Ebook: The Bitter Harvest of War New Brunswick and the Conscription Crisis of 1917

After the Canadian Corps captured Vimy Ridge in 1917, and a myth grew that Canada was born on its slopes. However, 10,000 Canadians were killed, wounded, or went missing in the battle. Prime Minister Robert Borden assembled a Union Government to support conscription and called an election on the issue. Canada split along ethnic lines: English Canadians supported conscription; French Canadians rejected it. New Brunswickers were split as well along the same divisions, fanned by federal politicians. In the end, the Conscription Crisis of 1917 fractured the ethnic harmony of New Brunswick, leaving a lasting and tragic legacy. Andrew Theobald served in the Canadian Forces Reserve and is completing a PhD at Queens University. Canadian Military History, World War I, Conscription, Canadian author.