First World War

U of T experts solve mystery of century-old flower mailed by First World War soldier

rahul.kalvapalle — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 15:48:39 +0000

U of T experts solve mystery of century-old flower mailed by First World War soldier

rahul.kalvapalle Fri, 11/08/2024 - 10:48

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The letter and flower, mailed by Harold Wrong to his brother in 1916, were donated to the ��߲ݴ�ý Archives in the 1960s (courtesy U of T Libraries)

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Our Community

U of T Archives

First World War

Remembrance Day

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

U of T Libraries

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The flower was pressed inside a letter sent by ��߲ݴ�ý graduate Harold Wrong a day before the Battle of the Somme

Harold Wrong was a First World War soldier who sent one last letter to his brother Murray on June 30, 1916. It contained a single pressed flower and one line: "All well with me."

The next day marked the Battle of the Somme and Wrong, who had graduated from University College just three years earlier, was never seen alive again.

The letter and flower were donated to the ��߲ݴ�ý Archives and the identity of the flower has been a mystery – until now.

Using new and emerging technologies and working with botanists and scholars beyond the university, U of T librarians, archivists and researchers from U of T Mississauga’s Old Books, New Science lab have solved the mystery of the 108-year-old Somme flower.

“In academia, we’re always curious and we always want to know things,” says Loryl MacDonald, associate chief librarian for special collections and director of the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library. “And to think that a pressed flower like that is 108 years old and survived that long! The fact that the family had preserved the flower for so long is very touching.”

To those who ask why the type of flower matters, Jessica Lockhart, head of research at the Old Books New Science lab says, “Well, if you know the flower, you know more about Harold. You understand why he found it beautiful and why he wanted to share it.

“And that’s an important detail that tells us so much more about his final message.”

Read the complete story of the Somme Flower at U of T Libraries

Celebrating Hart House's 100th birthday: A photo gallery

davidlee1 — Mon, 11 Nov 2019 05:00:00 +0000

Celebrating Hart House's 100th birthday: A photo gallery

davidlee1 Mon, 11/11/2019 - 00:00

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A view of Hart House in April of 1925 (photo courtesy of ��߲ݴ�ý Archives)

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Hart House celebrates its 100^th birthday today, but the building has served as a focal point at the ��߲ݴ�ý – and, indeed, the city – for more than a century.

It got its start before the First World War when Vincent Massey, a University College alumnus who would become U of T's chancellor and governor general, convinced his family to fund a building that would serve as a place for recreation and co-curricular activities. The Hart in Hart House comes from Massey's grandfather, Hart Massey.

Construction began in 1911, with Hart House officially opening its doors on Nov. 11, 1919. But before that official opening, during the First World War, the building was used as a training and rehabilitation facility for soldiers.

There have been controversies over the century – women weren't given full access to Hart House until 1972 – but Hart House is now an inclusive space and continues to this day to be a focal point for recreation, wellness, music, visual arts, theatre, literary arts, dialogue and more.

"Today, as we embark on our 100^th anniversary, Hart House is fully committed to ensuring that every student of this university – regardless of identity, background or ability – feels welcome at Hart House and sees themselves, their stories and their priorities reflected in what we do,” says John Monahan, the current warden of Hart House.

“If we do that, I am excited by the potential for the 100^th anniversary year to create unforgettable new memories for everyone who has ever engaged with the magic that is Hart House, as well as for those many who will be encountering Hart House for the first time.”

Read about Hart House's first century and its celebration events

This undated photo shows the land on which Hart House was built. Hart House was constructed on top of the buried Taddle Creek, which had been an important gathering place for Indigenous groups, including the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation (photo courtesy of Hart House)

Under construction: This photo was taken after 1911. Massive foundations were needed to support the building, which pushed construction costs at the time from $500,000 to $2 million (photo courtesy of ��߲ݴ�ý Archives)

Vincent Massey, his wife, Alice, and their two children pose in front of the Hart House cornerstone. The years 1911-1919 are inscribed on the cornerstone to mark the eight years of construction (photo courtesy of Hart House)

Before construction was finished, Hart House was used to help Canadian soldiers train during the First World War. Veterans used the building as a rehabilitation facility and are seen here playing badminton in the gymnasium in this photo taken between 1917 and 1919. Hart House officially opened its doors on Nov. 11, 1919, exactly one year after the war ended (photo courtesy of U of T Archives)

Hart House and Soldiers’ Tower in the 1920s: Although Hart House was opened in 1919, Soldiers’ Tower was not completed until 1924 (photo courtesy of Hart House)

Alumni gather in Hart House’s Great Hall for a convocation banquet in 1938 (photo courtesy of U of T Archives)

Attendees dress up for the Hart House Masquerade Ball in 1939, organized by the Sketch Club. The Sketch Club, which would later become the Hart House Art Committee, used the ticket sales from the ball to fund their art acquisitions, some of which are still part of the collection today (photo courtesy of Hart House)

