In this episode, Mark and Greg have a conversation with Saint John author, Heather McBriarty, on the subject of underaged soldiers in the First World War. As in other cities in Canada starting in August 1914, Saint John was swept by a wave of patriotism that encouraged many young men to volunteer for the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Much of this patriotism was channeled into support for Great Britain, which most Canadians viewed as the ‘mother country’. More than 600,000 Canadians served in the army, most of whom were posted overseas. Until conscription was introduced late in the war, the Canadian military depended on volunteers and by 1916 these were in short supply.
We start with a tragic incident that underscored the dangers of giving children uniforms, military training and loaded weapons. Next we discuss Canada’s early recruiting efforts designed to create a large, modern army based on the bedrock of local permanent militia units. From there we examine early 20th century attitudes towards childhood, the reasons why the military authorities permitted under-age volunteers, and the problems these youth created within the ranks. Like a number of their older comrades, many child soldiers were physically unfit for duty. In theory, recruits under 18 needed the permission of parents to volunteer; but this rule was often evaded, and proper documentation of age was not always provided- or demanded. Later in the war, the minimum volunteering age was raised to 19-up until this point those under 19 were not supposed be sent to trenches, but 16, 17 and 18 year olds-and younger boys-did see action.
Before concluding with an acknowledgement that the problem of child soldiers continues in many parts of the world, Heather, Mark and Greg review the many reasons why teenagers in the period 1914 to 1918 risked life and limb to enlist- often under false names. These included peer pressure, patriotism, war-time propaganda, a yearning for adventure, an interest in the military lifestyle enhanced by the cadet movement, financial reasons, guilt, vengeance, admiration for older males in the community who were in the ranks, understandings of masculinity, and the desire to escape unhappy family situations. Roughly 2,000 child soldiers (meaning under 19) died during the war, with a fatality rate of 10% for those who served overseas. Other came back wounded, disabled or emotionally scarred.
Heather McBriarty’s books:
Amid the Splintered Trees: A Novel of the Great War (Crow Mountain Publishing, 2021): https://a.co/d/cy1gcV1
Somewhere in Flanders: Letters from the Front ( Crow Mountain Publishing, 2019): - https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1999265009?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_RRQQGFK9QG9P4ZZXTTK2
Sources:
Black, D, & Boileau, J., Old Enough to Fight : Canada’s Boy Soldiers in the First World War (Toronto, James Lorimer & Company, 2013).
Budanovic, N., “The Youngest Soldier In WWI Was A Serbian Boy, Aged 8.” Retrieved from https://www.warhistoryonline.com/world-war-i/youngest-soldier-wwi-serbian-boy-aged-8.html
Child Soldiers International, ”Why 18 Matters: A rights-based analysis of child recruitment,” 2018. Retrieved from https://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/pdf/why18matters-download.pdf/
Cook, Tim, "He was determined to go": Underage Soldiers in the Canadian Expeditionary Force,”Histoire sociale / Social History, Volume 41, Number 81, (Mai-May 2008): pp. 41-74.
McBriarty, H.,”Halt! Who Goes There?” 2023. Retrieved from https://heathermcbriartyauthor.ca/blog/#halt-who-goes-there
Starmans, Barbara J., “Boy Soldiers of WW1,” 2015. Retrieved from https://www.thesocialhistorian.com/boy-soldiers-of-ww1/
Veterans Affairs Canada, “Remembrance Dog Tags - Fallen Canadian service members under the age of 18,” Retrieved from: https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/information-for/educators/learning-modules/fallen-canadians-under-18
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