service overseas. Eventually, 100,000 Canadians would serve as home-defence conscripts and thousands of these well-trained men would themselves volunteer for general service. In 1942, after a bitter political debate and a national plebiscite, Ottawa amended the NRMA to allow for the dispatch overseas of conscripts if the Government deemed it necessary. In fact, this would not happen until the end of 1944.

Audio recording of veteran John Covan. — John Covan, Merchant Navy

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John Covan recounts some of his experience in Canada's Merchant Navy. His brief account, given to The Memory Project (circa 2008-2014), is transcribed below.

Canada's Merchant Navy was a fleet of transport ships that carried desperately needed equipment, fuel, goods, and personnel to Europe and around the world. These ships were prime targets for enemy torpedoes.

Members of the Merchant Navy found themselves in the middle of the Battle of the Atlantic, where they showed tremendous bravery. The casualty rate was one in seven, a higher percentage of total casualties than those suffered by any of Canada's fighting services. Approximately 1,500 Canadians died, including eight women. As well, 59 Canadian-registered merchant ships were lost.

Despite this immense sacrifice, members of the Merchant Navy were not recognized as war veterans until 1992.
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Black and white photograph. Sailors train with a mounted gun under the supervision of an instructor. — Learning to Fire

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Black and white photograph. The top deck of a ship is crowded with men, sitting and standing on every available surface. — Survivors of a Torpedo

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Black and white photograph. Three sailors work to fire a large gun. — Defensively Equipped Merchant Ships

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Black and white photograph. The stern of a large ship, men stand with their backs to the camera. In the distance, plumes of water shoot aggressively into the air as depth charges are exploded. — Depth Charges

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Colour image. The side of a large ship is shown, Canadian sailors lean over the rail on the side. Attached to the boat by ropes is a barely-surfaced submarine; German military personnel are standing on top of it. — Captured U-Boat

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The emergency resulting from the defeat of France and the possibility of Britain’s defeat obliged the Canadian Government to take steps to ensure the safety of its national territory and adjacent waters. In August 1940, Prime Minister King met US President Franklin Roosevelt at Ogdensburg, New York, and together the men concluded the Ogdensburg Agreement which united the two countries in a policy of joint hemispheric defence. The United States remained formally neutral until December 1941, but Canada had found a guarantor to replace Britain in the event of the latter’s defeat. In April 1941, the two countries negotiated the Hyde Park Declaration which was a kind of free-trade agreement in military goods, enabling Canada to acquire the output of American industry, much of it on Britain’s behalf. In January 1942, Canada made Britain the gift of $1 billion in goods and monies to assist with its war effort. It was an astronomical sum at the time.

In these early war years, Canada augmented its war effort in keeping with overseas military needs. It harnessed its immense natural resources to the growing Canadian participation in the war and to support Britain. By 1941, it had converted or built hundreds of factories producing war supplies for itself, Britain, and other Commonwealth countries. By the end of the war, more than one million workers (including 261,000 women) had been employed in war industries producing hundreds of warships and cargo vessels, 16,000 aircraft, 850,000 military vehicles (including 50,000 armoured vehicles), and weapons and equipment of all the kinds necessary to support a modern army in the field. Canada had become a major ally, at home and overseas.