By 1939, the world was at war again. Hart House became a place of refuge for hundreds of British children who came to Canada to escape the war. Children learned to sketch and paint at the art gallery while the gym was turned into a games area and the Debates Room was turned into a children’s library. In this photo from 1943, students in military uniforms lounge in the Hart House Library (photo courtesy of U of T Archives)

Under the conditions of Vincent Massey’s donation, Hart House was initially restricted to men. In 1954, permanent female washrooms were installed and women were allowed access to the Arbor Room, but only after 3:30 p.m. It wasn’t until 1972, five years after Massey’s death, that women received full access to Hart House. It took another 25 years for Hart House to see its first female warden, Margaret Hancock. In this photo, taken in the 1950s, women protest their exclusion (photo courtesy of Hart House)

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip stand outside of Hart House in 1951 during their month-long royal visit to Canada (photo courtesy of U of T Archives)

Over the past century, Hart House has been a forum for debate and dialogue, and has played host to prime ministers, world leaders, premiers, cabinet officials, diplomats and more. Perhaps the most famous debate took place in 1957 between a young Stephen Lewis and then-senator John F. Kennedy, who is sitting third from the left in the first row in front of the table. This debate also attracted protesters demanding that women be allowed to become full members of Hart House (photo courtesy of Hart House)

Long-distance runner Bruce Kidd (right) trains at the indoor running track alongside other student athletes in 1963. Kidd would compete in the 1964 Summer Olympics and later become the 11^th warden of Hart House. He also served as vice-president and principal of U of T Scarborough (photo courtesy of U of T Archives)

Alumni and graduating students gather at the Hart House quadrangle to listen to the legendary Northrop Frye as part of Hart House’s 50^th anniversary celebrations. Frye was named University Professor in 1967, U of T's first (photo courtesy of Hart House)

Varsity Blues athletes perform warm-up exercises on Back Campus before a football game in 1974. Hart House and Soldiers’ Tower stand in the background (photo courtesy of U of T Archives)

Acclaimed author and U of T alumna Margaret Atwood at the International Festival of Poetry in 1975, which was hosted at Hart House. Atwood graduated from U of T's Victoria College in 1961, later returning to serve as writer in residence. She has donated her papers to U of T Libraries, including the first handwritten draft of The Handmaid's Tale (photo courtesy of Hart House)

U of T in focus: The year in pictures

geoff.vendeville — Wed, 19 Dec 2018 05:00:00 +0000

U of T in focus: The year in pictures

geoff.vendeville Wed, 12/19/2018 - 00:00

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Mason Godkewitsch, 8, makes shadow puppets on the walls of the “cell cave” in the student lounge in the McLennan building on the downtown Toronto campus (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

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Canada Research Chairs

Faculty & Staff

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

Research & Innovation

STEM

U of T Mississauga

U of T Scarborough

Undergraduate Students

University College

In the lab, classrooms and at a variety of events on the three ��߲ݴ�ý campuses, U of T News photographers captured moments that made this year special.

Staff photographer Nick Iwanyshyn selected some of the highlights of 2018.

Axel Guenther, scientific director of the Centre for Microfluidic Systems, inspects microfluidic devices in a cleanroom. This fall, U of T partnered with Canada’s National Research Council to create a national innovation hub focused on microfluidics (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Students line up before making a grand entrance at the second student-led Black graduation ceremony in June at Hart House. In 2017, U of T became the first Canadian university to host a Black graduation (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland looks on during a service of remembrance at the ��߲ݴ�ý's downtown campus (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Alán Aspuru-Guzik, who came to U of T from Harvard University to become a Canada 150 Research Chair, delivered the keynote address at the ��߲ݴ�ý-Tsinghua University Entrepreneurship and Innovation Forum in May (photo by Chris Sorensen)

Elspeth Arbow, an undergraduate student with cystic fibrosis recovering from her second double-lung transplant, gets ready for physiotherapy at Toronto General Hospital on May 4 (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

Wearing matching maple leaf socks, former U.S. vice-president Al Gore and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt chat on the main stage at the Elevate technology conference in Toronto, on Sept. 26 (photo by Chris Sorensen)

Your mind isn't playing tricks on you. Students go up the stairs at U of T Scarborough (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Kirsty Duncan, minister of science and sport, watches a demonstration during a Nov. 13 announcement about new and renewed chairs in the Canada Research Chairs program, including 21 at U of T (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Cranes in the colours of the rainbow hang from a window at Hart House's reading room in June to mark Pride (photo by Romi Levine)

Students gather to study and chat at U of T Mississauga (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Enakshi Shah, who earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering at U of T, found there were lots of opportunities after graduating (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

A girl adds to a poster about what it means to be a woman in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) at Science Rendezvous on May 12 (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville).

