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When Britain went to war on 4 August, all colonies and dominions of the British Empire, like Canada and Newfoundland, were automatically at war. -
Canada passed the War Measures Act in order to provide the government with new and intrusive powers to prosecute the war. These powers included censorship, the right to detain and arrest Canadians, and the right to take control over any property. -
In Canada’s first major battle, the outnumbered Canadian Division faced the first use of chlorine gas as a battlefield agent. A third of the force, or 6,000 soldiers, were killed, wounded, or captured, but the Canadians kept the Germans from breaking through. -
The Newfoundland Regiment went into battle at Beaumont Hamel as part of a general British offensive on 1 July 1916. Due to error and miscalculation, the Regiment attacked through uncut barbed wire against heavy machine-gun fire. Within 30 minutes, 324 of its 801 soldiers were dead or missing, and another 386 were wounded -
Canadians successfully attacked the German-held strongpoint of Vimy Ridge. The thoroughly planned and executed victory has become a post-war symbol for Canadian identity and independence. -
In an important victory, the Canadians captured the high point of Hill 70 on the outskirts of Lens, France. The battle further secured Sir Arthur Currie’s reputation as an innovative commander of the Canadian Armed Forces. Success came at the high cost of over 9,000 killed and wounded Canadians. -
In preparation for an election mainly on the issue of conscription the government changed the election rules. Some Canadian women were able to vote for the first time, while other Canadians lost their right to vote in sweeping changes to enfranchisement. -
This battle is remembered for its brutal fighting and horrible weather conditions. Canadian forces, serving under a Canadian commander, captured their objective, but suffered 16,000 killed or wounded. -
Canadians played a key role in the series of battles that formed the Hundred Days campaign. With the infantry and artillery working in a combined arms system, along with tactical airpower, machine-guns, mortars, chemical weapons, and armoured vehicles, the German armies were driven back and defeated. -
The war ended at 11 a.m. on this day. More than nine million service personnel and an estimated 20 million civilians were killed in the war.