Hundreds of people in a rainbow of colours filled the Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport at the ��߲ݴ�ý for the Indigenous Studies Students' Union's powwow on March 11 (photo by Laura Pedersen)

For Remembrance Day and the 100^th anniversary of the armistice ending the First World War, U of T News staff photographer Nick Iwanyshyn juxtaposed archival campus photos with present-day pictures at the same location. Above, a Sopwith Camel plane appears in front of University College in 1918 (photo illustration includes a U of T Archives photograph)

Members of the U of T community gather outside of University College on Oct. 30 for a vigil for victims of the attack on the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh (photo by Romi Levine)

Astrophysicist Matt Russo makes music using the movements of objects in space. The music was featured in Our Musical Universe, an audio-focused planetarium show that debuted at U of T in January (photo by Romi Levine)

Drummers welcome delegates during a Spiritual Opening Ceremony for the Parliament of the World’s Religions around the Sacred Fire in Olympic Park, on Nov. 2 (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Rose Patten, centre, U of T's 34th chancellor, was installed in a ceremony in November (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

At the 25th annual Bring Our Children to Work Day on April 26, kids got to see a soda geyser made of Mentos and cola spraying 12 feet above the courtyard near Lash Miller Chemical Laboratories (photo by Geoffrey Vendeville)

In pictures: Wind, rain add to solemn atmosphere at U of T Remembrance Day events

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 09 Nov 2018 18:24:01 +0000

In pictures: Wind, rain add to solemn atmosphere at U of T Remembrance Day events

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 11/09/2018 - 13:24

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Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland looks on during a service of remembrance at the ��߲ݴ�ý's downtown campus (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

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Despite falling rain and gusting wind, a large crowd attended services of remembrances held at the ��߲ݴ�ý’s downtown and Mississauga campuses Friday.

The services were held in advance of Sunday's 100^th anniversary of the armistice that brought an end to the First World War. Other services will take place at U of T over the weekend and on Monday.

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland attended the Friday service at Soldiers’ Tower on the downtown campus. The tower was built in 1924 as a memorial to those who served in the Great War.

The ceremony included the laying of wreaths and a recitation of In Flanders Fields, written by John McCrae. McCrae, who received two degrees from U of T, died on the battlefield in 1918.

Here’s how U of T marked its first day of Remembrance Day events.

James O'Brian, a retired flight lieutenant, prepares to lay a wreath at the foot of the Soldiers’ Tower (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

A large crowd braves the wind and rain during a service of remembrance on U of T's downtown Toronto campus (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

U of T President Meric Gertler lays a wreath at the foot of Soldiers' Tower (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Student members of the Erindale College Special Response Team, a division of St. John Ambulance, participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at U of T Mississauga (photo by Nicolle Wahl)

Jacqui Lavalley, a member of the Shawanaga First Nation, speaks during the ceremony on the downtown Toronto campus (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Cpl. Jonathan Elliotson plays The Last Post while attendees on the downtown Toronto campus look on (photo by Nick Iwanyshyn)

Courage and sacrifice: A look back at U of T during the First World War

noreen.rasbach — Fri, 09 Nov 2018 16:26:41 +0000

Courage and sacrifice: A look back at U of T during the First World War

noreen.rasbach Fri, 11/09/2018 - 11:26

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Postcards sent home from France during the First World War by Gerald Blake, U of T alumnus and grandson of Edward Blake, former U of T chancellor and premier of Ontario (Postcards from U of T Archives; photo by Romi Levine)

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At the outset of the First World War in 1914, an unfinished theatre in the basement of Hart House was commandeered for trench warfare drills. The set – painted to depict a battered Belgian village –provided the backdrop for rifle practice by students who had enlisted in the Canadian Officers' Training Corps. The set designer, Lieutenant Lawren Harris, would go on to become one of the famed landscape artists in Canada’s Group of Seven.

It was one of the more fascinating periods of the ��߲ݴ�ý's storied history, as recounted in The ��߲ݴ�ý: A History by author Martin L. Friedland, University Professor Emeritus in the Faculty of Law. In his chapter on the Great War, Friedland captures not only the heroics and sacrifices of those who saw active service, but also the ingenuity and enterprise of students and faculty who supported the war effort from home. By Nov. 11, 1918,“the long agony was over,” Friedland writes, quoting from the U of T's official Roll of Service.

But there were profound and lasting effects. On the 100^th anniversary of the end of the First World War, his account provides a compelling refresher:

While no amount of training could prepare young U of T recruits for the horrors they would face, there were incredible acts of courage. Major Thain MacDowell (pictured left, courtesy of U of T Archives) won the Victoria Cross for his actions at Vimy Ridge, where, despite being separated from the rest of his unit, he and two other men took control of two German machine guns. They chased a fleeing gunner down a tunnel, only to encounter 77 more German soldiers. “MacDowell convinced them they were surrounded by a larger force, and so brought about their surrender,” Friedland writes.
Physicians put themselves in the line of fire to deliver new treatment methods to the ill and wounded. Surgeon Bruce Robertson, a U of T medical graduate, took his modern blood transfusion knowledge to the front lines at a time when physicians from allied countries were still routinely replacing lost blood with saline solutions. Two influential articles by Robertson, published in the British Medical Journal, changed attitudes about the use of blood transfusions for saving lives, Friedland writes.

Read: From heartbreaking letters to triumphant trophies: 12 objects that tell the story of U of T during the Great War

Then and now: Take a look at these photos of the First World War on campus

Neither upbeat nor sombre: U of T alumnus commissioned to compose new carillon piece to mark First World War

Where and when to attend Remembrance Day events across U of T's three campuses

Crates containing serums made by Connaught Laboratories, created en masse to assist the war effort (photo courtesy of U of T Archives)

Public health pioneer John FitzGerald, founder of Connaught Laboratories, overcame the U of T’s initial reluctance to become involved with a commercial venture and incorporated his development of antitoxins into the department of hygiene. Robert Falconer, U of T president at the time, received $5,000 in support from the federal government – the first grant ever received by U of T from the federal government for laboratory work. It went towards production of tetanus antitoxin, as well as smallpox and typhoid vaccines, and, according to the U of T hygiene professors, reversed the trend of more Canadian men dying of disease than of wounds in France.
On the home front, with so many of their male classmates and professors enlisting in the medical army corps or working in field hospitals, the number and proportion of women in the Faculty of Medicine increased considerably. At Victoria College, women outnumbered men by the end of the 1916 academic year and the number of women in junior faculty positions at the university had increased from 15 to 60 by the end of the war. Almost all of the students who remained on campus during the war years signed up for national service, taking on the work of men who had gone overseas. Classes ended a month earlier than usual so female students could plant, harvest and sell farm crops.
Throughout, students became accustomed to unusual sights – a Sopwith Camel aircraft in front of University College, for instance. The campus had become a training ground for the British Royal Flying Corps and tent cities cropped up to accommodate the airmen. Canada did not have its own air force at the time, so Canadians and Americans had to join the British outfit if they wanted to fly. American novelist William Faulkner, who was 20 at the time, trained at U of T, where some of the lectures were delivered by members of the engineering faculty.
The Faculty of Engineering engaged in organized industrial research for the first time. Many professors also contributed directly to the war effort, using their expertise and lab equipment to test chemical explosives or the steel casings of shells. In 1918, the faculty of engineering obtained Canada’s first wind tunnel, which allowed the testing of aircraft by simulating flight without risk to the pilot.
Overseas, the casualties were horrendous. Friedland writes that about 10 per cent of the 6,000 U of T people who went to war lost their lives and likely an equal number were wounded, gassed or captured. As the veterans returned to campus, U of T psychology professor E.A. Bott developed rehabilitation methods to treat not only the physical wounds, but also the mental wounds. His colleagues in the engineering faculty became involved in the rehab efforts, training more than 300 women as occupational therapists. Surgeon Alexander Primrose, who helped form the Ontario Society for Occupational Therapists shortly after the war, wrote that the work of the therapists helped shorten the patients’ recovery time.
One hundred years ago at U of T, on Nov. 11, “the buildings were closed, and for a day, all gave themselves up to common rejoicing,” records the Roll of Service.

Read more about the First World War at U of T:

Then and now: Take a look at these photos of the First World War on campus

Romi Levine — Thu, 08 Nov 2018 15:44:11 +0000

Then and now: Take a look at these photos of the First World War on campus

Romi Levine Thu, 11/08/2018 - 10:44

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A composite image of University College in 2018 and in 1918 (composite by Nick Iwanyshyn, including a U of T Archives photograph)

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During the First World War, the ��߲ݴ�ý was abuzz with wartime activity – from air force pilots in training to troops camped out on campus lawns. The following photos depict life on campus between 1914 and 1918, with backdrops you might recognize today.

Archival photos are courtesy of U of T Archives, juxtaposed with current photographs taken by U of T News photographer Nick Iwanyshyn.

A Sopwith Camel airplane in front of University College, 1918

School of Instruction, 2nd Division, Toronto, 1915

People take part in the first Remembrance Day after the dedication of Soldiers' Tower, 1924

University contingent of the Canadian Officers' Training Corps on parade on the Front Campus, 1916

"Take up the Sword of Justice – join now": First World War recruitment poster on College Street in front of the Mining Building, 1914

Royal Flying Corps tents on back campus with Jenny JN4 plane overhead, 1918

Canadian Officers Training Corps Band, 1915

Canadian Officers' Training Corps outside University College, 1915

Early military drills on campus, shown here with partially built Hart House in the background, 1914

From heartbreaking letters to triumphant trophies: 12 objects that tell the story of U of T during the Great War

Neither upbeat nor sombre: U of T alumnus commissioned to compose new carillon piece to mark First World War

noreen.rasbach — Wed, 07 Nov 2018 20:18:34 +0000

Neither upbeat nor sombre: U of T alumnus commissioned to compose new carillon piece to mark First World War

noreen.rasbach Wed, 11/07/2018 - 15:18

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Scott Allan Orr, who graduated from U of T in 2014 with a degree in chemical and environmental engineering, is now a lecturer at Oxford University ( photo by Kaunas Art House)

Topic

Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering

This year’s Service of Remembrance at the ��߲ݴ�ý will feature new carillon music specifically commissioned to commemorate the 100^thanniversary of the end of the First World War.

The ceremony is set to take place at 10:20 a.m. on Friday at the foot of the Soldiers’ Tower adjacent to Hart House.

As part of the service, music on the tower’s 51 bells will be played by U of T carillonneur Roy Lee. The postlude, at the end of the event, is a new piece written by U of T alumnus Scott Allan Orr to mark the anniversary of the First World War armistice on Nov. 11, 1918.

Orr, who graduated from U of T in 2014 with a degree in chemical and environmental engineering, is an experienced carillonneur and composer who also plays piano.

He became interested in the carillon after taking a tour of the Soldiers’ Tower while he was an undergraduate at U of T. He was there to see the architecture of the structure, but was impressed by the beauty of the carillon, which is played by striking a series of batons with the fists, and pedals with the feet. These are connected to clappers that hit the inside of each bell in the tower.

He was approached by Lee – his former carillon teacher – last year to write a special composition, in a project sponsored by U of T Alumni.

From heartbreaking letters to triumphant trophies: 12 objects that tell the story of U of T during the Great War

Orr says he was given carte blanche, on the understanding that the piece be appropriate for a memorial service, while sending a message of hope and peace. He has titled the composition, which lasts about five minutes, Everything that Rises Must Converge, a quote from the writings of French philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin referring to the universe’s complexity and direction.

“I felt this quote was appropriate in thinking about past conflicts and the developments that follow, especially when reflecting on the past 100 years and seeking hope for the future,” Orr says. He adds that he wanted the piece to be neither upbeat nor too sombre, but to have contrasting sections that reflect different feelings.

It is written in a major key to reflect a positive sentiment, he says.

Orr is currently a lecturer in physical geography at Oxford University’s St. Catherine’s College, and will not be able to attend the debut of his composition, but says he has heard a recording of Lee practising it.

The Friday ceremony will also include the recitation of the poem In Flanders Fields, written by University College alumnus John McCrae, readings, hymns, laying of wreaths, The Last Post, The Lament, Reveille, and the royal and national anthems.

Where and when to attend Remembrance Day events across U of T's three campuses

Among the other carillon pieces Lee will play at the event is a composition by the late Belgian composer Géo Clément, who was carilloneur in Mons, Belgium. Lee says he chose this piece because Mons was liberated by Canadian troops on the last day of the First World War.

Orr’s new piece will be played again on the Soldiers’ Tower carillon on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 11, at a sunset ceremony that will feature a number of carillon compositions. The event, from 4:45 p.m. to 5:15, is part of a national Bells of Peace program initiated by the Canadian Legion, where bells will be tolled at the same time across the country to mark the centenary of the armistice.

Orr says he plans to submit his new piece to the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America, the organization that promotes carillon music in Canada and the United States, in the hopes they will publish it and it will be used in future ceremonies.

This is not the first commission for carillon music that Orr has earned. Last year he won the open category of a competition to write music for the carillon in Ottawa’s Peace Tower in commemoration of Canada’s 150^th birthday. The winning piece, Festive Rondo, was played for the first time on the Peace Tower carillon on July 1, 2017.

The Soldiers’ Tower was built as a war memorial in 1923-24, and the first 23 bells in the carillon were dedicated in 1927. The remaining 28 bells were added in 1952 and 1976.

From heartbreaking letters to triumphant trophies: 12 objects that tell the story of U of T during the Great War

Romi Levine — Tue, 06 Nov 2018 16:27:19 +0000

From heartbreaking letters to triumphant trophies: 12 objects that tell the story of U of T during the Great War

Romi Levine Tue, 11/06/2018 - 11:27

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An illustrated cover of a volume of the Varsity's wartime supplement (image courtesy of U of T Archives)

Topic

Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

U of T Libraries

University College

Although the battlefields were far away, the First World War left deep scars in Canada, and particularly at the ��߲ݴ�ý. A total of 5,691 students, alumni, faculty and staff are recorded to have enlisted in the armed forces, of whom 608 were killed or died on active service.

Though veterans of the Great War are no longer with us, their legacy lives on 100 years after the armistice through writings, artifacts and influential contributions to their fields of expertise.

Here are the stories behind 12 objects – from heartbreaking letters to triumphant trophies – that paint a picture of how the U of T community experienced the First World War.

All items are housed on the downtown Toronto campus in the U of T archives, Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, and at Soldiers’ Tower.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders Fields first appeared in Punch magazine in 1915 (photo by Romi Levine)

Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae – a U of T medical school alumnus and University College student – penned the now-iconic poem In Flanders Fields while treating wounded soldiers as a medical officer in 1915 during the second Battle of Ypres.

The poem was first published in the popular British magazine Punch that same year, printed on a small corner of a page – and without attribution. Though it took up very little real estate in the magazine, it had a lasting impression on those who read it.

“It resonated with the people of the time. It was part lamenting for the losses but at the same time talking about the good cause,” says U of T Librarian Graham Bradshaw.

According to Bradshaw, many soldiers serving in the First World War wrote literary accounts of their experiences.

“This is the first war where you really get a lot of people who were serving who ended up writing about it,” he says. “You see this huge outpouring of letters and memoirs and poetry and fiction.”

In Flanders Fields gained fame during the First World War and has since become an important part of Remembrance Day ceremonies across the country along with the poppies depicted in the poem in the field among soldiers’ graves.

McCrae didn’t make it out of the war – he died of pneumonia in 1918.

U of T holds many reproductions of In Flanders Fields – including one of 265 copies of an intricately illustrated book of poetry by American printer W.E. Rudge (pictured above left) and an engraving created by a U of T engineering instructor that can now be seen at Soldiers’ Tower (pictured below).

Scars of shrapnel

A letter by Frederick Banting to his mother written with his non-dominant hand due to injury (courtesy of U of T Archives)

Of those who survived the war, a number of veterans went on to accomplish incredible things. Frederick Banting was one of them. Banting joined the army in 1916 after being denied twice due to bad eyesight. He was finally admitted because of a desperate need for doctors overseas and his graduation was fast-tracked.

During the Battle of the Canal Du Nord in 1918, Banting was injured in his right arm by a piece of shrapnel.

“It severed an artery but he continued to be a part of the battle… and actually helped take care of other wounded men,” says Loryl MacDonald, acting associate librarian, rare books and special collections and director of the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library. Banting was awarded a Military Cross in 1919 for this heroic act.

The day after he was injured, Banting wrote to his mother, telling her what happened and urging her not to worry. “Everyone is as kind as can be,” Banting wrote. He even drew a diagram of the shrapnel.

Because his dominant arm was injured, he had to write the letter with his left hand – so his handwriting appears shaky and uneven.

After the war, Banting and researcher Charles Best discovered insulin at a U of T lab – earning them a Nobel Prize in Medicine and changing the course of history for those living with diabetes.

Shrapnel ripped through this book while in the pocket of Harold Innis (photo by Romi Levine)

Another notable veteran is Harold Innis – who graduated from McMaster University before the war, and went on to become a U of T professor and famed media and communications theorist.

Innis served in the Canadian army as a signaller – watching and reporting back where artillery shells landed. While doing reconnaissance during Canadian preparations for the assault on Vimy Ridge in 1917, he was hit in the thigh with shrapnel. The wound was bad, but could have been worse, save for the Field Message Book he kept in his pocket.

Farmerettes

Hundreds of women from U of T spent their summer in Ontario farms helping the war effort. “Farmerettes” planted, weeded, and harvested vegetables and fruits to feed troops at home and abroad.

Farm Service Corps Badges (pictured left) were given to these agricultural volunteers. This one in particular was awarded to Marie Peterkin Williamson, a University College student who spent her summer away from U of T picking fruit in the Niagara region.

Special edition

Two volumes of the Varsity Magazine Supplement (courtesy of U of T Archives)

The Students’ Administrative Council, wanting to do its part for troops fighting abroad, published the Varsity Magazine Supplement – special editions of the Varsity that included photographs of enlisted men, poetry, and accounts of wartime activity.

“The students wanted to have a means of recognizing and documenting the students' war efforts,” says MacDonald.

The supplements were sold separately as a means of raising funds, with proceeds donated to Canadian hospitals participating in the war effort.

Wartime memento

One of two German machine guns captured by Thain MacDowell (photo by Romi Levine)

A German machine gun stands in the Memorial Room in Soldiers’ Tower. It was captured during an act of bravery – and luck – by Major Thain MacDowell, U of T’s sole recipient during the First World War of the Victoria Cross, a prestigious award for bravery given out to British Armed Forces and members of Commonwealth countries.

MacDowell, a Victoria College alumnus, earned his cross at Vimy Ridge in 1917.

Approaching an enemy dugout, MacDowell confronted the German troops inside, convincing them there were substantial numbers of Canadian troops waiting above, when in fact, he was there with only two soldiers.

Two German officers and 75 soldiers surrendered and were taken behind Canadian lines – an impressive act that earned MacDowell Britain’s highest military honour. Replicas of his medal and others he received can be found at Soldiers’ Tower.

U of T on the front lines

A battle map of Passchendaele (photo by Romi Levine)

For some veterans, the First World War created bonds that lasted long after the war ended.

The 67^th Battery Canadian Field Artillery of the Canadian Expeditionary Force was a military unit formed in 1916, made up of mostly U of T students and graduates. After the war, the group formed an association, reuniting regularly for social events and keeping in touch with a newsletter called Battery Banter.

A final letter

“All well with me.” The letter was short and sweet – written by Harold Wrong, a University College student who graduated from U of T in 1913.

Wrong was the son of prominent U of T history Professor George Wrong and the grandson of Edward Blake, the second premier of Ontario and a U of T chancellor.

The letter he wrote on June 30, 1916 was addressed to his brother Edward and included a pressed flower. At the time, Harold Wrong was serving as an officer at the Somme in Thiepval, France.

The following day was the first of the British offensive along the Somme and it was deadly.

“Harold was last seen going over and he had a wound in his arm and he wasn't seen again,” says MacDonald.

Wrong is commemorated at the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.

Where and when to attend Remembrance Day events across U of T's three campuses

geoff.vendeville — Tue, 06 Nov 2018 05:00:00 +0000

Where and when to attend Remembrance Day events across U of T's three campuses

geoff.vendeville Tue, 11/06/2018 - 00:00

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This month marks the 100th anniversary of the armistice ending the First World War. Soldiers and veterans will be honoured at events across U of T's three campuses in November (photo by Laura Pedersen)

Topic

This Remembrance Day marks the 100^th anniversary of the armistice that brought an end to the First World War.

Records show almost 5,700 members of the U of T community enlisted in the armed services during the Great War. Those who served included Norman Bethune, Lester Pearson, Lawren Harris, Sir Frederick Banting and Charles Best – and Lilly Denton Keys, a nursing sister who died of pneumonia during active service. More than 600 students, graduates, faculty and staff lost their lives, and hundreds more were wounded.

Read: From heartbreaking letters to triumphant trophies: 12 objects that tell the story of U of T during the Great War

See: We Will Do Our Share, highlights from an exhibition at the Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library

The university is holding events across its three campuses to honour soldiers and veterans, and mark the centennial of the armistice.

Nov. 9

10:20 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Soldiers' Tower on the downtown Toronto campus

The annual service of remembrance will be held at the Soldiers' Tower, beside Hart House. The tower was built in 1924 as a memorial to those who served in the First World War.

Members of the military are requested to attend the ceremony in uniform.

Each service features the laying of wreaths and a recitation of In Flanders Fields by John McCrae, who received a bachelor's degree and a medical degree from U of T. McCrae died on the battlefield in 1918.

This year, U of T's resident carillonneur Roy Lee will debut a piece titled Everything that Rises Must Converge. It was commissioned for the centennial and written by engineering alumnus Scott Allan Orr.

Orr began learning to play the 51 bells in Soldiers' Tower as a student in 2012. He went on to graduate from the prestigious Royal Carillon School in Mechelen, Beglium, and is now working toward a PhD in the school of geography and the environment at Oxford University.

After the service, a reception will be held in Hart House’s Great Hall. The memorial room in Soldiers' Tower will also be open to visitors from 11. a.m. to 4 p.m.

10:40 a.m. at the flagpole in front of the William G. Davis Building at U of T Mississauga

Ulrich Krull, vice-president and principal of U of T Mississauga, will speak at the ceremony, which also includes a performance by the UTM Residence Choir. The ensemble will sing O Canada and In Flanders Fields.

At 7:30 p.m. in the Great Hall of Hart House

In Flanders Fields has become a staple of Remembrance Day ceremonies. Learn more about the poem's author, McCrae, with historian Hugh Brewster. His talk at Hart House encompasses McCrae's boyhood in Guelph, his student years at U of T and time in the trenches in the First World War. McCrae's life is illustrated with pictures and set to music by the Elora Singers, conducted by Mark Vuorinen. Tickets are $10 for students and $35 for the general public.

Nov. 11

10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The Canadian Forces 25 Field Ambulance unit will hold a service open to the public at Soldiers’ Tower, starting at 10 a.m. Student carillonneurs will play O Canada and God Save the Queen. The memorial room in Soldiers’ Tower will be open from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The bells at Soldiers’Tower will play a big part in Remembrance Day ceremonies and concerts over the weekend (photo by Makeda Marc-Ali)

4:45 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.

U of T carillonneur Lee will take part in Bells of Peace, a cross-country initiative by the Canadian Legion to toll carillon bells at the same time in each Canadian time zone. Lee will ring the bourdon, or largest bell, 100 times at sunset to mark the centennial of the armistice.

Lee will also play A Sacred Suite by Geert D'hollander, a piece commissioned for the inauguration of a replica carillon in Leuven, Belgium which replaces the original destroyed in the war. Lee rounds out the program with The Last Post, Amazing Grace and Scott Allan Orr's piece.

Nov. 12

10:40 a.m. at the Meeting Place on the U of T Scarborough campus

U of T Scarborough’s string orchestra, concert choir and concert band will perform at the university’s final Remembrance Day ceremony.

The string orchestra will play the Somerset folk song O Waly, Waly arranged by John Rutter. The UTSC Concert Choir will perform In Flanders Fields and the concert band will play Homeward Bound, a contemporary tribute to soldiers returning from far-away wars, arranged by Brant Karrick.

All three groups will perform the national anthem accompanying the audience.

A trumpeter at a Remembrance Day ceremony in 2015 (photo by Ken Jones)

Rehabilitating veterans: U of T’s ongoing commitment

ullahnor — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 14:48:33 +0000

Rehabilitating veterans: U of T’s ongoing commitment

ullahnor Fri, 11/11/2016 - 09:48

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An injured soldier receiving therapy. In 1918, a ward aides program was designed run by the engineering department to instruct volunteers in providing retraining for war veterans (photo courtesy of U of T archives)

Liam Mitchell

Author legacy

Liam Mitchell

Topic

When the wounded warriors of the First World War returned home, Canada’s veterans could count on the ��߲ݴ�ý to support their rehabilitation.

It was from the ravages of the First World War that U of T’s rehabilitation programs emerged, and that commitment has been sustained over the decades to the present day, as students, faculty and alumni work to improve the quality of life for those injured in war zones.

During the First World War, a six-month training program for physical therapists was established in 1917 at Hart House by the Military Hospitals Commission. Known as the “Hart House Course,” it emphasized massage and electrotherapy, gymnastics and muscle function training.

Read about U of T's Soldiers' Tower war memorial and museum

By 1919, 250 people had completed the program and were assigned to military hospitals across Canada.

U of T also laid the foundation for occupational therapy during this period through the training of Ward Aides. The program was established under the auspices of the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Engineering, supported by professors and instructors in the Faculty of Medicine. The aim was to provide vocational retraining to veterans so they could enter or re-enter the workforce.

In 1917, the Miltary Hospitals Commission established a six-month course at Hart House to train physiotherapists for the rehabilitation of injured soldiers (photo courtesy of U of T archives)

While the urgency waned when the armistice was signed in 1919, the importance of rehabilitation had been firmly established. In 1926, U of T set up a two-year program in occupational therapy, while the first formal diploma in physical therapy was established in 1931 at a time when 27 per cent of Ontario hospitals had departments in the field. The importance of psychiatric care to support veterans became better known as the 1930s began and by 1934, new training was included in the occupational therapy program to address this pressing need.

Flash forward to the present day, where students like Melissa Biscardi continue to work alongside veterans. Biscardi is completing her master's degree under the supervision of Professor Angela Colantonio in the Faculty of Medicine's Rehabilitation Sciences Institute. Her clinical work experience with veterans inspired Biscardi’s current thesis research, which is looking at traumatic brain injuries in military women, both those currently serving and veterans.

“I would often have patients come into our clinic complaining about back or neck pain, but I could quickly see there was other underlying issues like mental health and post-traumatic stress disorder,” explained Biscardi.

With a background in nursing and a strong interest in research that was ignited during her undergraduate studies, Biscardi decided to pursue a graduate degree.

“I knew that I wanted to find a way to help members of the military and veterans – they’ve given so much to serve our nation – plus I was interested in the intersection between traumatic injury, mental health and gender. So this has proven to be the perfect match,” she said. Biscardi also noted this will help advance research on traumatic brain injury in female veterans, which has not been well explored.

Danny Slack spent five weeks interning at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre as he pursued his master's degree in physical therapy. Slack, who completed his degree last year, recalled working with a 97-year-old man who had outlived his wife and even his children.

“I couldn’t believe how much he wanted to exercise,” said Slack. “We’d do 10 minutes on a reclining bike and he wanted to keep going. He said he wanted to be the oldest man in there.”

Today, U of T’s rehabilitation sciences comprise the departments of occupational science and occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech-language pathology and the Rehabilitation Sciences Institute.

In addition to offering professional master’s programs in core rehab disciplines, the sector also supports research-based graduate degrees. It has the most extensive network of clinical facilities available in North America, as well as faculty who are known nationally and internationally. Now these programs seek not only to improve the quality of life for veterans, but for clients across Canada and around the world.

Professor Edward Shorter and Heidi Singer also contributed to this story.

First World War

U of T experts solve mystery of century-old flower mailed by First World War soldier

Read the complete story of the Somme Flower at U of T Libraries

Celebrating Hart House's 100th birthday: A photo gallery

Read about Hart House's first century and its celebration events

U of T in focus: The year in pictures

In pictures: Wind, rain add to solemn atmosphere at U of T Remembrance Day events

Courage and sacrifice: A look back at U of T during the First World War

Then and now: Take a look at these photos of the First World War on campus

From heartbreaking letters to triumphant trophies: 12 objects that tell the story of U of T during the Great War

Neither upbeat nor sombre: U of T alumnus commissioned to compose new carillon piece to mark First World War

From heartbreaking letters to triumphant trophies: 12 objects that tell the story of U of T during the Great War

Where and when to attend Remembrance Day events across U of T's three campuses

From heartbreaking letters to triumphant trophies: 12 objects that tell the story of U of T during the Great War

In Flanders Fields

Scars of shrapnel

Farmerettes

Special edition

Wartime memento

Read more about Thain MacDowell and Harold Innis in ��߲ݴ�ý Magazine

U of T on the front lines

Read more about the 67^th Battery

A final letter

Where and when to attend Remembrance Day events across U of T's three campuses

Nov. 9

10:20 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Soldiers' Tower on the downtown Toronto campus

10:40 a.m. at the flagpole in front of the William G. Davis Building at U of T Mississauga

At 7:30 p.m. in the Great Hall of Hart House

Nov. 11

10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

4:45 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.

Nov. 12

10:40 a.m. at the Meeting Place on the U of T Scarborough campus

Rehabilitating veterans: U of T’s ongoing commitment

Read about U of T's Soldiers' Tower war memorial and museum